Like any business there are going to be positives and negatives, good days and bad. So how do you know if the studio is a potential soul sucker or if it's just one persons bad experience?
Running a great, efficient and productive studio takes a lot more than just winning great projects and having some snappy PR. Well, what does it take I hear you say.
- A strong team of artists
- A strong, knowledgable management team
- Excellent internal communication
- Tools to get the job done
- A strong company spirit and positive morale
- Goals, plans and structure
The staff you employ are your sole reason for existence. Without them, there would be no company.
Freelancing and moving from studio to studio is often the nature of the industry. Artists who have been in the biz for a few years come with a wealth of knowledge. Knowledge of how other studios are run, what they pay, how they manage their team etc and they will compare. Some studios are lucky enough to be able to hold onto most of their staff on a permanent basis but those studios who have a higher turnover of staff need to be aware. Your contracted artists will judge the workplace and when it's time to move on to the next studio they will have made up their mind about your studio. Would they return or not? If somebody asked them about the company what would they say?
Management is key. The artists need to be managed and have structure in their workday. Managers in this industry need to be qualified in their area of expertise and need to be aware of what is happening on the floor. A manager who sits in an office all day scheduling artists from an excel sheet on their pre-determinded schedule isn't going to be as effective as a manager who is out on the floor, looking at work and talking to artists about deadlines etc. Active managers make great managers. Managers who know what they're talking about make great managers. Why or how are you a Compositing Supervisor if you have never used Nuke or After Effects before?
Communication is so important. And sharing information is important. Managers need to have great communication skills, that is/should be part of the criteria. And it needs to be efficient and effective. If an artist gets notes on a shot, what are they and why? If a team needs to work overtime, why? If shots are getting re-assigned or there's some shot/ project shuffling, why? Communication is the foundation for relationship building. So communicate with your team and within your team. Take the time to find out what they did on the weekend and how their work is progressing.
Tools are needed to do the work. Having three floating licenses for ten artists doesn't work. At the end of the day it's not saving money because time is wasted and employees are frustrated. Provide the necessary tools for every employee.
A strong company structure and spirit is important to employees. All of the above points are the building blocks for strong structure and spirit. Team morale is so important. If one employee feels like he is the only one suffering then it will have a huge impact on their work, their personality and their overall experience. Taking the time to have team meetings boosts morale, something as simple as a 10 minute team chat in the morning. Trust is important. If your employees trust their manager they will open up to them, informing on any issues etc and then they can be addressed faster. There are so many ways to boost morale that cost nothing. Communication and strong relationships are at the top.
Ways to build strong workplace relationships and communication -
- Talk to your team. More walk-arounds, more small team meetings. Always keep them informed.
- Provide and suggest opportunities for team socializing (new employee lunches, sending out 'whats on this weekend' emails, team dailies). Provide ways to the team to communicate within work hours.
- Take the time to know your team. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Schedule shots accordingly. Provide constructive feedback.
- Provide ways for artists to be creative (Poster designing competitions for the new project you just won).
Company goals, plans and structures are important otherwise people run around in circles and get frustrated. Artists need deadlines and a well structured and planned project. You need to plan out their week for them. Keep them informed of upcoming shots so there's no surprises. Managers need to know company goals and plans so they can adhere to them. If there is no structure for management then they'll run it however they want, possibly in the opposite direction to what the company vision is.
Your studio depends on the artists that you hire and if word has spread that you are running a not-so-great studio then your potential talent pool is going to be small. Flashy events and PR stints aren't going to save you. You need to start at the root and build structure and communication. It may seem like a lot of work but small, gradual steps will reap big, positive and effective changes and results.
Here's some more great posts to back me up and provide some more ideas and information -
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-hardman/best-companies-to-work-for_b_2287193.html
- http://lifehacker.com/5988849/how-to-turn-your-hellhole-of-a-company-into-a-great-place-to-work
- http://jeffhilimire.com/2011/09/12-characteristics-of-a-great-place-to-work/
- http://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-10-characteristics-great-workplace-11226.html
