We catch up with the talented boys from the Melbourne based studio, Saxall. In just three years, Michel Sacks and Matt Hall went from classmate bedroom designers to bad-ass, studio running, creatives who shoot monkeys into space.
How did Saxal begin?
Sacks: Saxall began fairly organically. Matt had returned to Melbourne after interning in New York City, and I had just finished working at a multimedia studio here in Melbourne. We ran into each other at Semi Permanent and hadn’t caught up or seen each other since uni days, where we first met. We both had some freelance projects that we were working on and so we started helping each other out. More little jobs kept coming up and after getting some advice we decided to have a go at starting our own company.
Hall: I remember working on our first website project in Michael’s bedroom. I would drive to his apartment in St Kilda each day, and there’d be coffee on the stove, ready for when I arrived. We had a meeting with an old Uni lecturer to get some advice - he basically told us not to do it, if you want to remain friends. Three and half years later and we are still here!
What have been your favourite projects to date?
Hall: Probably our most recognisable project is the work we did for Hanoi Hannah. It's nice to see your work out there and have others recognise the work you do. But my favourite project would be the very first video project we did together for Ugg Australia. Having the opportunity to tell the Client’s story was a real honour. I still look back on that experience as one of the most enjoyable, we learnt so much from that job and that really kick started our business.
Sacks: Shooting a variety of attractive models for Jay Jay’s was a pretty good day at the office. I also drove 8 hours with a band to Adelaide to shoot a monkey into space.
Business card image by The Hungry Workshop
Saxall is a multi disciplined studio, how does the relationship between mediums (video/design) impact your creative/ business outcomes?
Hall: The best thing about being a multi disciplinary studio is the variety of projects we get to work on. It makes the day to day business more interesting. It also helps us divide up the work, i.e who does what. We offer our clients the full package, to try and keep their message succinct. We also find that having a design background complements the videos we create. Our aim is to produce well designed videos. The most difficult part of our job is finding time to manage clients, generate new leads and actually do the work. This is always our biggest challenge.
You are a pretty quirky guys, where do you find your inspiration? what are your favourite sites/ blogs?
Sacks: I check out the site likecool on the odd occasion. Playing music also helps generate creativity and allows me to express myself. We like to surround ourselves with creative people in order to pick their brains and inspire us.
Simple things like using high res images and plenty of white space makes a huge difference. We narrowed down the applicants and brought them in for an interview. This was a great way to meet the potential interns to see who we felt was the best fit for our studio.
You’ve recently been on the look out for interns, what do you think makes a recent graduate stand out?
Hall: We had over 70 applicants for the internship job, which was very flattering. I think what makes a graduate stand out is not so much where they study but on their work and how they present it. Simple things like using high res images and plenty of white space makes a huge difference. We narrowed down the applicants and brought them in for an interview. This was a great way to meet the potential interns to see who we felt was the best fit for our studio.
Sacks: I pretended to use a walking stick, and offered alcoholic beverages. The ones who could handle my shit were hired.
You have recently moved into a new large studio, how does that influence your creative environment?
Hall: Starting Roy Space was a big step for Saxall. We had to invest quite a bit of capital to renovate the space, but the main issue was the time it took for things to get done. We had to give up a fair bit of studio time to get the space up and running and of course we had our hurdles along the way. There were times when we felt like giving up, however, we kept pushing each other and now we are really happy with the end result. Having such a big space has meant we can bring other freelancers and of course there is always time for plenty of table tennis.
Sacks: Being in a larger space with people with different backgrounds broadens our outlook and provides opportunities to collaborate.
Where do you see Saxall in the next few years?
Hall: We hope to employ another person full time, thats the main goal, but also to focus on the creative side and produce the best possible work for our clients.
Sacks: We want to grow without sacrificing our creative integrity. Most important thing is to continue to having fun and enjoying coming to work each day.
