Sands Mathura | Next Creative Leaders
By Laurel Stark Akman on Feb 15, 2024
Now in its ninth year, Next Creative Leaders is growing, expanding, and showing the world what advertising and design can be when you lift up every voice on your creative team. In the future, Next Creative Leaders hopes to continue to uplift women, trans, non-binary and gender expansive creatives as well as focus on growing the diversity of voices we honor. Below, co-founder, Laurel Stark, introduces some of the Next Creative Leaders to keep an eye on.
Sands Mathura
Associate Creative Director
Pronouns:
she/her
Based:
Cape Town, South Africa
Hometown:
KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
What is your “breaking into advertising” story?
I returned to my hometown after graduating from the University of Cape Town. I needed to find a job because my mom had just retired and would be without an income until her state pension kicked in. After a few freelance gigs (college tutor, sales clerk, high school teacher, call centre insurance agent) I grew bored. Worse than bored, I felt stuck and uninspired. I stuck with these jobs until my mom started to receive her monthly pension. Then, I began applying for any job posting that had the word, “writer” in it.
“I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form. Come in, she said, I'll give ya shelter from the storm.” – Bob Dylan, Shelter from the Storm.
Fast forward through lots of rejections and mismatched engagements. One day, I saw a an ad for a junior writer at Ogilvy. I applied. Their Head of Talent said I didn’t meet the role’s requirements. I suspected that my application got mixed up with someone else’s. So, I called back and it turned out they had made a mistake. The following day, I went in for the best interview of my life. It taught me the difference between a job and a career. The ECD told me to come back the next day for a trial run. I ended up staying for about 8 years. I’m grateful that advertising found me.
How did your upbringing, family, or culture shape you as a creative?
My parents instilled a love for storytelling in me at an early age. Poetry, bedtime reads, fantastical fibs to get out of trouble at school. Then, from Grade 1 onwards, our home became more tumultuous. Creativity and a hyper active imagination became a necessary refuge. As an Indian girl raised in a strict, patriarchal household, I was trained to “keep my mouth shut“ after an instruction was given. This was always an impossible task, and one I’m glad I will never master.
As a South African born at the cusp of democracy, I was immersed in another turbulent environment. Volatile, hopeful and one fuelled with a desire for equality. This ethos made me the outspoken, reactive and empathetic creative I am today. For better or worse – we learned to stay hungry and question the “Rules”
You recently made the leap to freelance from a full time creative role. Any advice for others looking to do the same?
After spending most of my working life in an agency, I’m still learning the ropes as a freelancer. I can only share what I've learned through my own mistakes. Secure a line-up of work a month in advance of your current project’s end date. Take advantage of outdoor time and small regular breaks. These are a luxury when permanently employed at a busy agency. Read all contracts carefully. Ask an industry expert to help if the small print gets too complex. Don’t thumb suck your rate based on what you think your skill/ time is worth. Decide if you want to charge a fixed rate or bill hourly. You may want to assess this on a project-by-project basis. Lastly, have an invoice template and a basic service contract handy when engaging new clients.
You’ve worked in several different regions. How has that changed or shaped your perspective on producing global creative?
My brief, but rewarding time at Ogilvy Singapore gave me some insight into APAC markets. I worked with creatives, clients, and business directors from around the world. I reshaped my presentation and writing style for people who didn’t share my socio-cultural frame of reference. I had to re-learn many aspects of my creative process. It was exhilarating. This taste of a global working environment left me hungrier and more inspired than ever.
Who would you thank in your Next Creative Leaders acceptance speech?
Too many people have gotten me to this point. Some because of what they did for me. Others because of what the y did to me. Either way, I’m grateful for each lesson and interaction. But if I were forced to pick my favourite mentors it would be my first, second, and third ECDs.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned this past year?
Plans can implode in a matter of minutes. Embrace the chaos. Prioritise your emotional and physical health. When you’re working on a brief, treat every aspect of the task as though it’s your favourite hobby. Stay fully engaged and fully charged. Fall in love with the process no matter the job. Cut out all the noise and doubts. Be careful what you say on work WhatsApp groups – you can’t always meme what you’re thinking, haha. Wait, sorry, that’s more than one. This past year’s just been one sharp learning curve.
"I want to be a bridge between industry iconoclasts, and the young queer, neurodivergent creatives just starting out in the industry. A conduit for unconventional prespectives to reach a global platform.
What is your secret creative super power and how do you flex it?
I like to spend time listening to people’s stories. I am genuinely interested in the life experiences of people from varied walks of life. I find points of contrast and similarity between our worlds. This helps me create from a place of sincerity and optimism.
But it’s not a flex. It’s more like a quiet, act of self-indulgence, I think. I observe and chat with as many new people as possible. Hopefully in a non-creepy, not too annoying way. Haha.
What type of story do you feel born to tell?
A simple, short one with no protagonists. Everyone we meet along the way has “main character energy”. It’s about hope, Mohawks, make-up and kids who blow giant soap bubbles on sunny days. Taylor Swift will not feature in the soundtrack.
What does leadership mean to you?
Good leaders are empathetic and treat people with respect regardless of their seniority. They are humble, agile thinkers and eternal students. I’ve had the privilege of working with many great leaders both locally and abroad.
What do you think the future of creativity will look like?
It’s colourful. Filled with diverse voices from varying socio-cultural backgrounds. It’s an egalitarian, democratic space. Where curiosity and compassion thrive. Where respect is earned not demanded.
What is the ad industry’s biggest challenge and how would you fix it?
We’re all too precious about our own ignorance. We need to listen to each other’s lived experiences more. Embrace cultural nuance and stop creating for a homogenized “target audience”.
Who is inspiring you right now and why?
Camilla Clerke, my previous ECD. She is a force of nature. Cam makes everyone in her care feel seen and propels them to want more for themselves and the brief on their table.
Sanele Ngubane: He wrote the first Cannes Gold winning isiZulu radio commercial. He consistently pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with the spoken word. Be it in isiZulu, English, Afrikaans, or any atmospheric sound that can be harnessed for his craft.
How are you leaving the work and the workplace better than you found it?
I hope I’ve emboldened more people to speak their minds and share their ideas, even if they think it’s “silly”. Courage is essential to creativity.
What made you apply for Next Creative Leaders?
I want to share my learnings thus far, with others who may come from similar, non-advertising backgrounds. I want to be a bridge between industry iconoclasts, and the young, queer, neurodivergent creatives just starting out in the industry. A conduit for unconventional perspectives to reach a global platform.
If you could go back in time, what would you say to yourself, on your first day as a professional creative?
Run. Kidding. I’d say, “Sands, this is going to be hard but it will give you purpose. You’ll finally find somewhere you belong.”
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