NOVA
The freelancer population is seemingly optimistic and thriving, especially in creative content industries despite ongoing mass layoffs, looming inflation, and shrinking marketing budgets. In less than one year, NOVA, which started as a private Instagram page sharing job postings for creative freelancers in the visual world, has grown to over 19,000 followers, filled over 8,000 jobs, and helped creative freelancers book nearly $10,000,000 in work.
Expanding the network and marketplace from social media to launch an official app on March 16, 2024, NOVA announced $1.75 million in seed funding on Thursday from leaders across technology and creative industries including Troy Carter (Spotify, Q&A, Venice Music), Sam Teller (SpaceX, Tesla
Freelance marketplaces matching workers with companies who need them is not a new concept with the successes of Upwork, Fiverr, or even Craigslist. However, a centralized hub built by and for creative freelancers in film, TV and branded content production–many of whom are part of increasingly creative Gen Z cohort–does not exist. An overwhelming 70% of Gen Z workers globally are either actively freelancing or plan to soon according to a recent study by Fiverr.
NOVA
“NOVA is for two types of creatives, people who are a little more established and looking to crew up with other creatives and the up-and-coming creatives who haven’t had their big break yet,” said Aidan Cullen, director, photographer, and CCO and co-founder of NOVA.
Cullen, 24, who left NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts after 3 semesters to pursue a full-time creative career is no stranger to the hustle and success creative freelancing can lead to with a client roster spanning Gucci, Nike
With a passion for artist empowerment, Cullen co-founded The Heart Project, with visual artist Stefan Meier, giving NFT-funded micro-grants to creatives and it was during this time that Alex Gruszynski connected with Cullen to lead content for The Heart Project. Before The Heart Project, Gruszynski, 27, worked at WME in the motion picture department learning the production business and seeing the massive challenges creatives in production faced.
NOVA co-founders (L-R), Aidan Cullen and Alex Gruszynski.
“People use their Instagram stories as a way to find creatives and grow,” said Gruszynski, now CEO and co-founder of NOVA, noting the limitations of one-way social media posts.
Behind-the-camera creatives are often overlooked by the general public in favor of front-facing celebrity or influencer talent much like back-of-house restaurant staff, but it is the directors, photographers, gaffers, stylists, editors, VFX artists, graphic designers, and more who create much of the content that ends up on a TV screen or social media feed.
With so many question marks around what the future holds for creatives after strikes across Hollywood and massive layoffs in corporate America affecting the larger economy, optimism shines through for some. “I am cautiously optimistic that our industry will settle into this new world of tech and AI and we’ll use these things to make our jobs easier, without them replacing us,” said Geneva Faye, freelance director and producer who usually gets work by word of mouth, producers she’s worked with in the past, or networking and connecting through social media.
“There are a lot of posts (on NOVA) looking for people everywhere–Los Angeles, Miami, New York,” said Didem Civginoglu, a freelance photographer based in New York by way of Istanbul who has worked with Vogue and other top publications and is part of the NOVA Instagram group. “This kind of network is essential because I don’t know any other networks that exist for people like me.”
In the last decade, services and networks have cropped up to help creatives and brands connect but it seems like nothing has really stuck around. Launched in 2011, Working Not Working, became a destination for creatives and brands in the advertising space and in 2021 was acquired by Fiverr for an undisclosed amount.
A trusted publication in the creative world, Dazed Digital, has been reporting on and tracking creative culture since 1991 and earlier this year launched a social media app to help creatives “connect, collaborate, and share their work.” While the social community side of creative work is important, the intention to get creatives paid by connecting them to brands does not seem like a function of the Dazed app.
“Having a place to be discovered is important and exciting for young and established creatives,” said Humberto Leon, fashion designer, founder, creative entrepreneur, and NOVA advisor. “I love to take risks and champion the unknown.” Leon co-founded global fashion brand, Opening Ceremony, with Carol Lim in 2002 and continued on the path for nearly 20 years innovating fashion along the way and creating viable opportunities for marginalized creatives.
Recently relocating to Los Angeles to pursue myriad creative outlets from food to TV writing to music, Leon believes “storytelling is always from back to the front.”
Prioritizing diverse talent across productions is a trending philosophy for many creative leaders whose main business relies on content creation for large brands. “I like to crew up with women of color, not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera,” said Angana Barathur, Associate Partner and Executive Director at Conscious Minds Studios whose client roster includes Amazon
Not only is representation the right thing, it reflects the world we live in and makes for better storytelling. With brands slashing marketing and content budgets, agencies and studios are finding more creative ways to adapt. “We’ve become much more nimble, shifting our philosophy to focus on quality over quantity, and highlighting more untapped, marginalized talent through our label, Voices.” Barathur finds new talent mostly through Conscious Minds’ strong network and a series of ongoing events where up-and-coming talent and creatives are invited to the company’s Los Angeles studio to connect and be discovered.
As brands often look to agencies to find and staff creative projects and productions, the music business is often an in-house job. “Budgets across content have certainly shifted over the last few years,” said Kevin Kloecker, Vice President of Creative & Content Development at Capitol Records. “We still have the fortune of being able to shoot some quality projects with time, money, and the right resources, but it can be a struggle to find the balance and ensure everyone's happy. Every project is different whether it's a music video, album cover, short-form content, or something new.”
NOVA has onboarded over 50 undisclosed clients to the forthcoming app. Followers of the private Instagram page include top executives from Adidas, Apple
The client side will allow easy filtering and search through NOVA’s curated marketplace, public and private job posting, and application management at a tiered enterprise subscription model. In the future, NOVA intends to implement more communications tools, a financial technology component for payments, and the ability to sign and manage contracts.
