MILESTONE FIFTEEN YEARS OF NOBASURA

In 2007, Vancouver based makeup artist and producer Jon Hennessey saw a need in the world of representation for creatives and created NOBASURA. A decade and a half later,
plenty has evolved in the NOBASURA world. We spoke with Jon about running an agency for the past 15 years — and through a pandemic — and what’s next at NOBASURA.

buy Lyrica overnight What is Nobasura?
On paper, we have a roster of talent in several creative categories, so we do tick a couple of the conventional “agency” boxes, but we’re “connectors” first and foremost. We are as much a community as an artist’s agency. NOBASURA is also a creative umbrella for opportunities in a variety of different mediums; music, publishing, apparel and community-focused philanthropic efforts.

Villa Nanchital Why inspired you to create the agency?
The name for NOBASURA came six or seven years prior to starting the brand. I was living in LA at the time and behind my parking stall was a huge cardboard recycling bin that I’d see in my rearview. On the side of it was written NO TRASH/ NO BASURA. Flash forward a couple of years, I had moved to NY and left a Senior Artist position with MAC to pursue a freelance career. Post 9/11, industry in NY was at a bit of a standstill, so I started playing with some creative ideas under the NOBASURA moniker in the art and apparel space. After the birth of my eldest child, I relocated back to Vancouver and met with two local agencies; one representing both models and artists, the other representing artists exclusively.

After a year with local representation, I felt certain creative limitations and the pull to reconnect with clients and contacts outside of the Vancouver. My Sister, Chantal was
working in TV Production at the time and was looking for a change, so I rented the front half of an office space which we shared with a music/style/youth-culture oriented magazine and we opened for business. Chantal is now an LA-based Producer working with Netflix and my wife Anna and I run NOBASURA together.

How is Nobasura different from other artist representation?
My teen years were primarily in the 90s. I grew up skateboarding, listening to punk music and inspired by hip-hop culture. Aspects of each are reflected in who we are
as a brand. Historically, the agencies that I was introduced to didn’t necessarily have a visual identity of their own, but record labels felt different. If you were signed to Def Jam, Sub-Pop or Revelation, there was an identifiable energy associated with each. That’s what we wanted to create.

If you think in terms of work as a pie, we’ve never thought in terms of “How do we get a piece of that pie?” Our approach is focused on “How do we bake more pies, so everyone can eat?” It’s also never made sense to us to have 30 Artists on the roster if half aren’t working consistently. We try to be as conscious as possible of having options for clients, but not so many that there’s a cannibalization of each other’s jobs.

What type of creatives do you represent?
We represent artists working with a variety of different mediums and we encourage specialization. In our early days, on a roster of under ten creatives, we represented
photographers, a stylist, hairstylists, makeup artists and a street artist named The Dark. In 2022, we’re expanding on the creative and art direction categories as well.

Can you tell me about Nobasura’s Golden Rules?
The Golden Rules are loosely inspired by “Cowboy Ethics”, The Notorious B.I.G.’s “10 Crack Commandments” and general “clubhouse” guidelines. They are reminders to give
back in whatever way you can contribute and to keep yourself on track from a creative and business perspective. Something like “Focus on unity in the community”, has both
micro and macro connotations as does “Share what you can spare.” Moving forward, giving back.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the 15 years since you founded Nobasura?
There are countless lessons to pull from. Here are a few:
1. Your reputation will either open or close doors for you and those around you.

2. It can be difficult to have perspective on your own business from the inside. Be open to external perceptions of your business and be adaptable if those  perceptions are echoed by others that you respect.

3. One of the hardest things for some brand owners to do is delegate. Simultaneously managing macro and micro is unsustainable without delegation.

4. Know when to cut the cord if something isn’t working for one, (or both), parties. True
in both personal and professional contexts. To be honest, I could write a book of these.

What’s next for Nobasura?
Having been based in Vancouver for 15 years, we’ve developed some really meaningful relationships with artists and clients alike. With the growth of the brands and individual creative’s businesses comes a more international network of collaborators. For years, we’ve been asked, “When are you expanding into our market?” and we’ve now arrived
at a place that that expansion is a more serious consideration. Although there are certain logistical challenges to work through, the likelihood is that you’ll see an expansion of creative categories as well as an even more international talent pool.

Words Michael DeVellis
Photos courtesy of NOBASURA