On Thursday, Justin Drape and Michael Canning announced the launch of Exceptional ALIEN Studios, a creative studio that draws on the talent that has become part of Exceptional Alien’s network. Here’s a walk inside the new studio.
Justin Drape (l) & Michael Canning (r): Photo by Derek Henderson
The Stable: What drew you back into advertising?
Justin Drape & Michael Canning: We have been building Exceptional ALIEN for the last couple of years – a global platform that curates travel, creativity and culture. We now have over 400 featured talents from diverse creative industries, from over 33 nationalities and a growing international audience from over 168 countries.
As Exceptional ALIEN has grown we’ve begun to collaborate with a number of international brands on strategic and creative projects and the Exceptional ALIEN Studio is a natural way to service this and create stories and meaningful work with brands who are ambitious. Exceptional ALIEN Studio is a creative studio connected to a global community of exceptional talent. It’s a borderless model for strategic and creative collaboration where brands can bring together diverse people, skills, insights and backgrounds – with the goal of achieving unique results. We’re excited to be doing things differently in a way we believe can move the industry forward, with stories and communications that have value for the brands, audience and talent involved in each project.
TS: How did Exceptional ALIEN Studio grow from EA?
Drape & Canning: Exceptional ALIEN has engaged in commercial collaborations with travel focussed brands like Tourism New Zealand, Atout France, Tourism South Africa and Visit Victoria, as well as brands like Art Gallery of NSW. By curating teams of talent, creators and collaborators for these projects, we have been tailoring teams based on who is ideal for a project and brand, versus a traditional advertising agency approach of appointing whoever is available from their employees. So far, we’ve been fortunate to work with exceptional talent from different countries around the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Switzerland, Germany, France and more.
To create something truly unique we had to step outside the industry to recalibrate our view on what’s possible, and our experience of meeting some of the most exceptional creators in the world is a genuine privilege and learning experience that has informed the blueprint of Exceptional ALIEN Studio.
TS: What are your roles in the Studio?
Drape: I’m currently chief executive officer, but I actively work on every creative project.
Canning: My role is chief brand officer for Exceptional ALIEN, and I oversee creative work from Exceptional ALIEN Studio.
TS: Can you give me examples of who worked on some of EA Studios’ campaigns?
Drape & Canning: We do not represent the talent whose stories we share, but Exceptional ALIEN is developing an extensive network and in many cases, we meet people who are interested in collaborating on suitable projects with brands when they arise. If people are aligned with a brand’s purpose and values, it’s fruitful for everybody involved. A recent example is Exceptional South Africa – the multimedia series we curated and created for South African Tourism. We worked with talent including world-renowned musician, DJ Uncle Waffles; global rugby (Springbok) legend, Tendai Mtawarira; pro-surfers, Mick Fanning and Tanika Hoffman; renowned sommelier, Ntsiki Biyella; philanthropist and author, Ndaba Mandela; wildlife conservationist, Kevin Richardson (The Lion Whisperer); comedian, Loyiso Gola; and chef, Zola Nene; as well as a team of editorial writers, awarded National Geographic photojournalist, Gulshan Ghan; filmmakers and producers.
TS: Why do you think clients will/should use you?
Drape & Canning: When clients are willing to try a different approach to achieve a successful outcome, we’re a good option. If clients need a circuit breaker from an existing model they’re not satisfied with, and they want to connect with audiences in a meaningful way, we’re a good option.
Today, getting people’s attention and eliciting meaningful engagement are harder than ever. Leading CMOs & CEOs know that strategic creativity can have an outsized impact for their business and brand, and we can create valuable stories for them that an audience chooses to engage with, rather than interrupting them with irrelevant communication. There has to be a value exchange – and that may be the storytelling and entertainment itself, it may be useful information and advice, or something more utility-driven. Whatever the objective of a project may be, we always ask the question, “Why will anyone care?”
TS: How will your approach and work differ from what else is out there?
We distil our approach into three stages: Collaborate > Create > Amplify
- Collaborate with a client and exceptional talent on a brand project that has a clear objective.
- Create inspiring and meaningful work that has clear purpose and value for an audience.
- Amplify the work through community, media and measurement to shape successful outcomes that generate an outsized impact for brands.
