ITSme Learning

Bhavi is our Learning Academy’s Creative Director. Her experience in all things illustration began with Advocate when interning in university, where she studied Illustration. After graduating with a 1st Class Honours, she spent 2.5 years working at the Royal Academy of Arts as an Exhibitions & Art Sales Coordinator, before rejoining Advocate Art as an Artist Agent. Having worked with Publishing and Licensing clients across the UK over the last 5 years, she now works as the company’s Senior Art Director and Licensing Manager, where her main focus remains working with clients on a range of projects across Greeting Cards, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction and Chapter Books. Having built a strong rapport with artists, it’s equally important to Bhavi that she has a hands-on approach with our artists, helping to develop their portfolios to bring a range of commercial, on trend styles to the Publishing industry every year.

Emily is the producer of the ITSme Learning Academy. Here she works with the ITSme Society agents in designing resources creators need to become a pro at what they enjoy. Emily was the first agent and manager at Astound US Inc. from its inception until 2021. At Astound, she led the agency to become a top illustration agency internationally, helping 100s of illustrators secure their dream projects. Many of her titles were #1 NY Times & Amazon Bestselling picture books, chapter books, and celebrity series. She brings her unique ability to understand illustration needs from an agent and marketers perspective, adding in her PR experience within the film industry; having assisted on major press events for award winning films at top International Film Festivals. Today Emily is the Director of Marketing for the ITSme Society Agencies, where she is given a global view of the illustration world across all industries from BK, to GC, Ad to Editorial.

Vicky reviews the thousands of illustration submissions sent to us every week. She identifies the top talent.Organizes their portfolios to promote their strongest work And directs them to the agency that best matches their unique voice. Vicky graduated from London College of Communication, UAL with a degree in Illustration and Visual Media , incorporating both traditional and digital media.Her practice extends across fine art painting and illustration . She has exhibited in group shows across Europe (UK, Greece, Poland) and later moved on to interning for Advocate Art, starting her career as a talent scout. As a freelance artist herself, Vicky is highly attuned to the current market and illustration trends. Vicky has an in-depth understanding of the artist’s role, as well as the difficulties that can come alongside the artist’s journey. Vicky is passionate about guiding artists towared the best possible representation, expanding our creative community, and meeting with the artist’s that create it. In her spare time, you will find her strolling through art galleries or spending time with her two enormous fluffy sheepdogs at her father’s farm.

Laura Silveira is a Londoner at heart but now resides in leafy Leicestershire. She earned her BA in graphic design at the University for the Creative Arts, Epsom, and she has worked with creative teams, large and small, to deliver engaging and playful visual solutions. Her work focuses on greeting cards, patterns for textiles, packaging and branding, maps, and children’s illustrations. Laura is an experienced, friendly professional and enjoys the creative process with the client. Influenced by the late greats Eric Carle and Quentin Blake, she works with a combination of hand-painted textures, Procreate & Photoshop. Her aim is to create rich, textural, characterful, and colourful observations, that have warmth and tell a story. When Laura isn’t working, you can find her spending time with her husband and their son, or at her local charity shops, where she volunteers once a week.