As an experienced creative strategist in developing successful creative campaigns for prominent brands across multiple platforms with her own agency, Savannah Feeke-Fortune has moulded herself to be who she is today as a professional. Savannah’s journey is a perfect example of chasing what’s yours through dedication and perseverance.
Like most of us, what Savannah planned to do with her career versus what her heart ended up following, are two different paths. However, what her heart chose is tremendously working out for her. Having worked with illustrator, graphic designer and street artist, Karabo Poppy Moletsane, and campaigns for brands including Woolworths, Liberty and producing series like Ma Se Kinders Sneaker Lab, and more, Savannah’s Friends and Family Agency has put her on the map.
Named Grey Area Agency at the time, which served as a placeholder name for the time being, Savannah’s agency came about while she figured out the business aspect of being self-employed after working over a year with Atmosphere/King James first as a data capturer then an intern then as an account executive. While figuring out the ins and outs of media relations, Savannah worked with a multitude of coveted brands, including Boschendal, The Cotton On Group, Sanlam, G-Star Raw and Hasbro. This diversified client list stretched her skill and ability to think on her feet, as she strategised, drove creative direction, and managed talent, all the while championing creatives and their spaces and developing an understanding of how to help each in a unique way.
In the midst of figuring out the business aspect of self-employment, she continued diversifying her experience through campaigns related to responsible drinking and highlighting awareness of the company as a partner at the National Arts Festival. Not long after giving birth, Savannah began rebuilding her agency, rebranding it as Friends and Family Agency, both as a call back to those first successful pitches, and to her intention of continuing to work with her talented friends.
What’s biggest highlight of your career?
One of the biggest is the work Friends and Family did on the Five Films for Freedom project. This is an annual film project designed to bring stories from LGBTQI* community to audiences globally. Our commitment to the project was twofold – both for the support we could offer to the community, as well as advocating for exposure for media creatives as they explored various ways to tell a range of stories.
Aside from that, producing Ma se Kinders by Imraan Christian is a definite high point. The series takes place in the picturesque fishing village of Hangberg, in Cape Town. Through fine art portraiture, Christian unfolds the stories of indigenous characters, capturing the beauty of identity without the constraints of geographical borders. He merges his own tales with those of the past, creating artwork that speaks to both the present and the ancestral. What is even more gratifying is it is a globally recognised work.
Then I cannot mention any moment of my career achievement without talking about Karabo Poppy, and specifically her ‘Nike Collab by Karabo Poppy’ campaign. Managing and producing that project was a ‘pinch me’ moment!
What struggles or challenges did you face in your career and how did you handle them?
After leaving BASA (Business and Arts South Africa), a lot of people in the industry assumed that I chose to be a stay-at-home mom, but truthfully, I was so focused on building everyone else’s brand that I completely ignored my own. Work was slow and even though we were on the tail-end of the pandemic, clients were still anxious to spend. I was trying to support our family as well as the artists we work with, and that – coupled with my post-partum struggles – in hindsight was unsustainable and untenable. I needed to restore my equilibrium, reconnect with what brought me hope and joy. I had to define what Friends and Family meant to me.
What are your future plans and goals / leadership positions?
I stopped mentoring after COVID and my goal for this year is to resume that through BASA’s Cultural Producers Programme as well as through the Incubators’ Hub. The new acquisition also calls for me to be on the company’s EXCO. As daunting as it feels, it’s not the first time I’ve seemingly been out of my depth. I’m hoping that I can contribute to positive change.
My five-year goal/plan is to co-create an artist series of 5-a-side soccer fields within the Cape Flats area. I want it to be sanctuaries for the communities and a place where sports and the arts intercept.
