In June 2023, Data Stories, a monthly study by Kantar Ibope Media, highlighted the progressive growth of black representation in advertising in Brazil. However, the challenge of ensuring equivalence with the demographic data of the country’s population has not yet been overcome. Given this context, the agency WMcCann and The Create Fund program, from Shutterstocklaunch the second edition of ‘Re_Modelar’.
“As an industry we have advanced, but there is still a lot to do, especially when we talk about qualifying this representation through the inclusion of black perspectives. Supporting the development of black professionals who work in our industry is a fundamental step in transforming our market, making it more inclusive and diverse”, says Matheus Monte, Project supervisor and current leader of the initiative at WMcCann.
The project, created in 2022 by art director Bia Lopes Maria during WMcCann’s mentoring program for black women, aims to increase and qualify the representation of black people in advertising, and was made possible thanks to the support of the creative platform. Founded in 2020 by Shutterstock, The Create Fund global program has provided historically excluded artists with financial and professional support to fill content gaps in their collection and develop a more diverse and inclusive network of collaborators.
“Shutterstock is the market’s leading creative platform, with more than 750 million assets, including photos, illustrations, videos and music. Every six seconds our content is downloaded by brands, agencies and media outlets to tell their stories, and this demonstrates how creative platforms are fundamental to the industry. Therefore, we recognize our responsibility to offer content that is authentic, faithful and diverse for these narratives. We believe that true representation happens through the eyes of those who belong to that group or community, therefore, increasing the supply of photos and videos made by black professionals on creative platforms is an important way for us to see black people being portrayed without the unconscious biases that, It is not uncommon for them to perpetuate stereotypes in our industry”, says Kaori Abe, Marketing Manager for Latin America at Shutterstock.
In the new edition of ‘Re_Modelar’, four professionals receive professional mentoring and grants of US$5,000 each for the production of audiovisual content. Since December 2023, they have participated in exclusive sessions with market professionals and have received guidance on the best way to highlight their production on the creative platform.
Launched in 2022, the first edition of ‘Re_Modelar’ featured 11 young Brazilian professionals, who had their work highlighted on the creative platform. More than 2 thousand people, in 13 different countries, have downloaded the content they have produced so far. Furthermore, photos produced were exhibited during the Creation Club Festival that year.
“In this edition, the ‘Re_Modelar’ artists were able to go through our The Create Fund program, in which they learned fundamental concepts of commercial photography and got to know client demands more closely. They will be able to continue using the tools and learnings outside of the program to generate a new source of income”, comments Steven Russell, Contributor Strategist and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion specialist, who leads the program globally at Shutterstock. He is one of the mentors of Re_Modelar.
Bia Lopes Maria, creator of the project, also mentored and helped select the four invited professionals.
“They are professionals who already work in the market and have a very special eye on the representation of black people in advertising. We are very excited about the results”, comments Bia.
Meet this year’s ‘Re_Modelar’ participants:
Ana Luzes | Vitria (ES)
Dazzled by scenes from everyday urban life, Ana is always looking for unique moments that make up cities. Through artistic and documentary photographs, it aims to give new meaning to untold and unseen stories. His sensitive look at his surroundings allows him to glimpse different perspectives on things that others might consider “simple and monotonous” in life, making their natural beauty stand out in each image. Graduated from the photography course at the University of Vila Velha (UVV), she participated in national and international photographic exhibitions.
Cristian Maciel | Rio de Janeiro – RJ)
Resident of the Cidade de Deus community, in Rio, photography student at Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul. He started in the area in 2018, but it was in 2020, during the pandemic, after developing a series of self-portraits, that he realized that his mission in the photographic market was to enhance and contemplate black bodies, the ancestry, beauty and religiosity of the black population.
Guilherme Fernandes | Porto Alegre (RS)
photographer, creative director, costume designer and stylist. In his creations, he uses photography and fashion as a tool of discovery and representation, accessing and telling the stories of these different bodies and the places they occupy, seeking to build a new image of black people in their relationship with themselves and with their own history. Co-creator of the AFARA Project, he participated in exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, had his work published in media outlets in Brazil and taught production and styling.
Rai Cavalhier | Alagoinhas (BA)
He is a photographer, artist and develops artistic projects and research related to identity and his territorial daily life, using images through visual essays and working in the black movement as the basis of his production. He participated in exhibitions in the country. Coordinator of Coletivo RATIONALIZAR and the project “Empreende a, preto”, which helps black entrepreneurs to strengthen themselves in the digital market through access to digital marketing techniques and tools.
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