Well let's start with this
Imagine you’re an agency owner. You’re dealing with client deadlines, last-minute changes to briefs, and the stress of getting new business.
Maybe you’re thinking back to those late nights when you first started, the extra work you put in to get off the ground, and the assumption that your team were along for the ride.
In these moments, it’s easy to forget how your team feels. But, they also put the work in, aim for deadlines, and try to perform. Sometimes, this pressure adds up.
Creatives aren’t drones. Making great visuals is more than just showing up and following briefs. It’s about adding personality, seeking inspiration, and being daring. It’s about wanting to find a way, even when one isn’t obvious.
Miserable teams won’t do this – but that’s where the real value for your clients lies. Everyone works better when they’re happy, but creative roles need this more than anyone.
So, how do you make a happy team?
Beyond the brief
Most businesses keep their employees happy with benefits, bonuses, and time off. It’s the same for agencies, but we’ve found that other things matter, too.
Digital, design and video projects all have potential beyond the brief. Giving creatives space to tap into this potential isn’t just a way to overdeliver; it’s a way of championing your team.
People are happier when they work on something they’ve taken ownership of. Letting your team say what they think and show off their skills makes them more invested in each project.
While it's true that there isn’t necessarily a right way of doing things, some ways are better than others. The more people take responsibility for a project, the more likely you are to land on something that reaches the exceptional.
A unified approach
Giving your employees creative freedom isn’t the same ashanding the reins over. It’s about collaborating to find a solution andtrusting in your team to achieve it.
For example, during peak COVID, Amazon asked us if we couldfilm 122 videos in ten days. After some collaboration, we developed anexperimental plan of using many micro teams to film and produce thecontent.
Each team worked independently to reach that magic number and we achieved the overall target number of videos collectively.
It was a system based on a unified idea and a unified team, but ultimately, hinged on each employee's technical and creative abilities.
From the original problems of a stringent deadline and ongoing COVID restrictions, our team was to innovate and push the limits of what is possible.
Many Makers
Clients appreciate it when you overdeliver, so you need your team to want to overdeliver.
At Many Makers, our team go above and beyond to make projects exceptional:
- We climbed mountains to film at sub-zero temperatures.
- We’ve built sky-high floating cinemas.
- Two of our self-shooting PDs even spent three days camping on the Isle of Lundy to help BT showcase their broadband service.
But all of this depends on our team wanting to do these things. It sounds obvious, but otherwise, they wouldn’t do it.
