Ugly is the New Beautiful? How Dom Scopelliti’s Agency is Shaking Up the Adelaide Creative Scene.
To start, please tell me your name, age and a little bit about yourself.
My name is Domenic Scopelliti, i’m 25. I’m a photographer by trade. I’ve been doing photography ever since I was in high school, year 8. The school teacher gave me a camera and was like, Have fun with it”. I’ve always been into design and things that are visually appealing, so when I got given a camera, I went all in with that. Because I couldn’t draw and wanted to do graphic design, and it was very intimidating not being able to draw, so photography was the route I took. Other than that, born and raised in Adelaide, love Adelaide, don’t think I’ll ever move anywhere else.
Once you’d finished school, how did you begin your photography journey?
The camera my teacher gave me, I kept for a while through to year 10, 11, 12, and I used to go to the botanical gardens and do videos and photos, and then random shoots for free. House parties started to become a big thing, so I started to go and shoot those. You know those $10 entry gatherings that they used to do. I used to be the photographer for that and take a cut of the cash. And I saved enough to buy my equipment. It was always a hobby, I just wanted to get new gear and get better by watching YouTube videos and that.
Then I started doing event photography, and people started having 18th birthday parties in year 12, so I started shooting those, and then their siblings would be having their 21st, so I’d be shooting those, or their siblings would start having engagements. It started growing from there, and during year 12 I was photographing 18th and 21st’s every weekend. And then after high school, I continued doing that for cash on the side, and then it slowly became a full-time thing.
From there, when did you decide to start Visual Domain?
I started Visual Domain as the event business in year 11. Well, back then it was called “ItsDomArts” because it was graphic design and it was the funniest thing ever. At the end of year 12, I started Visual Domain, and it just grew into this big event photography company for 8 years or so up until recently.
Do you have a favourite style of photography to shoot?
I always struggle to answer this because I’ve forever been a yes man, like I say yes to everything, and I love to be creative in any way possible. I think my favourite style is editorial flash photography, and it’s super different for everyone who views it. You get a different feeling from it, rather than your standard studio shoot. The meaning and feeling are endless, and I’d love to do more of that. I’ve just confirmed the professional/business side of things.
And what prompted your switch from Visual Domain to Ugly Creative?
I think over the last three years, Visual Domain was slowly transforming into a brand where we became more creative, and clients would come to us for our ideas rather than coming to us as a photography agency or an event photographer. We started building brands from the ground up, and we would do the designs, photography concepts, video concepts and come up with the brands from the ground up, and Visual Domain wasn’t all that for me. And every time I thought about the brand we were representing, Visual Domain didn’t fit under that. Visual Domain was the event photography agency, so the name just needed to change, be disruptive, and it needed to represent what we are as a brand. That’s where UGLY came in, and I think it ties in super well with the brand.
Going on that, why’d you pick the name UGLY specifically?
It’s funny I sat down one day and I was like I need to change the name, I need to figure out a name that’s 1-2 syllables and one word that people will hear and never forget and I always think the style of work we do for brands, is disruptive and head turning. And we tow the line with like “Are they allowed to do that or should they do that?” and we always think with the vintage era that’s come back like your grandmother’s sweatshirt like you see in the video, stuff like that, that stuff is cool now but it was once ugly. So I thought it’d be funny and a bit ironic, being a photography agency and calling it “UGLY”, it ruffles those feathers a bit, and everyone goes “What the hell?” I sat with it for a long time and asked if it was right, and I had to explain it to a lot of people, but I kind of liked that, so that’s where it came from.
What brands and clients have you worked with through UGLY so far?
Through UGLY, we’re working with a variety of brands. I think one that stands out is “AH-SAI-YEE”, the boys at North Adelaide. We started with them when they just had the North Adelaide store, and now they’ve got Marion and James Place too. We’ve created this teenage vibe/aesthetic on their page; it’s almost like a 16-year-old talking to their audience, and it’s done wonders. I enjoy the way we’ve brought that brand to life and where it’s headed. It’s hard to pinpoint every brand, but they’re one of our favourites. We’ve recently signed on “The Pancake Kitchen”, which is an Adelaide Icon, and we’re going to do some cool stuff with them and bring them back to life.
What would you say is the best part of your role?
The best part of my role is that I can come up with a creative idea, and no one can tell me I’m wrong. I can get advice from people, and see where other peoples minds are at but at the end of the day it’s going to be my choice and i think through years of going through the system like high school and university where your ideas are always frowned upon, and people were always like “That’s not right or it shouldn’t be that way”, being able to have my creative freedom, as rebel as that sounds, I think that’s the best part.
Have you faced any challenges or hurdles getting to where you are now?
Everyday. There’s always a challenge or something hard. For me, and I think with lots of creatives, there’s this thing where once you put out a piece of work, you’re your own biggest hater, and something you’ve worked so hard on and put your all into, you hate. I’m my own biggest hater, you know once it’s out there - which is crazy but i’ve always been trying to figure how to be better and do better and sometimes you lose a bit of your style because you’re always trying to stand out and be different and I think that’s the hardest part for everyone. That’s a big struggle for me daily.
Do you have any dream clients?
I’d love to do something in the bigger fashion space for any of those brands. Acne Studios for sure. Nike would be sick. Those are two of the big brands I’d love to work with, as well as artists. I’ve done some work for artists, but to work with them on a more personal level would be amazing.
What sets you apart from other creative agencies in Australia?
I think the biggest reason why I created this creative agency, was seeing my clients coming from some of those bigger agencies where they don’t give a fuck about your business, you’re just another number. They take on 20, 30, 40 clients, and there are a million people you’ve got to speak to, and there’s never a direct line. I think the personal involvement for me, is that I only work with brands I will enjoy, that I want to see grow and that I think I can benefit in some way and so with UGLY I think we’ll always be a boutique agency, we’ll never take on thousands of clients, and yes to everybody. I think that’s what is going to set us apart from other agencies, Just giving a fuck for once.
Who’s in your agency at the moment?
So I’m the sole operator, we do work with creatives all over Adelaide, photographers, videographers, and cinematographers. We do have a nice, cool little team, and we do have someone in-house who’s helping with accounts. Keeping it small and working with anyone and everyone who has the same drive and is not in it for the money.
If a business, artist or client wants to work with UGLY Creative, what’s the best way to do so?
In the world of social media, just hit us up online via our website or on Instagram. Or come see us.
What’s your current camera set-up?
I’m a Canon guy. I run a Canon R5. At the moment, I’ve been doing more cinematography and video, and I’ve been working with Sony. Sony is amazing for colour. Sony FX3 or FX30, they’re my go-tos. But I’ve been a Canon guy forever, and photography is my main thing, but I do love a bit of video.
What services does UGLY offer at the moment?
So we offer: Brand Management, Social Media Management, Social Media Content Creation, Content Creation (in general), Photography, Videography, Graphic Design - it’s everything a brand needs to be digital.
And finally, what advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours?
DO IT RIGHT NOW! Whenever someone says, " I would love to do that one day, do it right now and don’t look back.
