Meet the Team: Bel Mehta

How would you describe what you do in a few sentences? What’s at the heart?

I’m essentially a creative partner for talent and brands who want to create genuinely authentic work that speaks to the world around us. Building meaningful, long term relationships and connecting people with exciting opportunities is at the heart of what I do, it’s a people-person job and I just love it!

What does craft mean to you?

Craft is care! It’s immersing yourself in something creative and expanding your understanding of your tools/process with consideration of why you’re doing it and who it’s for. Doesn’t matter whether that takes a physical or digital form.

What’s your philosophy when it comes to matching talent with briefs?

I love to really dig into the details when it comes to a brief and partner talent that’s not just compatible with the requirements but will add something exciting, put a distinctive spin on it.

What experiences led you to where you are now?

When I graduated from art school and moved back to London I had no idea how to navigate the working world as an illustrator. I had commissions coming in from time to time (this was the peak instagram era) and I was working in bars at the same time to support myself. I wasn’t enjoying the work/work balance and I was looking for a career where I could have all the structure and stability of a full time job but still be immersed in a creative environment.

I joined The Different Folk as an agent in 2021 and it completely opened my eyes to how far illustration/animation can be used in such a broad and engaging way for purposes I’d never even been aware of. Suddenly this whole world of opportunities opened up and I became dedicated to finding and developing new talent, representing to the best of my ability and delivering work which felt unique and refreshing, to brands that shared the same forward thinking vision as our agency.

After 3 years at The Different Folk we parted ways and I did a stint in photo production and a stint at another artist rep agency doing new business. These roles placed less emphasis on the talent/agent relationship, which reinforced how much I enjoy being hands on and collaborative with talent and so I decided to start my own Artists Management + Creative Consultancy initiative, working with talent from all over the world. This initiative was supported greatly by fellow agents in the business, sending me referrals to wonderful artists and studios who I supported in varied ways, always keeping my services agile to accommodate the nuances of each of their unique experiences and motivations.

I was very happy doing this work, I met some brilliant people. I always said I’d only give it up if the perfect opportunity came through and just like that, after 1 year of my consultancy work, Jelly reached out, and here we are! Now I can say I have the perfect balance where I can go to work, do all the things that make me tick and then go home after a long day, have a glass of wine and make illustrations just for myself, to unwind, with no pressure for it to pay the bills.

What do you look for when signing new talent?

I look for many things! Firstly I’m looking for something fresh and distinctive. I like to see the craft in the work, not creating for the sake of the algorithms or jumping on trends. I look for consistency, the portfolio should look unified with the same style throughout. I like to know the talent is creating new work frequently, they’re committed to developing personal work on a regular basis. It’s good to see they’ve worked with clients but it’s not a ‘no’ if it’s still early days with commercial commissions. I’m interested to know their expectations of representation, see if we are aligned on the kind of relationship we both want - Talent/Agent relationships are unique and require commitment from both sides and I get so excited when I feel we’re on the same page!

How do you think a good agent differs from a great one?

A good agent can execute a brief, partnering suitable talent and maintaining consistent comms throughout. A great agent is a creative partner who can also support outside of the commission process: they bring ideas for talent to develop personal work and pitches which are informed by their understanding of the commercial landscape. A great agent is also someone who can inspire commissioners early doors, helping guide their creative vision with illustration/animation in mind, which leads to a more smooth sailing and creatively rewarding work process for all.

Do you think of yourself as a creative person? How does that shape the way you agent

Absolutely! But I think everyone is creative. In terms of the impact creativity has on this role specifically…Having creative mindset shapes how I problem solve and connect with people. Instead of approaching things in a methodical or formulaic way, I view every challenge as an opportunity to find a unique angle or a more efficient path forward. It helps me stay adaptable and read the nuance in every situation which ultimately drives better work and is just more fun?

During your time in the creative industries, what are the biggest changes you’ve witnessed and what are your hopes for the future?

Aside from the obvious (AI, tighter budgets etc,) one of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the breakdown of talent discovery. Gone be the days where commissioners used to discover talent on Instagram. It’s frustrating that so many creative careers were built off the platform which no longer serves this purpose.

Looking ahead, I’d like to see (or even be part of creating?!) a dedicated space that prioritises portfolios over content. Whether that’s online, offline, integrated into commissioners workflow, I have no idea how this would look yet. But I know we need to migrate from Instagram! This shouldn’t be exclusive to repped talent, it needs to be an open and accessible network. Ideally bridging the gap between providing an entry point to illustration/animation for new commissioners who don’t know where to start and for more established commissioners who repeatedly hire the same talent as they’re not sure who else is out there. I think this could really diversify and democratise the landscape of commissioning which is something I feel very strongly about.

If you weren’t a creative agent, what would you be doing instead?

I’d have liked to be an art director or Tottenham Hotspur’s men’s team therapist.

As an illustrator yourself, do you feel this has any influence on your approach to being an agent?

Yes I think my experience as an illustrator has a direct influence on my approach to being an agent because I can empathise with the highs and lows of this career. I can anticipate where there may be sore spots and I can encourage and nurture talent in a way that acknowledges how much this business can impact someone personally as well as professionally. I’d also add that being an agent has had a huge impact on my illustration practice, I am lucky to be exposed to a wealth of inspiration every day in this job which definitely seeps into my artwork. And of course I now have understanding of industry rates and rights etc which help me advocate for myself on the odd occasion a commission comes in for me. Feel very complete to have both experiences.

Contact Bel here.