Member in the Spotlight: Ania Markham

Within touching distance of her 20th anniversary at The Panics, Ania Markham has been Executive Producer at the Amsterdam and Singapore-based film production company since she moved from her native UK at the start of the 00s. Aside from overseeing commercial/original content produced and directed by their individual creative labels, she is also Strategy Partner driving both creative development and new collaborations with partners worldwide.

As the Club for Creativity, we’d like to ask you to get creative and create a self-portrait.

PERSONAL

Do you own a collection and if so, what is it?

I’m afraid I’m a bit of an old sneakerhead, love my vinyl and get a twinkle in the eye for anything related to subcultures both old and new. In fact, we recently had a friend donate his entire collection of The Face magazines from the late 80s to early 00s to us at The Panics and I just can’t stop looking through them. It really was a bible for style and music for my generation growing up in London and I had to leave my collection behind when we moved to the Netherlands in 2002. So having them in the office makes me incredibly happy. They’re a mine of ideas and inspiration.

What is the best souvenir you've ever brought home?

The one I’m most proud of as it was such an effort getting it home, is a blow-up Russian army reconnaissance canoe we nicknamed, The Potemkin. Found in the most notorious stadium bazaar in Warsaw back in the late 1990s. We bought it off this Russian ex-Red Army Officer selling all sorts of crazy and illegal ex-Red Army military equipment. The Potemkin was all blown up on display and it was love at first sight. We then had to transport it all the way back on the trains to Amsterdam (we weren’t flying). My daughters and their friends still use it to explore the Haarlem waterways.

What technology could you not do without?

It would have to be Spotify - just because music is my constant companion in everything I do from the moment I wake up till the moment I go to sleep. I love the fact it’s so easy to reference tracks and either get lost in nostalgia or discover new artists and sounds that change your landscape for the day.

What music could we find on your favourite playlist?

If I want to dance then I stick on some 60/70s soul/Northern Soul and can’t sit still; if I want to feel happy, then any playlist by Trojan Records; if I want to write then Richard Russell’s ‘Everything Is Recorded’ and if I just want to feel 18 again, then I’ll put on Masta Ace, ‘Me and The Biz’. I’m also a bit partial to Jamie xx. However my guilty pleasure is singing to Erasure ‘Respect’ at the top of my voice in the car.

What is your most recent 'find'?

The best Pierogi in the whole of Amsterdam courtesy of Mizeria at Cafe OKO every Saturday.

Who is your current art/design crush?

I love the photography of The Masons. I bought their ‘Uptown Yardie’ print when Darklight Art launched. I love the clean, design aesthetic of their work and that subtle surreal touch which sets off the imagination. It feels very cinematic which I’m always a sucker for.

What is your favourite piece of art and why?

My favourite piece of art changes all the time but I find myself staring the most at Gavin Watson’s ‘Boy With Owl’ (taken in High Wycombe, 1980s). Gavin is a very special photographer and his work transports me back to growing up in South West London in the 1970/80s. We were very lucky to have him talk at one of our Panic Rooms a few years ago and I bought this print afterwards. Hard to believe he took this photo when he was in his late teens. He captures this very delicate moment between his friend and an owl he’d rescued. I never get bored looking at it as it reminds me to always look for the detail in everything I do.

PROFESSIONAL

Which phase of the creative process excites you the most and why?

I have to say it’s the beginning and the end. People who know me will agree that I am inherently curious about everything and find it hard to not get distracted by the potential of ‘new shiny things’, be it music, writing, technology or design. I don’t want to sound cheesy but that is the best aspect of my job, this constant discovery of new things/ideas/inspirations and the joy of how to explore them or apply them with the people around you… however on the flip side, I am also OCD about things and one of them is making content with class. I’m uncompromising in trying to achieve a particular standard or signature in our work and if we have doubts then I’d rather not start it in the first place and walk away. I think in that respect, The Panics also reflects my character. After 20 years together, it’s become an extension of all our personalities and we know our path seems like a strange one sometimes but we’re just very into the films we create.

What professional skill do you value the most?

That’s a good question but I think I’m going to answer with a very vague ‘professionalism’. How we define that quality is very subjective. For me it means learning your craft slowly, gathering enough tools in your ‘knowledge tool box’, then sharing your knowledge to empower the people around you, not letting your ego get the better of you and being able to cope in a calm and generous manner when the shit hits the fan. I’ve always championed respect, honesty and kindness in the workplace. Our industry is manic and surreal enough without us also being dicks to each other when we’re up against it...

If you weren't working in the creative industry, what else would you be doing?

Can I say this out loud? I think I would be some kind of corporate spy or criminal. I spend far too much time dreaming up perfect crimes. I’m always wishing I could be the getaway driver in a heist.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

In a past life, I spent time working on high-profile British TV celebrity talk shows like The Word, Des O’Connor Tonight and The Graham Norton Show. I was young and required to research, meet and pre-interview A-list celebrities. I had an amazing female boss, Elizabeth Murphy, who taught me skills which to this day I thank her for. She was super strict and scary but she bothered to share her knowledge and I owe her an incredible amount. But randomly, the advice that sticks with me most from her was given prior to meeting my first very famous person at the studio where we were about to record a TV show. “Famous people are not your friends. Do not ask for photos or autographs because then you cross the line. While they are with us they are working, they are free, they can switch off from the trappings of fame and focus on their profession, we all become equal working together. If you reinstate that positioning of fan/admirer between you and them then you won’t be able to do your job properly as they won’t respect or listen to you.” Harsh words but some of the best advice I ever had and it’s served me well.

If you could pick one recent campaign/project that makes you think, ‘I wish I’d done that’, what would it be and why?

Oh I can answer this straight away! I absolutely covet Romain Gavras’ video for Jamie xx ‘Gosh’. Every time I watch it, I just love it as much as the first time I saw it. I get lost in his vision and the attention to detail and styling is just amazing. That shot of the cast standing by the car and the tonality of their clothes, the grading, the overall mood! It’s just perfectly balanced. I think this video elevates our craft, it pushes us forward as a community, sets the bar higher, makes us hungry to do the same. I really love it. I wish it was mine.

Out of the campaigns/projects you’ve worked on, which makes you the most proud?

I don’t want to keep going on about it but I still think ‘A Report Of Connected Events’ (directed by The Panics co-founder Mischa Rozema and produced by us as a piece of Branded Content for Liberty Global) is the best example of us as a team unleashed. Mischa is a very inspiring director to work with and my relationship with him as a producer is two decades old. There is nothing more satisfying than dreaming up ideas with old partners in crime. This one started off with me wishful thinking with the client (Julian Munro) on how nice it would be to make a film together for Mischa to direct and the type of film we’d love to make. It was that vague but the intention was there. And then one day, 3 years later, Julian turns up with a smile and a budget, sits down with myself, Mischa and Jules (Tervoort - other Co-Founder) and says, make me a film about storytelling. That simple a brief. Plan A was Mischa filming a monologue with Millie Bobbie Brown in a desert but she got booked on a film at the very last minute and had to cancel. Mischa didn’t miss a beat. He announced another dream to film in Paris using the Brutalist surreal architecture of Ricardo Bofill and filling it with icons from film and TV history. (You can see more on the making of this film below.) We all fell in love with this plan B even more than the original Millie idea. It tapped into everyone’s skills and passions. Plus the client gave us unlimited creative freedom to just do our thing. Could you ask for any more? I think the resulting film reflects all the love that went into it and surrounded it. The good energy is palpable.

What top tips do you have to help people get creatively inspired?

Inspiration is all around us, you just have to be confident in your own ability to create. So my top tips would be to stay curious, never be afraid to ask questions, don’t wait for the perfect moment and don’t worry about how your ideas will be received. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, spread them around and then your ego won’t be so precious. Do it for yourself. And finally keep reminding yourself ‘Every time life knocks me over, I will stand up and try again, as that is part of the process ’ and before you know it, the creative juices will be flowing.

What’s the first thing you do when you start a project?

Get the fear. I always worry we won’t be able to make it as excellent as I want it to be. I think it’s the fear that drives us and keeps us sharp. That need to make your next project your best one yet.

Through our Members in the Spotlight feature, we aim to get to know both professionally and personally the unique qualities of our ADCN Members. If you would like to join ADCN, the Club for Creativity, you can find out more here.