Dan Levy and Jonathan Anderson on Balancing Creativity and Commerce | BoF VOICES 2023

Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson and Emmy Award-winning actor and director Dan Levy in conversation at VOICES 2023.
The delicate dance between artistic integrity and commercial viability is a challenge Dan Levy and Jonathan Anderson know well. Levy's Emmy Award-winning Netflix show Schitt's Creek harmonises creative brilliance with mainstream appeal, while at the luxury label Loewe, Anderson’s refreshingly original designs have earned him both critical acclaim and commercial success. What unites their work is a real commitment to personal vision.
“I can't think of something more heartbreaking than starting with an idea that I loved, allowing people to change it to the point where it loses its DNA, then it goes out into the world and either succeeds or fails, and I have to look at that and say, ‘Well, that's not me,’” says Levy. “You can never get that back. The fight to protect that [idea] is so important.”
This week on The BoF Podcast, Levy and Anderson speak with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about how they balance creativity and commerce in a conversation from BoF VOICES 2023.
Key Insights:
- "Schitt's Creek" began as a bare-bones-budget Canadian production and became a worldwide sensation during the pandemic. “We went and made something with absolutely no outside opinions, and because the stakes were so low, we were able to really kind of make the show for ourselves,” he says. “So what we made was quite pure.”
- Through his work at Loewe and his namesake label, Anderson has realised that designers can’t be afraid of backlash. “Sometimes you have to make the decision that you may have to give the audience what they don't want to annoy them. Because there's nothing better when people are annoyed because then they think.”
- For both creatives, the pandemic was a watershed moment. Anderson recalls, “it destroyed every formula that there ever was,” whilst Levy explained, “it also gave the consumer or the audience the freedom to find what they liked.”
- To find creative success, Anderson puts it simply: “I think for something to be successful, you have to give everything you have.”
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Look out for more VOICES videos coming soon, bringing you the best of our annual global gathering for big thinkers.
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[@ChanningWearsSunscreen]

Dan Levy is so necessary

[@kage122]

fabulous conversation. could listen to them much longer

[@dominicfrain1265]

Thanks for the content!

[@creativebusinessmuse]

Loving Dan and that wallpaper is❤❤❤

[@raqueldobson1]

The simple truth is distributors need content creators & content creators need distributors - they have to learn to work better together whilst focusing on the audience & what they want as the primary need because without the audience, without fans, distributors & content creators don’t become successful…

[@andizhanstuey]

Yes,yes,yes. I WANT THAT WALLPAPER! 😫 😆😍😍😍

[@HotDilf]

When Jonathan says, "the minute a brand becomes formulaic, the clock starts ticking", I reckon that does not apply to top brands. Chanel and Hermès are incredibly formulaic in their product offering and they will continue to do so because tweed jackets and birkins are what sells. Even a brand like Lemaire, whose design aesthetic stays consistent, cannot afford to not be formulaic because it needs to rely on house codes.

[@superlissy90]

fair point! In branding it is very important to be consistant. But, what I think Jonathan is amazing at, is reinventing yourself whilst sticking to that consistant core. You should always feel te fire to keep working on your brand without losing the essence. Be formulaic in your brand identity but always make sure it's a living thing.

[@drobbi]

What kind of opening question is that? Good god, let 'em warm up. You may as well ask them, "Capitalism -- your thoughts?"

[@Dovelunalove]

What ever happened to -hello? How are you? ....😂