About us
Bright is changing
From 2009 Bright has become ‘The Bright Group’ with the re-launch of The Bright Agency – our flagship publishing agency within the group that specialises in children’s publishing, representing artists from zero to the young adult age group.
After researching the entire industry we concluded that The Bright Agency was becoming too big and diluted to offer the individual service we are so well known for. Therefore we decided to relaunch The Bright Agency as the flagship publishing agency within The Bright Group, launching theheartfeltagency.com earlier this year as a specialist subdivision within The Bright Group that will manage our greeting, gift, merchandising and licensing side.
Exciting features on the site
The new website has many new features, not only designed to save our clients time in sourcing and selecting illustrations but also in managing, storing and saving samples to make it easier to work with our artists.
One of the highlights is the ability to set up your own light boxes where you can save images in your own named and filed folders, which you can edit, delete or add to at any time you see fit.
You can also set up company/team accounts where you will be able to share light boxes with your editor/publisher/writer/designer or whoever you wish to see your selection of samples. (You can even give them access to edit the selection or add images to it as well!)
The light boxes are effectively your own filing system within the site. You can have unlimited light boxes/folders and they will only be deleted when you choose.
The re-launch of http://www.thebrightagency.com is powered by the Sparkle Box – a completely bespoke piece of software designed by Bright to provide a faster and more productive method of securely exchanging illustrative content between artists and clients. Sparkle Box uses advanced technology that is normally only available on photographic stock sites.
The introduction of Sparkle Box will enable The Bright Agency’s clients to access relevant artwork and designs from our list of leading artists and then source, select, license and commission in an incredibly straightforward way.
Rest assured that although we are growing, we will never lose the boutique agency feel that has been so important in the development of our business so far. Mainstream may be one of the markets in which we operate, but it is not the culture that we embody.
The Bright Group is about people
From the artists we represent to the team we employ, each person is treated as an individual and a friend. The Bright ethos is to get the best out of everyone and to make sure that everyone gets the best out of themselves. Talent is not always fully recognised until it has been developed. At Bright, we are the experts in identifying, nurturing and representing talent across all the creative industries. Directing raw ability into commercial success is what we do best.
This is what makes us one of the UK’s fastest growing agencies in our field.
‘Bright is a young, innovative agency that is passionate about the new talent it encourages and nurtures. They are a delight to work with as they are so proactive’
EMMA LAYFIELD – HACHETTE
The Bright Group understands our clients
Across the Bright Group, we treat all of our clients with passion and expertise. From finding the right artist, all the way through to commissioning, our clients can feel confident they are being shown the very best talent by the very best agents.
‘I love working with this agency. There is so much energy and brightness in everything they do, from finding the incredibly quantity of hugely talented artists, to the way they keep in touch with all their clients. I’ve found that whatever the brief, the bright agency will have the perfect solution!’
ELINOR BAGENAL – CHICKEN HOUSE
The Bright Group is different
Bright is like a family; we eat together, work together and create together. It is these small but important features that give us the collective strength and energy to lead the field in what we do. At The Bright Group, we live, work and play creatively – we are competitive but our business has a soul, a personality and a heartbeat.
“The people at Bright, each with their own specialized skills and an enormous drive, have really helped me develop my portfolio and made it possible for me to work full- time with something I love.”
JULIA NIELSEN
Vicki
Managing Director
Vicki is the founder and the engine that powers Bright; her enthusiasm is infectious and she is passionate and believes in everyone involved in The Bright Group. She is straightforward to work with, direct and good fun. She loves what she does and Bright is her creative playground. Bright is where Vicki makes things happen.
Fredrika
Agent - Young Fiction and Education
Fredrika heads up our fiction and educational list and she has taken to being an agent like duck to water . . . she was born to do it! She is supportive and nurturing with all the artists she works with and with clients she is diligent, organised and straightforward to deal with so it’s no surprise she is the most successful agent Bright has ever been lucky enough to have! Fredrika is a joy to be around, always happy smiling and nothing is ever too much trouble, she's a real team player and loves what she does.
Lucie
Agent - Children's Books
Lucie is delighted to be working for Bright and loves the world of Children's Books!
Lucie’s experience with both artists and clients spans over nines years and she relishes the challenge of making sure everything runs smoothly and successfully. When not working Lucie’s other passion comes into play, that being the outdoors which compliments her day to day ‘Bright’ life!
Ellie
Agent - Literary
Ellie completes the picture at Bright. As our new agent she will initially be working alongside Vicki but with the intention of developing her own specialism within the agency; just as Fredrika has done extremely successfully with fiction.
Ellie brings to Bright a wealth of experience from the other side of publishing, having gained a different perspective of the industry with her background as an international rights manager. Ellie also has an editorial background, writes children's books herself and profoundly understands the art of storytelling.
She will add a different and dynamic dimension to the agency and, combined with the incredibly successful illustrators already on our list, we really feel this meeting of minds will prove to be dynamite and a marriage of ideas worth watching.
Kirsten
Agent - USA
Kirsten has worked in the publishing industry for 15 years. In this time, she has risen from editorial assistant within a major publishing house to senior editor at a leading book production company. On the side, Kirsten has written more than 130 published books, most of which are for children. To date, Kirsten has been involved in the pairing of hundreds of artists and projects. She is excited to take this passion and make it her full-time focus as the U.S. publishing agent within The Bright Group.
Laura
Design Manager
Laura creates our in-house design and promotional material and manages the set-up of new artists. She adores seeing new work coming into Bright from all the wonderfully talented illustrators and the challenge of working in a lively and fast paced agency.
Amber
General Manager
Amber is honoured to be an integral part of such a reputable and glowing agency and over the years she has kept the cogs of Bright turning and is the girl behind the scenes that holds a positive and pragmatic can-do attitude. Amber loves to be challenged on a daily basis and the amazing relationships that she holds with our artists is key to her role and she hopes that this continues long into the future.
James
Studio Coordinator
James joined us straight out of the creative world of Central Saint Martins and has quickly become an integral part of The Bright Group. James believes in what the group does and how they do it… from walking Monty to sending contracts, to finding new companies who need Bright’s help. No matter what is thrown at him, James is able to come up with an effective solution and always works with a smile and a friendly yet professional manner.
Therese
Finance Manager
Therese is the gatekeeper at Bright and manages the accounts single-handedly, allowing Vicki to sleep at night! Colleagues often refer to Therese as the Rottweiler; her role is one of the toughest in the agency and she is constantly chasing clients and getting back to artists. Her workload is heavy and despite seemingly aloof in responding, she is however fighting tooth and nail to get artists paid as fast as possible... there are only so many hours in the day! Therese is a legend.
Lulu
Credit Controller
Lulu is working closely with Therese to ensure that payments are received on time and that the accounts systems are in good order. She is also enjoying developing and implementing the credit control procedures. After giving birth to a cute baby boy called Yu Cheng, she has come back to the Bright team with a fully committed heart and is devoted to the children's publishing world.
Monty
Head of Security
It's quite remarkable how much Monty looks like a moving soft toy, not so remarkable when you realise he was found in the toy department of Hamleys, was sprinkled with magic dust and came alive. Monty's pack leader Vicki appointed him head of security after he showed a keen interest in the buzzer and visitors. He prowls bins, snores in the office and sleeps with his legs in the air.