Hiring shouldn't come down to who you know

Ask a producer how they found the director for their last job and the answer is usually a name. Someone who worked with someone, a friend of a friend, the person who shot that thing everyone liked. It works, but it means the same small circle keeps getting the calls, and a lot of very good people never get looked at.

Black Creative Network is built to widen that circle. It's a curated directory of Black creatives around the world, from designers, directors and photographers to writers, strategists, developers and producers. Its own line is "who works on your work matters," and the whole site is set up to make finding and hiring that talent quick. The founders are clear that this isn't only about representation, but about the quality, perspective and depth that lived experience brings to the work.

It was founded by Thabiso Junior Ntuli, who is also its creative director, with Dr. Johanna Hoess as co-founder and research director.

The directory

This is the core of it. You can browse by creative field or by city, and each creative has a portfolio page with a showreel, images, a short bio and a link out. More than 300 creatives are listed so far, covering emerging names through to established leads.

For anyone hiring, the value is in the curation. It's not an open marketplace with thousands of profiles to wade through. It's closer to a well kept roster, the kind of list a good producer keeps in a spreadsheet and doesn't share.

The editorial side

The site is more than a list of profiles. Insights runs interviews, opinion and inspiration pieces, and they're good. A recent favorite is their conversation with Koketso Matabane, a South African commercial director, about authentic filmmaking, telling grounded stories in 20 seconds and working her way through the boys' club of directing. Other recent pieces cover the Black creatives behind well known album covers and why the best World Cup campaigns do more than look cool.

There's also Black Creative News, a running feed of openings, prizes, festivals and appointments across art, design, film and advertising. It's a handy way to keep up with what's happening in the community without following fifty accounts.

Joining

For creatives, a basic Network profile is free, with no expiry. You get a ready-made portfolio page with a showreel, five images, a bio and one link, which is useful if you don't have a website or are tired of maintaining one.

Network+ is $7 a month. It adds up to 20 images, more detail on your experience and focus, a verified badge, a featured listing in the directory, direct contact from clients and discounts in their store.

Heads up

At 300-plus creatives, the directory is still growing, so for some cities and niches you'll find only a handful of people, or none yet. It's best treated as a starting point for a search, alongside referrals, rather than the only place you look.

It's also worth knowing that featured listings come with the paid tier, so when you're hiring, look past the top of the page too.

Who it's for

Producers, agencies and brands who want to look beyond their usual contacts for their next job. Creative directors building a team. Black creatives who want a simple, good looking portfolio and a community that actively puts their work in front of clients. And anyone who reads interviews for the craft talk; the Insights section is worth a bookmark on its own.

Browse by your city first. There's a good chance you'll find someone brilliant you've never heard of.

Written by Steve Salgado