Frede Spencer - Twenty Twenty Agency
Frede Spencer of Twenty Twenty Agency, completed a photography degree course at Nottingham Trent University in 1999. After graduating, Frede went to London, with his portfolio intending to make it as a photographer. However after spending many years preparing for this, Frede had a kind of epiphany that he didn't really want to be a photographer. This proved to be a huge weight off of his shoulders.
So not wanting to be a photographer, Frede found a different direction to utilise his degree and passion for photography.
Frede went to work at Katz Pictures, a photo agency. There he found inspirational photographers, saying that it felt like he was "doing photography but without getting my hands dirty." He worked with photographers such as Peter Dench and Tom Stoddart. As a production manager in 2001, Frede would oversee photographers bringing in prints to Katz Pictures. From each of these prints, fifteen copies would be made and sent as sets to other libraries around Europe to sell.
A lot of the photographers were unrepresented and young. Frede set up a group to bring these photographers together to assist in developing stories and selling images. This forum had eight photographers, including Polly Bradon and Mimi Mollica.
After four years of working at Katz, Frede was asked to work at Corbis, partly because of the photographers forum he had set up at Katz. Although Corbis had a library it didn't represent photographers and wanted to set up representation in Europe. This became very much based around photojournalism and included photographers such as Gideon Mendel, Ed Kashi and Stephanie Sinclair. Frede describes this time as an amazing experience, talking, meeting and working with people who love photography.
However, Corbis decided to change direction, becoming more commercial and got rid of most of the photojournalists it represented. Corbis went on to make several changes over the following years, then via a conference call, it was announced that the representation arm of Corbis would cease to exist. This wasn't quite so dramatic, there was severance pay, and a month and half gardening leave. Corbis were also helpful too in supporting it's employees in their future endeavours.
With this assistance, Frede Spencer set up Twenty Twenty Agency taking three photographers from Corbis. It has been running for about two and half years and now represents seven photographers. These include; Will Sanders, Patrick Giardino, Paul Stuart, Mark Read, John Higginson and Peter Boel.
Frede views Twenty Twenty Agency like his own portfolio and lives through these photographers and their photographs. Frede says he wants his agency to be "the perfect embodiment of all the things I like in photography." But admits that this may be too idealistic and probably wouldn't be financially successful, so compromise is needed.
Frede likes to be involved and will sometimes go along on shoots as well. This is to help out, getting a drink, keeping a client happy and so on, so that the photographer can do their own thing. Frede is obviously very enthusiastic about photography, something he considers a necessity, "You have to like photography, have passion. Without that, I don't think you can really make it."
