Happy 14th Birthday Anna Goodson Management
North America's Anna Goodson Management (AGM) - an international agency that represents some of the most celebrated illustrators from across the globe - is celebrating its 14th birthday this week.
Based in Montreal, AGM was founded by Anna Goodson back in 1996 and has grown significantly over the past 14 years to serve the global marketing needs of the visual arts community.
Speaking of the early days, Anna said: "I registered the name of the company, printed business cards, bought a cell phone and an old black and white 150 Mb Mac laptop. All that was missing were artists to represent. I went out and contacted several local illustrators and photographers and most turned me down.
"I nevertheless kept contacting people and finally a few gave in and agreed to me representing them. I guess they figured that having me represent them was no worse than leaving their portfolio in the corner of their office to collect dust.
"I worked really hard to get contracts and used to run all over the city with a collection of portfolios. It was really tough and discouraging but I kept at it. There were lots of struggles and hardships along the way. Fast forward 14 years to today and AGM now works with some of the most prestigious magazines, newspapers, advertising agencies and design firms from around the world."
Anna added: "We have worked on several international advertising campaigns, as well as some of the biggest illustration campaigns ever done, like those by Lavalife and IBM. We’ve illustrated for shopping centers in Dubai and billboards in New York. We’ve received personal commissions from famous people such as the singer Prince and Yoko Ono. Our artists have won numerous international awards for illustration and photography, too many over the years to keep track.
"When anyone is looking to commission original illustrations today, they think of AGM and this makes me very proud. The passion and excitement I felt back in 1996 is just as strong now, if not stronger. It’s been a hell of a ride up until now and I look forward to the next decade and all the great things to come."
To find out more about Anna Goodson Management, visit their website at: www.agoodson.com.
