Adam Ward | Assistant Talent Manager | Mens 5 Year Anniversary Q&A | Team Interview
June 7, 2021 •
To celebrate the 5th anniversary of our Men's board we caught up with Adam our Assistant Talent Manager, to get his insight into working in the industry!
What has been your favourite part about working with the Men’sboard since you started working at BRIDGE?
Before joining BRIDGE the conversation about mens representation anddiversity wasn’t one that I had engaged with before. Starting tounderstand the link between how men were being represented in themedia and how closely it was linked to body image and mental healthwas an eye opening moment. It makes me incredibly proud to workalongside models and brands that are actively doing something tochange the stigma around male body image/mental health and usingtheir platforms to talk about it. I was fortunate enough to attend an eventwhich was put on by Jacamo called Arm in Arms, which centred aroundmen being more comfortable talking about their mental health issues andnormalising this as ‘masculine’. Hearing people share their experiencesnot only furthered my interest and passion from a professionalperspective; but also from a personal one too.
How has representation of men changed in the Influencer Marketingindustry whilst you have been working at BRIDGE?
Over my time at BRIDGE I have seen more and more brands approachingtheir marketing through the lens of inclusivity and diversity across allbody types. From fashion, sport to lifestyle I feel that brands are far moreengaged with making their marketing more attainable for people. As morebrands have realised the need for Big and Tall sections in their productlines, the conversation around men’s body image and how they feelrepresented has really been brought to the forefront. Being able to workwith so many empowering Big & Tall/Plus size models and influencersleading this conversation is a real privilege.
Do you think clients have a responsibility to represent a diversegroup of men in the Industry?
Absolutely! People are heavily influenced through advertising, especiallywhen that comes in the form of social media. Sometimes you might noteven realise you are looking at an advert because you are viewing it on aprofile of someone that you look up to. This form of advertising can be sopassive so it is important that brands realise the impact they can have onpeoples mental health. They need to consider the way they present theirproducts and who they do that with. Choosing a diverse group of people(and this is not just related to Big and Tall men but ethnicities, sexualityand diversity of all kinds) to advertise their products will not only increase their reach in terms of audience, it will also make people feel represented and included.
Do you have any favourite projects that you have been a part ofwhere representation of men was at the fore front?
I have worked on so many amazing projects that celebrate body diversityin the Men’s fashion industry. One in particular that comes to mind isworking with Kelvin Davis and Vineyard Vines for Black History monththis year. Vineyard Vines gave Kelvin free rein to talk about his ownpersonal experiences with body confidence growing up and to help himbring light to things he went through that others may have struggled withtoo. It was inspiring to see Kelvin speak with such confidence andcandour on the matter and that Vineyard Vines encouraged the use oftheir platform to allow creators to openly promote that discussion.