1) Could you describe what you do?
Primarily I am a professional cartoonist, but I also work as a comedy writer and am also involved behind the scenes in the magic world, as co-producer of a quarterly DVD magazine for magicians, called ‘Prestidigital’. As a cartoonist the work I do covers a lot of areas. I work in the press as a gag cartoonist, creating single panel humour for national/international magazines and newspapers. Out of the press I also do a lot of work in book publishing. Some of this work has been in children’s books, for publishers like Scholastic, where I am the illustrator on the best selling book range, ‘Murderous Maths’, and humour books for among others, Summersdale. I have also worked extensively in the UK and USA creating illustrations for textbooks, and I work often as a corporate caricaturist. Increasingly I am more involved in greeting cards and work both as a cartoonist and writer . My break in cards came from the USA with a publisher called Smart Alex Inc, in Chicago. Here in the UK my cards are published by Emotional Rescue, Paperlink, Gibson Hanson, Carlton and Paperhouse. My cartoon work has enabled me to work in advertising where I have created cartoons for major campaigns in the UK and USA.
2) How long have you been trading and how long did it take before your business was profitable?
I’ve been trading since 1990, when I left art college, and I have always worked as a freelancer. It took many years of hard work, gradually climbing up the ladder, to make my career profitable. The cartoon industry in its traditional role has become a dying industry and we, as cartoonists, have had to diversify into new fields and also embrace technology in order to maintain profitable careers. Fortunately I have reached a point in my career where I am confident that regular work will continue to flow.
3) What would you do differently, if you had the opportunity to do it all over again?
There was a time in the mid/late nineties when I was concentrating on breaking the American market and spent a lot of time in New York. Though I now have some wonderful magazine clients in the States (including Nickelodeon, Penthouse and Reader’s Digest), I had the chance to move there and didn’t act on it. I guess if I had the chance to do it all again, I may well have moved to New York and base my business there.
4) What has been your most challenging moment in business, and how did you deal with it?
In this business there are ups and downs and uncertainty continually, but one challenge that springs to mind is the demise of Punch Magazine. Punch was one of the premier venues for cartoonists, and paid very good fees. For many years I was a major contributor to the magazine and made a good living just from that magazine alone. After the demise of Punch I was left in a position where perhaps 80% of my income had vanished. That was scary, but I just had to get out there and find new clients to replace Punch. It’s true what they say – when one door closes another opens. I’ve found this to be true as long as you make every effort to seek out the door that is opening!
5) Could you share some basic steps that a small business owner should take to market his/her website online?
Well, first of all, it’s essential now for cartoonists and illustrators to have a web site. Long gone are the days when everyone took a train down to London, heaving their portfolio from door to door (though sometimes it’s still a good idea to do this). It’s so much easier now to make contact with potential clients, and I certainly couldn’t get by without the internet. I’m no expert on how the web works, but I have had a web site in one form or another for about ten years. I have found that other sites approach me wanting to add my link to their directories, and in fact most of the times they don’t even ask. This is all good. It gives you an extensive presence on the internet. I am also a member of several professional bodies, like the British Cartoonists’ Association, and the Cartoonists Club of Great Britain and again, these links you back to your own personal site. A large percentage of my work now comes via my web site. I will soon be launching a new site, which will also have an on-line store. I think one of the best ways to advertise your site is simply to email potential customers and tell them about it. You get a knock-on, domino effect and before you know it you’re getting a lot of traffic. Like everything else, building up a presence on the web is all about time. It doesn’t happen overnight.
6) What goals or plans do you have for the future of your business?
My long term plan is to write more books of my own, and indeed, I have a number of projects pending in this area. I am also very keen to get back into TV work as a writer. In the past I have worked in television writing comedy scripts for Hale & Pace, and I would like to venture back into that. I’d love to create a sitcom. Specifically in my cartooning work, I plan to create a new greeting card range in the near future and I am currently collaborating on the premise for a newspaper strip with a veteran Fleet Street journalist and writer of the classic strip, ‘Fred Bassett’.
7) What advice would you give to people just starting out in business and want to become an illustrator/cartoonist?
The crucial thing is to have total belief in your own abilities. Even the most famous cartoonists and illustrators get rejection on an almost daily basis, and you have to accept that everyone has different tastes. I have known many cartoonists who have thrown in the towel when times get tough, and they stopped believing in their own work – That is the most dangerous thing you can do. So, do accept your limitations, but have total belief in your work. You must also be prepared to diversify. The industry now is getting tougher and those that survive are the ones who are versatile. Keep improving your line work, keep writing jokes and just keep practising all the time. Anyone who is any good and successful in any pursuit is only successful because they’re doing what they do all the time. It’s vital to embrace technology too. I can’t stress enough how important that is. As the world gets more technologically advanced, we as cartoonists have to move with the times too and offer a modern service.
8) If someone wanted to learn a bit more about you, how can they get in touch or build a business relationship with you? They can contact me through my web site – www.ianbakercartoons.co.uk, or email me at ibaker4544@aol.com. They can also contact me through other industry sites, including Ackces.com at, http://www.ackces.com/ianbaker. You can email me if you want to discuss, comment or ask any questions about this interview, on my comment page.
09) What’s the perk to owning your own company and what’s the downside to starting up and how does someone motivate themselves, when times are tough? The obvious perk is simply being your own boss and not having anyone hovering over you. If you’re a self motivated person this is a wonderful position to be in, if you aren’t then I guess it could be a drawback. You have to be able to organise your time effectively and try to have a structured working day – fortunately I find this very easy, so being self employed works well for me. It helps also that I rent a studio away from my home and am among other people in a ‘proper’ working environment. For many years I worked from home, and that was fine, but I much prefer to actually go out to work. I find that I am more productive that way, and that is worth the expense of renting an office. When times are tough it can be hard to get motivated, but again I go back to a previous question, it’s at these times that you really have to believe in your abilities and your work. If you can do that you will keep focused and motivated.
10) Where has your work been featured and how did you make it happen? My work has been featured in well over fifty national and international publications around the world, including Private Eye, The Spectator, New Statesman, Reader’s Digest, Penthouse, The Sun, The Times, Nickelodeon etc. The first gag cartoon I ever had published was in a short lived humour magazine set up by Simon Bond and Terry Jones, called ‘Squib’. That single break gave me the drive to approach every magazine and newspaper I could think of. It’s a slow process getting your work out there – you just have to stick at it. In the early nineties I made the decision to try and make it in the States, so I started making regular trips there and started to build up a contact base and some very good clients. It’s important to follow up with these things so you don’t get forgotten by editors. I spent many weeks of my life going around Manhattan with a portfolio but it was all a very positive experience. Even the rejections were a learning process. My TV work came about through a love of comedy. I’ve never been afraid to contact people I’ve always admired, even if they are celebrities. I ended up writing to one of the UK’s premier comedy writers and script editors. This guy had been the script editor/writer on shows like The Two Ronnies, Spitting Image, Not the nine o’clock news, Clive Anderson Talks Back etc. He invited me to contribute material to the Russ Abbot show – that then led to Hale and Pace. I find that my commercial/advertising work happens largely through repeat custom, word of mouth and recommendation. This is where the internet becomes your best ally.
11) Finally, what is the most important thing in your life and why? Friends and family. When the work dries up, they’re still there! Professionally, the most important things are my large collection of vintage dip pen nibs – A particular kind of nib. I have tried many drawing tools, but these antique nibs are the only tool that suits my style of drawing – I fear the day I run out of them!! | 
www.ackces.com/jerrybrevil
