Get to Know: Danielle Bennison-Brown

Danielle-Bennison-Brown1
Danielle Bennison-Brown

Danielle Bennison-Brown is the director of video content for Condé Nast Britain. She’s the one behind the crop of new material and the breath of fresh mise en scène appearing on British Vogue online. It’s a role she’s occupied since January 2015, but before British Vogue, she helmed the highly-stylized video strategy for i-D developing a recognizable brand of videos like their successful A-Z series. With platforms eager to create an online identity, the boom of digital content–now simpler than ever to produce–can sometimes seem like a race to arms. The catch: It’s one to thing to turn out a program of videos and another for them to have a reoccurring thumbprint seamlessly aligned with preexisting values. That’s where Danielle’s success is worthy of attention. Under her orchestration, the series and one-offs are easy to watch, oft-humorous, polished and authorial. Models.com spoke to Danielle to learn more about her grand design.

Firstly, can you tell me a little about your background?
I started my career at VICE as an intern in 2007, moving first into project management, then production, where I worked across a number of branded projects. In 2012 I went to NOWNESS to work as a content strategist, then came back to VICE in 2013 to lead video for i-D. In January of 2015, I started in my current role at Condé Nast. If we must go further back than that, I grew up in Middlesbrough and studied business at uni.

Has film always interested you…are you a cinephile at all? Or was it fashion that found you first?
Film has always been a passion, but I became obsessed with the artistic and creative elements of it after moving to London. Fashion, on the other hand, is something I’ve loved since I was very young. 

On that note, how did you ultimately find your way to to your current position at British Vogue?
After VICE I worked as a Creative Strategist for NOWNESS, which was my first experience on the editorial side. During my time at NOWNESS, VICE bought i-D, and invited me back to devise their video offering. Getting the chance to build a video strategy from scratch, especially for such an exciting brand, was an incredible opportunity. At i-D, we followed the motto “originate don’t imitate” which meant we had to work to find an original approach to create content that was unique to i-D. We did this by merging high fashion with internet formats that resonated with a young audience, for example “How to Speak French with Camille Rowe”. The result was a strong brand on YouTube which I was really proud of. This had never been done before and meant that i-D’s approach was truly original. After a year and a half at i-D, I was approached by Condé Nast Britain to launch and lead a video department working across the media brands. I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and started here in January of 2015. 

Can you define your position there for me?
I’m the Group Director of Video for Condé Nast Britain where my team and I work on developing, then executing a video strategy across the Condé Nast titles. This includes all elements of content strategy, creative development, production and post-production both editorially and commercially. 

Before Condé Nast, it was Vice Media with I-D…What did you go in expecting and how did it play out?
Of course, you always have ideas about what it’s like to work somewhere, but you never know until you walk through the door. Based on my first experience with VICE, coming back to work for i-D really felt like reuniting with old friends. Coming to Condé Nast was a brand new proposition. Of course, you come in feeling a bit like the new kid at school, but everyone has been incredibly kind and thoughtful, so it made it very easy to come in and get started.

Back to British Vogue, already the changes in video direction can be seen. Do you feel it has been easy to align your own perspective with a huge entity like Vogue?
It’s been a lot of fun, but is it always easy? No, because you have lots of smart, creative people around you that have their own valuable experience and opinions. My perspective stems first from a strategic point of view — aligning the core values of a brand with the interests and dynamics of an online audience. With that as the foundation, we then work closely with the editorial team and Vogue’s incredible base of collaborators to bring that strategy to life. It is my ambition to build our titles into video brands and that means working closely and collaboratively with the guardians of those brands is absolutely vital to our success. 

How is the online video landscape changing?
Because it’s never been easier to shoot, cut, and distribute a video, the focus is on creative excellence more than ever. And at the same time, the definition of creative excellence has evolved as well — you can no longer hide behind production values — it’s all about your ability to tell a story that captures someone’s attention, and therefore substance is key. 

Generally speaking, where do you think this new kind of content can fail?
I feel there are lots of ways in which this kind of content can fail, however I prefer not to focus on that because it can make you scared to try new things and trying new things is key to creating new and innovative sorts of content. 

Where do you start when developing an idea or series?
It can vary. Sometimes it starts with a passion point of someone in the office, and sometimes it starts with some of the incredible talent we get to work with.

Can you tell me about this new short series that’s rolling out? The first came out with Anna Ewers…
It’s about collaborating with amazing directors to create new interpretations of what we’d consider the “fashion film.”

What do you think a model needs to have to cross over into motion well?
Personality.

Any favorite models? Some on your shortlist for future projects that you could mention?
Of course. My favourites are Daria, Freja, Anna Ewers, Camille Rowe, Andreea Diaconu, Grace Hartzel, Mica Arganaraz, and (not to sound predictable but…) Kate Moss.

Dream project?
I actually have no idea, I don’t think I have the luxury of thinking that far ahead. Oh wait, I just thought ahead a bit, I really want to make a film with Kim Kardashian, the no make up shoot she just did for Vogue Spain and the Juergen shoot are just too much.  

What are some of your favorite projects of all time that you’ve been a part of…?
The entire A-Z series at i-D was incredible end-to-end. From the original A-Z of Wink which was model-tastic to the A-Z of Dance which was incredible to the A-Z of Fashion Pronunciation and the A-Z of Slang, the format worked brilliantly for so many themes, amassing millions of views. The format was actually inspired by Terry’s A-Z format (Terry Jones, founder of i-D) in the magazine, which highlights how important it is to work with the core brand values and creativity of your title. In terms of future projects, we have an amazing series coming out with Alexa Chung in September, aiming to reposition peoples’ perceptions of fashion whilst exploring some of the external factors which influence change within the industry such as sustainability and technology. 

Do you have any hard lessons learned? Horror stories?
Oh, loads. I think the reoccurring thing is when you work on a really ambitious production and it begins to unravel, (which it always does) and it’s never just one thing, it’s always multiple things that have a knock on effect – it’s at that point when you think “WHYYYY have I done this to myself again?!!!” – Anyway the lesson is – it’s usually solvable, so be ambitious!

Lastly, You’ve got to watch one movie for the rest of your life…what is it?
Dirty Dancing.

Go to Vogue.co.uk to see more videos

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