After seventeen and a half amazing years at TIGI and The Bed Head Studios, I’ve arrived at my last official day. TIGI is a very special company to me; when I started as a freelancer in late 90’s I was filming with Pat and Anthony when this new little product arrived from America. It was called The Stick.
This was a time when the Mascolo Brothers and their salon business Toni&Guy were heading supersonic and this new range of products coming through called Bed Head hit the hairdressing world like a meteor. Their business was growing exponentially thanks to great education and superlative customer service along with Bruno’s vision of adding a range of products never seen before. It was a mixture that was perfect for the hairdressing business at the time. I’m proud to say I was there to see this happen first hand.
The twenty years that followed weren’t always smooth: The Mascolo family have been through amazing highs and terrible lows, their demerger and subsequent sale to Unilever has been the most gripping story of a family business becoming a global brand anyone could imagine. And the sad losses of Guy, Toni and Andrea have been some of the saddest moments in my life.
I’ve seen their business grow from the salon my mother used to go to and get her hair done by ‘Pops’ Mascolo (Franco, the brothers father) in the 70’s, to fifty years later a brand that is quoted on TV, Radio and all over media as well as a shining example of brilliant franchising. TIGI has given thousands of employees the opportunity to make something for themselves and still remains one of the most creative and inspiring brands in the market, loved by hairdressers throughout the world.
From the early days when I joined The Bed Head Studios back in 2003, I never dreamt TIGI would become the global lead in Styling and now in Colour. The growth and subsequent sale to Unilever has been an education in how to create a germ of an idea and turn it into a global brand. From the day we opened the studios in Battersea, to accommodate a space for Anthony and Pat to be creative in, to the global headquarters it has now become today, my journey has been colourful and inspirational.
Whether it was me on camera filming Anthony doing a haircut, one the sophisticated films we made with the brilliant Michael Lindsey (16oz Films) or the fabulous World Releases produced by Mike Esa, we created magic. With the supportive leadership through acquisition from Andrei Gemeneanu, Dave Lewis and Paul Polman, we navigated the transformation from a few salon products to being the incubator of creativity spearheading the Unilever expansion into the global haircare market.
When I first started my career as a local press and wedding photographer in Streatham South London back in the 70’s, I never expected a journey quite like this. I’ve been lucky to have witnessed some incredible moments but I never imagined my career would have been so rich. I’ve learned a lot from so many of you, as the saying goes too many to mention here, and I wish you all the best for the future, my TIGI family.