Fashion Photography Studio and Styling Services Commercial Lead

Ananse is pioneering Africa’s first integrated fashion hubs, a vibrant ecosystem where creatives and artisans come to learn, create, and grow. Located in Johannesburg, Lagos and Accra are purpose-built creative and technical spaces where African fashion entrepreneurs can access high-impact training, cutting-edge production tools, professional studios, and world-class industrial equipment. We are a one-stop shop for fashion innovation, offering training masterclasses, sample development services, equipment rental, and dynamic studio and production spaces.

The Fashion Photography Studio and Styling Services Commercial Lead will spearhead the growth and monetisation of the Ananse Studio in Johannesburg. This role is responsible for driving B2B and retail sales, building strategic partnerships, overseeing studio administration, and positioning the studio as the leading commercial fashion photography and styling hub for brands, SMEs, agencies, and creators. The ideal candidate is a commercially minded professional with proven experience in sales, partnerships, and creative business development, with a strong understanding of fashion styling and photography services.

• Generate a strong and consistent pipeline of external paying clients for the studio.
• Promote Ananse Studios as a premier content production hub for brands, SMEs, agencies, and creators in Johannesburg.
• Implement revenue-focused campaigns to drive awareness, adoption, and bookings.
• Identify and develop monetisation opportunities beyond Ananse merchants, including studio hire, content packages, styling services, and partnerships.
• Build and manage relationships with brands, agencies, fashion houses, content creators, and SMEs.
• Refine and communicate the studio’s value proposition to position it as the preferred commercial photography and podcast studio in the market.
• Convert client enquiries into confirmed bookings and paid shoots.
• Negotiate pricing packages and commercial terms with a revenue-first mindset.

• B2B Sales: Drive ecommerce-focused shoots for SMEs who wish to trade online, enabling them to create high-quality product content.
• Retail Sales: Promote studio services directly to individual clients, fashion houses, and creative professionals.
• Actively sell studio services through outbound outreach, partnerships, and referrals.
• Build local partnerships with creative agencies, PR firms, marketing teams, and fashion brands to drive recurring bookings.
• Design partnership offers and retainer models that generate predictable monthly revenue.
• Represent the studio at industry events, networking sessions, and client meetings.
• Track leads, conversions, and client acquisition performance.

• Develop clear, market-driven pricing for studio hire, photography packages, podcast production, styling services, and add-ons.
• Monitor revenue performance against targets and identify growth opportunities.
• Analyse sales and booking patterns to optimise pricing packages and commercial offers.
• Prepare regular performance reports covering revenue performance, client acquisition, and growth opportunities.
• Oversee day-to-day studio operations, ensuring smooth scheduling, client management, and resource allocation.
• Manage bookings, contracts, invoicing, and payment tracking.
• Coordinate with photographers, stylists, and technical staff to deliver seamless client experiences.
• Maintain studio equipment, facilities, and supplies to ensure professional standards.
• Implement efficient administrative processes to support commercial growth.

• Bachelor’s degree or Diploma in Business, Photography, Multimedia, Marketing, Creative Industries, or a relevant discipline.
• Proven experience in sales, commercial operations, agency, or creative business development.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
• Strong understanding of monetising creative services and physical assets.
• Established local networks within fashion, creative, media, or SME ecosystems.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Highly commercial mindset with strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work independently with full ownership of outcomes.
• Willingness to work outside of normal working hours.

Ananse is a dynamic start-up ecommerce platform that connects consumers from around the with fashion designers and artisans from across the African continent. Our end-to-end payments and logistics solution provides a valuable plug-and-play ecommerce service to creative entrepreneurs in Africa, enabling them to trade globally. We are passionate about empowering African fashion entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. Join our team of talented professionals who are dedicated to making a difference.

We offer a collaborative work environment that encourages innovation and creativity, as well as opportunities for professional growth and development.