About Advocate Art.

Advocate Art was founded in 1992, with a group of illustrators who liked the idea of having an agent but not the other things that often came with that. We call our ethos four “F.A.C.T.s”: Fairness, Ability, Creativity and Trust. It’s about doing the right thing and being with the right people. We think our principles set us apart from conventional agencies, sticking to them has meant we have attracted the most creative illustrators and artists who in turn attract (with a little help) the best clients.

The people we represent are perfectly able to conduct their own affairs but like working with Advocate Art because we offer value to them in the services we provide. Clients are assured that we represent artists that are like-minded professionals, pre-vetted and able not only to get the job done without fuss, but also to surpass expectations.

It’s their choice to be with us, we have a high retention rate - with the most popular artists in our group being with us from the start!

We were one of the first Agencies to give direct client contact with our illustrators, allowing creativity to flow without being diluted in translation. We were one of the first to offer re-sales as an important secondary income to artists. Now we have gone beyond that too, with the development of an on-line portal - ARTicle which enables artists to have transparency into the back office functions of the business, such as royalty management and credit control, amongst other things.

Business is all about relationships, which is why we have a very high artist to agent ratio, clients often use us as artistic advisors, project managers as well a trend forward resource for pre- qualified talent.

It is for these reasons that Advocate Art has become the largest illustration agency around and I’d like to think one of the most respected but- we understand we didn’t get that way by acting like the biggest. Come and find out for yourself...

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Meet the Agents

Amanda Hendon

Amanda Hendon

I can’t remember a time when art wasn’t a part of my life – from childhood doodles to doing fashion design in high school, it’s always been a constant. Having graduated from Parsons in 2015 with a degree in Illustration, I came to Advocate with an enthusiasm for all things art related.  During the last year of my schooling I realised just how much I liked working alongside other artists; how much I liked curation, art direction and moreover helping artists sell their art – coming to Advocate seemed like the most obvious next step. I was hired in March and then went full time in July and I’m loving every second of it!

I find the atmosphere at Advocate all at once inspiring and motivational – I adore working closely with artists and seeing how a simple sketch can transform into a stunning finished work. I’m really enjoying learning everything there is to know about being an agent and everything that comes along with it. Meeting new clients, finding new artists and building great relationships with everyone involved. In my spare time I like to collect vintage maps and greeting cards, design temporary tattoos and hang out with my dog in Transmitter Park.

Alexina Thielemans

Alexina Thielemans

Originally from Belgium, I have studied in both the UK and Japan, meaning I am fluent in English, French and Japanese. As a creative myself, I understand the struggles that artists face and am passionate about helping our amazing artists succeed in the world of publishing and licensing. I have worked in various roles in the creative industry from being a design intern to being a translator and assistant for a gallery in Brussels, helping them liaise with Japanese artists. 

Bhavisha Vadgama

Bhavisha Vadgama

From a very young age, I have always been interested in Art. You could always find me drawing on anything and everything I could get my hands onto! Throughout my studies, Art has always been there, and that's when I decided I wanted to pursue a creative career. I graduated from University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a degree in Illustration and Art History. Since graduating, I have worked as both a freelance illustrator and in various other creative roles in the Industry, including a 3-month internship at Advocate! Before coming back to Advocate-Art, I worked at the Royal Academy of Arts doing exhibition coordination and art sales for 2 years, and it was the pure enjoyment of working with different artists and clients that made me want to come back and focus on this more.

Atlanta Japp

Atlanta Japp

Having graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in both Art History and Studio Art, I have not only acquired a deep passion for art, but I have come to learn about its place in the current world. As an artist myself, I have coined a keen eye for successful design. In fact, one of my favorite things is to watch live art auctions as that is where I am able to foresee current and upcoming market trends. I was raised in a family of art lovers. In fact, I feel as though I am a natural Agent as it runs in my blood. Both my mother and father worked as art advisors, appraisers, and sellers. Due to their involvement in the arts I feel as though I was raised to work in this field alongside creatives. Working at Advocate Art has been such an exciting experience. It is the perfect blend of both my love for art and my interest in art sales. I am so lucky to get the chance to look at beautiful artwork for a living. 

Sam Groff

Sam Groff

Sam works in our New York Office and joins our agency with experience in textile and pattern design, perfect for Art Licensing! Sam's creative eye allows her to keep up to date with the latest trends, perfect for greeting's cards, stationery, and commercial products. She also has an interest in Children's Publishing, specifically for our Middle-Grade branch, which focuses on 5 Years to Young Adult. Sam holds a degree in Integrated Design from Parsons Schools of Design.

Adolfo Sanchez

Adolfo Sanchez

Adolfo is our senior EU sales agent working from our Spanish Office. Having graduated from Murcia University in Spain with a degree in Art History and Post Graduate Certificate in Education in Valencia University, he has been working in different a varied roles in the cultural outlook in Spain as for example as art-handler, curator, art advisor... In fact, he combines his job as senior EU agent in Advocate Art taking care of European and Latin American clients with some collaborations as independent curator in different contemporary art project and as cultural consultant; in Marbella local government, the city in which we have located our Spanish/European office
Summer Kim

Summer Kim

After studying digital media design and animation from Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore, I have been working with companies from various industries like games, broadcasting, events, and trading.Being trilingual helps me understand clients and artists better and making the transition from different countries and cultures easier. I am looking forward to working on exciting projects with our artists and customer, as well as, contributing with my skillset to expanding Advocate Art’s business in Asia.

Harry Bloom

Harry Bloom

I grew up in Warwickshire, a stone's throw from the 'Heart of England' before moving down South to study Illustration at the University of Brighton. Studying there amongst so many talented creatives cemented my ambition to work within the Arts and after graduating I moved to London to pursue a career in Illustration. I worked as a freelance creative alongside a position in Fashion Management until my Illustration practice took over. Since then i have worked as an Illustrator full time, collaborating with clients from around the Globe on projects from Apps to Advertising and releasing my own series of Children's Books. I'm now keen to use the skills and experiences i have gained through my own practice to help guide, support and empower other Artists. I'm looking forward to collaborating with creatives and clients alike and am excited by the opportunity to help bring their projects to life. This industry is hugely rewarding and I'm both thrilled to be part of the talented team here at Advocate Art and proud to represent their Artists.

William Drayson

William Drayson

After completing my degree in Illustration at Kingston University I’ve had a varied career as an illustrator working in: Editorial, Architectural illustration for Foster and Partners, Children’s book illustration, and even creating a small design studio with some friends. Through working as a creative I'd realised how much i enjoy engaging and building relationships with my clients, which has naturally led me wanting to become an illustration agent.

I love meeting new illustrators and artists and hearing about their passion for their work and learning about their experiences. Having worked in the industry myself i can completely empathise with the ups and downs an illustrator / artist will have along the way.

I really hope to make the artists and clients i deal with have a rewarding as possible relationship with Advocate Art.

The internship programme

We run an active internship program here at Advocate that we hope many students or career seekers will find very beneficial. We attract students in art history, design, illustration and related courses. We also employ bilingual agents so we attract language students as well.

We forge close links with many colleges and o en invite students in for Q&A sessions where they can get advice on their portfolios. We were  sponsors of the illustration exam question for the D&AD board and offered competition prizes including cash of £5000!

If you would like to see the inner workings of the leading artist representation agency, then the best way is to spend some time with us as an intern. You will share in our daily tasks such as folio management, site maintenance, project managing etc etc but no tea making I promise! You will learn how artists are briefed, what’s hot and what you have to do as an illustrator to get work in the real world. We will give you a reference that will make a future employer cry, for the right reasons of course. Finally as a souvenir you get a sought after Advocate courier bag and we will pick up lunch and travel expenses if you complete the term. Minimum term is 10 working days - Maximum 30.

There is no mistaking that interns have become essential to the running of this busy agency. We get to spread the Advocate message around tomorrow’s art and design professionals - internationally. We o er a recruiting platform (10 of our current staff  were recruited from internships) and we get help, not cheap labour.

We also welcome international interns. If you have basic spoken and written English, we would love to hear from you. We would accommodate you in a local hotel and provide a meal and travel allowance. Interns must be EU citizens or have a valid work permit to work in the UK.

The internship programme