Week 4 - 2024
Another extremely productive week from the team, and great client feedback across all of our live campaigns. It’s so joyful to start the year in such a positive place, where I can feel that the team is really motivated and delivering on key objectives. This is the strongest Q1 we have had in a long time (in terms of productivity and profitability) and I hope that we carry this on throughout the rest of the year 🤞
I’m also finding a greater work/life balance at the moment, and prioritizing family time on weekends (aside from writing this quick blog!). From a mental health point of view, when my team is thriving, and our clients are happy, it’s easier for me to calm my anxiety pressures. I’m also trying to bring back some of my key mood boosters, like a swim on the roof on Wednesday morning, the best start to the day. See below a few of the weekly wins over the past few days.
✅ Really positive feedback from Dogwoof on the campaign building for COPA 71 (in cinemas March 8th)
We are thrilled to be working with our friends at Dogwoof to increase audience engagement around the release of Rachel Ramsay’s COPA 71, which hits UK cinemas on the 8th of March (International Women’s Day). Due to Dan (my husband) being the Brand Manager for QPR and JP (our Head of Marketing + Partnerships) being a massive Spurs fan, we have a great understanding of how a campaign driven by the football community could thrive. JP has been bossing this campaign already, getting strong engagement from leading WSL clubs, and we have an awesome grassroots strategy about to launch for all those who play in local leagues to get involved.
Our marketing team has identified hundreds of prospects across the country mapped against the key sites that will open the film and engaged leading names to show up on the opening weekend. The reason this features this week is due to the incredible feedback we are getting from the Dogwoof team each week when we send our updates. They can see we are putting a massive amount of effort towards this project, and it’s getting strong results. I think it’s important to celebrate the wins mid-campaign whilst the momentum is building. Take a look at the teaser below, with new assets dropping very soon!
✅ Great consultation with a well-known producer
I really enjoy running consultations with clients where I can combine our expertise across impact, marketing, fundraising and communications to present a roadmap for action. This week I had a session with a very well-known Producer about a personal philanthropic project he was building (a combination of tech + social service). We discussed the mission and objectives of the new organization, how funding could be structured, and which targets he could approach. I reviewed upcoming deadlines and average funding commitments so he could get a sense of the potential opportunities for support. It’s great when we can identify perfect-fit funders and provide a pathway to applications. We obviously can’t sit in on the board meeting to give the greenlight (!), however we can point out clients in the right direction to start building funder interest.
A big part of the project is changing perceptions of a key issue, this would involve a marketing + communications strategy wrapped around a series of short films in production. The combination of short-form content in collaboration with some well-placed national media stories could give a huge boost to the launch of this campaign.
I left the session feeling inspired by the ambition of what he was building and the excitement he felt around the advice provided. We remind ourselves frequently, that our role isn’t to know everything, but just to know at least 1 thing that will guide our clients in the right direction. He was left feeling extremely motivated around the new funding opportunities and marketing activations. Once the project is live to the public, I will make sure to share here.
✅ Brilliant 1:1’s with all of my senior team
At Together Films, I have a monthly 1:1 with my direct reports (5 people), and each line manager also has a 1:1 with their direct reports. We used to do this informally, and now it is a crucial part of our structure to ensure that our team is operating in the best way possible. Having only recently returned to having meetings in the office (now that I can leave Ava at home with my husband), it was wonderful to do most of these in person this month. I was shocked by how much the team had managed to achieve in the first month of the year, and how well they were all feeling. As someone who is quite open about living with anxiety, building in moments for mental health check-ins with my team has been so important to ensure that they all feel supported. In addition to these monthly sessions, we have a weekly all-team meeting, and every department has daily huddles to keep in check. Every session is minuted so we can follow up on personal and professional development tasks.
Here’s an outline of how we structure them in case you are considering implementing within your team:
Mental & Physical Health - The question is literally phrased as “How is your mental and physical health, is there anything you want or need to discuss this month” - this is such a better prompt than just “How are you?” and leads to more honest answers. If a team member is feeling overwhelmed we should identify why and see if we can delegate tasks. If someone is feeling pressure from a client leading to anxiety, we should assess why that is and find a solution. If something personal has happened at home that could be affecting their concentration it’s good to know so we can add some extra time to a project or deliverable.
3+ Key wins - Each team member has to vocalize at least 3 things that have gone well that month. This could be big milestones or small tasks. This helps put each person in a positive mindset and reminds them of the strengths of their role. This month ranged from project management improvements, improved response times to new biz inquiries, and improved cash flow forecasting. Sometimes it could be as simple as feeling confident in a team meeting and sharing your ideas.
KPIs and Objectives - Each person has KPIs within their specific roles, leading up to their department goals. This could be around sales revenue figures, accuracy of reports, or client referral rates. Each month we review if the KPI is still on target and discuss the evidence of this. It’s important to always link KPIs to evidence-based reporting (e.g. value of invoices, a client referral form completion), so that you can understand if you are improving. Rather than just saying something like “improve cash flow”, instead pick a SMART goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Measurable being the most important word here!
Personal Development Goals - Aside from company KPIs, we then also discuss any personal goals that the person may have. As helping the individual to improve will ultimately help the business to thrive too. Find out about their personal passions and see how you can support those as much as possible.
Career Development Goals - We discuss where they see themselves in 3-5 years, and sometimes the honest answer might be doing a very different job (one of my team eventually wants to be a screenwriter!). This is great. They have an ambition to thrive and see this role as a great learning opportunity. For others, it’s linked to the personal growth of their department and smashing their sales figures, they are entrepreneurs within the business who will help you grow. Each of my team has a personal development budget that they can use to increase their skills, which they can choose how to use. Examples of spending here include an Odeon cinema pass so they can watch more new films on release to get a sense of filmmaking outside of our bubble; attendance at a film festival or conference of their choosing and costs associated with a training program.
If you aren’t yet doing structured 1:1s with your team, I highly recommend you implement something like the above asap. Even if you are a small team of 4 people, you will see positive increases each month. Get started now!