The Future Academy: POV Diaries – Marcus

27 October 2022

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and what made you sign up for this opportunity

A: My name is Marcus Austin, I am an East Londoner based in Stratford and I signed up for The Future Academy Menteeship to gain the opportunity to work with a company that holds a heritage of success.

The Face and Moncler are vastly alike in the fact that they are in their own lane, they are companies that yearly change the game, succeed in their markets and win. I wanted to be surrounded by the best creatives and getting the chance to be in the home of innovation and creativity was an easy yes!

I got into the the film world by breaking down doors. The passion I've had for film since I was 16 is a splitting image of the passion I have for fashion, however, there haven’t been many opportunities for me to even get into those rooms. This opportunity has enabled me to crossover into a field I’ve been devotedly wanting to be a part of. It is the perfect Genesis chapter of my career in fashion that I hope will have even more chapters coming soon.

Q: Walk us through the application process, what was it like? Were any parts challenging and how did you overcome them?

A: Honestly, my understanding of the brand made me feel more comfortable. Once I had got through the door, all I knew was that I had to show why I deserved to be in spaces like this. After the first round, I was confident that I could answer the questions to a great degree, I researched hard about the brand and Future Academy Alumni.

Q: Tell us about your favourite project that you’ve worked on, what makes it stand out for you?

A: I have produced a project called Man to Man, a story around a generation of men tackling their ideologies related to being a man.

It’s my favourite project, not just because of David Harewood – a Hollywood actor who agreed to work with us – but because of the gravitation of the message. Men have it hard trying to navigate who they are in this world. Having a film that tackles uncomfortable conversations, that feeling of the audience talking about it after the screening - THAT FEELING, genuine pride.

Calling myself an award-winner is also sick…The articles on The Sunday Times, Hollywood Deadline…not a lot of people that come from where I am can call themselves that, so it's a proud moment.

Q: What key learnings are you taking away from this experience?

A: Creativity can come from anywhere.

Collaboration is so important.

Traveling around the world for research gives you such a drastically needed dimension to develop your insight - “your why?” for a project.

How to create treatments that are not just good but elite.

Q: Tell us about your most memorable time in Milan

A: We walked through the VIP section… past a crowd of over 1,000 people. The atmosphere and euphoria walking past the citizens of Milan with their cameras flashed on us. Honestly, it was the sickest experience ever, I’ll forever chase that euphoria. Felt like a bloody rockstar.

Q: How has working with ‘A New Direction’ helped you with this opportunity?

A: They put me in touch with this idea, without them I would never have known about this amazing opportunity, let alone, the chance for me to showcase who I am to such a big organisation. Many thanks for the email about the opportunity.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I want to be in these fashion spaces - directing/ producing/ creative directing. I have the passion and work rate; I want to keep showcasing my talents to the biggest audiences.

I have a passion project that I will be looking to get funding for - either from investors or any other funding opportunities. After the success of Man to Man, I want to follow up with something even more special.

As well as looking for long-term work, I have my eyes on acquiring an agent... we’ll see, nothing is impossible if I put my mind to it.