The Black Arts

What The Black Arts does

The Black Arts is a London-based, founder-led creative agency established in February 2011 by Ian Cassie, operating from a single West End office at 81 Great Titchfield Street. The business is structured as two wholly-owned entities: Tango Bravo Alpha, focused on research, planning and creative origination, and The Black Arts Film Company, which handles 2D, 3D, CGI, animation, full film production and live events. Together they deliver end-to-end creative campaigns across six service lines: highly effective campaigns, film/TVC/digital production, live events and experiential, branding and design, music, and charities. The agency generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements with enterprise clients, with pricing structured as 25% on agreement to proceed, 25% at sign-off, and 50% on an agreed invoice schedule.

The company's client base spans beverage (Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Butcombe Brewery, Meantime Brewing), retail (Lidl, Co-op), automotive (Vertu Motors, Bristol Street Motors, Macklin Motors), home appliances (Vax), and charitable causes (One for the Boys, Royal British Legion). Notable quantified outcomes include VAX's UK market share rising from 4% to 28% (surpassing Dyson), the Lidl surprise restaurant generating £18m in media coverage, and the Goram Zero campaign delivering a 93% sales increase. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise sales without intermediaries, and the agency's go-to-market is supported by a content-driven website, case-study-led pitching, and selective event presence (notably MAD//Fest 2026).

The business is privately held, founder-controlled, and has no disclosed institutional investment, acquisitions, or funding rounds. Its most recent strategic postures are a thought-leadership presence at MAD//Fest 2026 and a partnership with Voice-Swap to bring ethically-sourced AI voice technology into campaign work. Revenue, headcount detail, and contract values are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Black Arts

Legal name

Tango Bravo Alpha Ltd

Website

https://theblackarts.company

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Black Arts is a London-based, founder-led creative agency founded in 2011 that delivers integrated campaign strategy, film and digital production, live events, branding, and music work for enterprise clients across beverage, retail, automotive, and charity sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Services

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Advertising agency services
• Creative campaign production
• Film and digital production
• Brand development services
• Live event marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: The company generates revenue through providing creative advertising and marketing services including campaign development, film production, branding, design, live events, and experiential marketing to enterprise clients. Pricing structure includes 25% upon agreement to proceed, 25% at sign-off, and remaining 50% according to agreed invoice schedule.
2. Project-Based Creative Work: Revenue generated through specific project contracts including proposals, cost schedules, and project-based pricing for creative services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Black Arts is an independent creative agency that plans, develops and produces brand campaigns, film/TVC and digital media, live events and experiential marketing, branding and design, music content, and charity cause-related work for enterprise clients. It operates through two divisions: Tango Bravo Alpha (research, planning and creative origination) and The Black Arts Film Company (2D, 3D, CGI, full film production and live events), with an in-house editing suite in London's West End.

Product overview

The Black Arts Co. is a creative agency operating as a unified platform consisting of two divisions: Tango Bravo Alpha (research, planning and creative origination) and The Black Arts Film Company (visual asset production including 2D, 3D, CGI and full film production, plus live events). The company delivers services across six core areas: Highly Effective Campaigns (strategic creative work), Film/TVC & Digital Media Production (commercials, brand films, documentaries), Live Events & Experiential (immersive event production), Branding & Design (graphic design, photography, packaging), Music (artist campaigns, music videos, discovery programs), and Charities (cause-related marketing). The portfolio includes work for major brands such as Peroni, Co-op, Vertu Motors, Lidl, Bristol Street Motors, and various charitable organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Highly Effective Campaigns

Quantifiable outcome

• VAX market share increased from 4% to 28% of UK market volume, surpassing market leader Dyson
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mother London: Independent creative agency founded in London, similarly sized boutique with strong brand campaign work. Comparable in offering (campaigns, film, design) and target market (major consumer brands seeking distinctive creative), making it the closest direct peer to The Black Arts in size, geography, and positioning.
• 72andSunny: Independently-led creative agency known for culturally resonant brand campaigns for global marketers. Comparable offering (campaigns, film, experiential) and similar positioning around distinctive creative for enterprise clients, with comparable scale to The Black Arts at the boutique end.
• Lucky Generals: Independent London creative agency focused on brave, attention-grabbing brand campaigns for major consumer marketers. Directly comparable in offering (integrated campaigns, film, digital) and target market (large consumer brands seeking distinctive creative).
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency with a London office operating a similar full-service model combining strategy, creative, and production under one roof. Comparable in offering (integrated brand campaigns, film, design) and target enterprise brand clients.
• Wieden+Kennedy London: Creative-led agency in London renowned for emotionally powerful, attention-cutting campaigns for major global brands. Comparable offering (brand campaigns, film, digital, experiential) and similar positioning around distinctive creative voices, though larger in scale.
• Fallon London: Creative boutique in London with a heritage of bold, award-winning campaigns for major brands. Comparable offering (campaigns, film, design) and similar emphasis on distinctive creative thinking for enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• AMV BBDO: One of the UK's largest and longest-established creative agencies, part of the Omnicom/DAKO network. Overlaps with The Black Arts in offering and enterprise brand clients but operates at significantly larger scale with network resources.
• Publicis London: Major London creative agency within the Publicis Groupe holding company. Overlaps with The Black Arts in offering and major brand client base, but with the scale, integrated media buying, and global delivery capabilities of a network affiliate.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theblackartsco
• Facebookfacebook.com/1XxceejayxX9
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-black-arts-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Black Arts