"The Ultimate Goal Is Freedom of Thought and Hyper Creativity"
Ntando Brown is a self-styled disruptor. He is a cinematographer turned director and runs creative agency OUT SINCE TUESDAY as part of his day job. Under the pseudonym of 'Nos', he has produced live intimate performances from Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi as well as directed some of the UK’s most exciting rap talent for two seasons of Yo! MTV Raps. Ntando has also delved into long-form film, creating documentaries for Channel4 and Sky Atlantic. 'Pirate Mentality' created a buzz for fans of Grime music and explored how it influenced the pirate radio scene. Sky’s 'Guerilla Sounds' hailed the Black Panther movement in the UK and its place in the country’s black history. He currently has a short film ‘My Brudda’ in production, due out with the BFI later this year.
In addition to his enviable skills, when it comes to shooting live performances, Ntando has received critical plaudits for his refined approach to storytelling. His promo for Che Lingo’s 'My Block', for example, was hailed for its bold depiction of Black British identity and he was nominated for his piece on black mental health for Fred Perry by 1.4 awards.
His creative collective OUT SINCE TUESDAY has also produced some of the most innovative and fresh projects on the scene. OI TIKTOK was the first ever live stream music show exclusively produced for a mobile platform. Adidas consequently followed with a live stream starring Munya Chiwawa, Anisa Farah and Slow Thai. Other clients include Land Rover, Samsung, Unknown T and Dr Martens. The company currently has offices in London, New York and Johannesburg and continues to thrive and grow.
Ntando is a keen spokesman for his craft as well as black youth culture and has spoken on panels such as D&AD, BFI, Shhake and RTS Awards.
Q> Can you tell us about the origins of 'OUT SINCE TUESDAY' and how you started?
Ntando> I never intended to start a company and it wasn’t on my radar at all but it ended up being the best way to collaborate with people. I was working for Channel4 at the time and they commissioned me for a web series and said I need to be a registered company. As time went on it seemed to be the best way to work with people. When OST started, I was initially working out of the UK but then we quickly acquired an office in New York in the Empire State building which was pretty insane! We built our fashion and music roster out there and then brought it back to the UK. Our first projects were a Prada campaign with L’officiel Mexico and a music video for Dos Global and Auda Records. In the beginning we were working with some super cool people, we had so many great opportunities and experiences, it was a really exciting time!
Q> You call yourself a ‘creative house that lives and breathes culture’. How do you differentiate yourselves from other traditional agencies? And why is company culture so important to you?
Ntando> The main difference with OST is that we’re not from the 'industry' as it were. We found it easy to put culture first because that’s where it started for us. We were a production company for six years and the reason we started that way was because we are process driven. A typical agency would start out as an agency and then add production to their repertoire to attract clients. But we’ve done the opposite. We wanted to know the process of production before anything else. The creative agency and culture element came easily to us. I would say we’re more of a hybrid company and that’s what makes it really fun for us.
Culture is so important as that is where it all begins and it’s our starting block. If we’re able to originate things in culture, it’s a lot easier to keep it authentic. It’s crucial to our audience that ultimately we come from a place of understanding and making sure we feel connected to them. It gives us a firm grounding and base from where to jump off from.
The idea of ‘breathing culture’ for us means that it feels natural. We want to create something that isn’t forced but something that’s ingrained and flows naturally throughout our work. That’s how we guide brands in navigating those spaces, no matter what kind of culture it is. We enjoy the authenticity and the space within it.
Q> You pride yourself on being diverse, collaborative and forward thinking. Do you think your unique approach to the industry is testament to your success?
Ntando> For the longest time all of our work has been through word of mouth. We’ve never done any marketing, no pushing ourselves out there so I guess being culturally relevant and being true to what we’re doing gives us a bit of an edge. We’re known for having diverse crews and sets and this has been attributed to us pushing forward and being in certain rooms.
What’s key to us is that we have representation in front and behind the camera. We feel like we can be a bit of a bridge between more diverse backgrounds and the industry. So far it seems to be going that way. Diversity creates something that is fresh and can create a new path of thought. Every job we’ve done we’ve been complimented on how diverse the crews are but also how professional. If I’m honest, it's still a surprise to receive the compliments and it's certainly nice to have that vantage. What we’re striving for is for this to be the norm.
Q> Whilst other agencies are encouraged to go back to the office, you actively encourage employees to work remotely from various corners of the world and you see digital nomadism as the future. Can you elaborate on this?
Ntando> Encouraging our team to work from home gives them self motivation and being responsible for their own progress and their own work. We need to figure out how to create a hive mind but essentially it's feeling like you’re connected to something. I guess comfort is key. One thing we push as a company is making sure our freelancers are working in their best state. It’s important to know what they need to be able to work at their full capacity. What I noticed is SPACE. Picking when and where to bring people together and when to pull them apart. That’s initially where I started from; freelancers need their space to think and create.
In regards to our clients, even before lockdown we found this was the best way to work. We try to learn about the brief and do a lot of research outside that brand so we can come up with fresh ideas and perspectives. We found this was the best way for us to come back with something original. Obviously it can be risky as you can be wide off the brief but it tends to get the creative juices flowing. And the clients tend to enjoy this process too.
We only really come together during the production phase as it becomes about speed and getting answers quickly. We normally go to the client at this point so we’re able to get work signed off much quicker. It’s worked in our favour in the past as we’ve turned over massive projects in a shorter space of time. It’s knowing when to come together and when to separate. The ultimate goal is freedom of thought and hyper creativity.
When it comes to digital nomadic lifestyles, what's key is that there’s a central hub where everyone can turn to so it feels like we also have your back. We’ve been working in this way a long time, even pre pandemic, so whilst we had to pivot slightly we were used to working in this way and made us more convinced in our ideals. We’re excited for the new wave of digital nomads and be one of the pioneers of that realm!
Q> OST seems to really tap into youth culture which makes brands sit up and take notice. This is apparent from the social campaigns and global activations you’ve created. Can you tell us how you address creative problem solving?
Ntando> When it comes to youth culture, it comes naturally as most of our team is relatively young. The lifeblood of what we do is staying in the know of what is happening in youth culture and being able to attribute that to our project. When you’re working with big clients who are unfamiliar with youth culture, they are happy for us to take the lead on creative solutions which are fun to be a part of. It allows our people to be super creative and unlimited when you have the client’s trust.
It’s also important to try not to dictate what culture should be. It’s important to stay true to the creative, be authentic and respect the fact that cultures are different and that’s what makes them beautiful.
Q> You’ve recently created some ground breaking work with Adidas and Oi TikTok. 'Adiverse' was the first live TikTok shopping experience for gen z, a live streaming event. Tell us more about the project.
Ntando> Our background is in music, documentary and TV so piecing all together for a new generation was how Oi TikTok came about. It was the first in history, the first ever live stream music show strictly for a mobile online platform. It was an hour long per episode, (TikTok’s long form) which had never happened before. We developed, created and produced the entire show from development, production to graphics - everything! What was interesting about the live show was trying to manoeuvre a TV format to a TikTok/online generation, tweaking old ideas into new ones that can be digested by a younger demographic.
Because of the success of this, we ended up doing Adidas’ first live stream show starring Munya Chiwawa, Anisa Farah and Slow thai. The younger generation are not watching TV like they used to. Now they are consuming bite size pieces of content so you have to retain their attention which TikTok have fine tuned to a tee. But how do you achieve this longer form? This is where we’ve come in and we’re learning how to perfect this formula.
Again, the client, crew and the talent on these shoots relayed back to us that they felt so comfortable on set because of the diversity and positive mindset which OST tried really hard to instil. It’s imperative to relax your team and get everyone in the same mindset, that’s really important to us. The creative process is supposed to be enjoyable.
Q> Samsung and Nile Rodgers 'How to Write A Viral TikTok song' is another great example of your work. How did this come about?
Ntando> We have worked for Samsung with another agency Mother a few times before but as their production arm. They enjoy working with us because of our link to youth culture and they value having our directors, producers on site to give them a certain edge. On this particular project we worked with Armani White, Dreya Mac and Nile Rodgers so we’re mixing absolute legends with newer talent who are exploding online. It ended up doing really well for Samsung. Plus it was such fun to create something cool with people you really admire.
Q> What’s next for OST and what are your ambitions for the future?
Ntando> We have quite a few goals and ambitions on our agenda.
We really want to build WITH a brand. We want to work with like minded creative companies and brands and make something together, working closely over long periods of time.
We want to delve back into our ‘live’ world. There's a new hunger for this post lockdown. Whether it's streamed or pre recorded, we’ve been in this arena for years and we’re comfortable with it so we’d love to do more of this.
And then there’s our potential expansion. We’d love to do more work in the US.
Our initial start was in New York and we’re tapping back into that which is very exciting. We’re looking at a few avenues in New York, LA and Atlanta. We’ve got projects in the pipeline with LA Reid and Roc Nation so there’s real potential to do much more in the US. Our global teams are also getting bigger in South Africa too, we want bases in many more places!
We’re also in the process of moving into the narrative world as well and this is a new space for us. We’ve made a short film with the BFI which is currently in edit and released later this year called ‘My Brudda’. It’s exciting to see where that will take us.
We’re definitely in a growth phase but most importantly we want people to know who we REALLY are. And that’s most exciting of all.
