Ned Brown on How Florence Does It All

Based in Los Angeles, Florence is a creative studio with a progressive, diverse attitude that established itself in the commercial world working for the likes of Nike, Facebook and Google. Also known for its music videos and branded music content, the company has recently expanded its offering to include photography - all in a streamlined, multi-media production package.

In January 2022, after discovering a shared philosophical approach to the industry with Florence’s founder Jerad Anderson, Ned Brown joined Florence as a managing director and executive producer. Previously, Ned had gained producer experience industry-wide, from the music video space in the early ‘90s to his time as an EP at The Directors Bureau, before founding Rock Fight, where he worked for eight years until its acquisition by HKM in 2002. 

The Minnesota native has helped launch the careers of many directors, including Daniel Barber, Pep Bosch, Leigh Marling, and Rob Leggatt and applies his innovative approach to leadership in both his professional career and his social justice commitments, serving as a board member for three non-profits. A father who’s passionate about mentoring foster youth, he has helped Florence cultivate a diverse roster of multi-faceted talent. Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, he discusses how he has helped the studio to evolve since he joined and what the new Florence Image element means for the company.

While the creative studio had been producing ads prior to his arrival, Ned says that music videos were very much front and centre of Florence’s offering at the time. So, he took on a personal ambition to spearhead an evolution in the company. “It was about taking the momentum Florence had built over the years and putting gas on the commercial side. It was as simple as getting exposure. Getting our stuff in front of the right people was a fun opportunity.”

Now helping to lead Florence’s creative future, ‘manifesting progressive culture where creativity thrives and diverse perspectives are valued’, he shares that the company’s goal is to support its creatives’ visions and ideas with a “laser focus”. He adds, “The rest tends to work out.”

A recent project that exemplifies this system’s success is Florence’s debut feature film, ‘The Last Year of Darkness’. The film was borne from Florence’s unwavering support for one of its directors and premiered this year at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen. Ned says, “It’s such a unique film that had no obvious path, but we believed in our director and creator, Ben Mulinkosson, so much and knew that if we gave him the right tools, his vision would thrive. It was so fun to see that come to fruition.”

(A screenshot from 'The Last Year of Darkness')

And Florence isn’t just going from strength to strength in the world of filmmaking. Last year, the studio launched Florence Image, an integrated photography production unit. A logical next step for the studio, which already had multi-talented directors who wanted to produce stills on its roster, Ned says that this expansion allows the studio to offer clients even more as deliverable lists continue to grow. “It was always strange to me how the production of stills is so separate from what is happening in commercials and music videos. A lot of our talent were both directors and photographers, so all we had to do was simply tell people we did it all.” He continues, “When we did, the response was immediately great. It just makes sense that we can provide these services for our clients in one integrated production.” 

Just a year on, Florence Image already has an impressive roster - even boasting Harry Styles' favourite photographer, Pham, as well as Millicent Hailes and iconic entertainment photographers Gunnar Stahl and Amber Asaly, among others. Curating this roster, says Ned, has been relatively smooth sailing as they’ve had positive responses to this integrated production model from the talent they admire and have reached out to. “A lot of our talent works across all platforms, including album teasers, fashion films, and tour visuals. When Rosalia wanted Grant Spanier to do a Coachella teaser, we were able to jump into action. And when Jacquemus wanted Scottie Cameron to do films for the Met Gala, we were set up to respond and deliver.”

This flexibility is key to how Florence works so efficiently. With the industry changing rapidly from week to week, it pays off for the studio to be able to offer a variety of production services and shape itself to its clients’ needs. “The more flexible we can be with how we work, the better the process tends to go,” says Ned. “The landscape is shifting, and we are trying to be as malleable as possible while keeping our core values above all. Partners like Grindr and Amazon Music trust us to collaborate with their in-house creative teams in bespoke ways and therefore keep coming back!”

And, for the remainder of 2023, these partnerships remain a significant focus for the team, which is trying to strengthen and build upon existing relationships, while forging new ones too. For example, Florence is currently exploring a new partnership opportunity with the shoe brand Vans. “Finding brands like that who want to do things differently is always a fun place to be,” says Ned, “and it reminds me how much fun this business can still be!”

A man who, in his personal life, has helped people navigate the adoption/foster care system, and has a passion for mentoring foster youth, Ned knows a thing or two about creating supportive environments for people to learn and grow. And despite not making a distinct correlation between his skills as an adoptive parent and someone who manages the careers of Florence’s talent, he seems prepared for the future growth of the creative studio and how to maximise the potential of its directors, photographers and everyone in between.  

“It's all about building a nurturing support system around them and making them feel safe enough to explore all the ways they can become their true and best selves.”