Small companies face distinctive challenges relating to development and scaling. From deciding which tasks to tackle and the place to focus funding, to experiencing new situations and onboarding new workers regularly, it may be quite a bit to navigate. However with the appropriate methods and instruments in place, it’s attainable to thrive.
One enterprise that has skilled distinctive development during the last 4 years is Fantasy Studio, a London primarily based artistic company that produces explainer movies, movement graphics, 3D animation, and company communications. Launched through the pandemic, Fantasy Studio grew from two to 9 full time staffers within the house of 18 months, whereas working with a few of the most recognisable international manufacturers.
There are key components to this pace of success. That’s why, Jimmy Gordon, Fantasy Studio’s Enterprise Partnerships Director, has shared his insights into the company’s enterprise story, greatest practices, and what it takes to develop a small enterprise in immediately’s aggressive market.
Are you able to inform us a bit about Fantasy Studio’s origin story?
Our founder, James Finley, was an skilled freelancer however all the time had the ambition to begin a studio. Fantasy Studio emerged after he had constructed the connections and gained the mandatory expertise. Beginning out in 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, the early days had been powerful with numerous uncertainty – as with all new artistic company – however we knew we had the experience to succeed, and we’ve been rising ever since.
What was it like launching through the pandemic? What challenges and alternatives did you encounter?
Wanting again, the pandemic was the right time to launch. The shortage of stay movie meant the demand for animation and movement graphics accelerated. On the identical time, there was additionally the large shift in the direction of distant working. As a result of we had been simply beginning out, it meant that working collaboratively and remotely – and having the tech stack in place to take action globally – was in-built from day one as a substitute of getting to adapt from conventional processes. Working on this method from day one, and utilizing instruments like Dropbox, has lowered the barrier of entry and allowed us to maneuver extra rapidly.
Who was your first main shopper? And what classes did you be taught from that have you can share with others enthusiastic about having an analogous trajectory?
Our first main shopper was working with a long-standing associate of ours now, Revolt, to work on a challenge for Budweiser which was to be proven at Cannes Competition. It got here out of the blue from our freelancing connections, and we truly nearly turned it down as a result of the two- week turnaround time was going to be a real all-hands-on-deck scenario.
However we knew we couldn’t say no to a model like that on our portfolio, so we jumped in. It was a loopy couple of weeks, however we delivered, thanks in no small half to Dropbox, which enabled us to collaborate at pace throughout areas. My largest recommendation can be to take dangers and say sure to alternatives outdoors your consolation zone. You be taught quite a bit and may spot alternatives and areas to strengthen your corporation.
How has the way in which the crew collaborates, and work collectively modified with the company’s development?
As a studio, we deliver numerous character and instinct into every thing we do and are continually assessing our methods of working to retain that. It’s an ongoing cycle of enchancment round our methods and processes and we’re all the time experimenting with collaborative instruments to make sure we’re utilizing what’s greatest. Notably concerning safety and effectivity, as a result of issues like encryption and storage ranges are paramount when working with larger manufacturers.
What’s that like incorporating freelancers into your crew’s present constructions and workflows?
Working with freelancers has been a very key a part of our development technique. If you’ve acquired a giant challenge that comes on, and possibly the scope is a bit larger than you thought it could be, you may need to double the crew dimension. That’s why we determined to reinforce the work of our 9 full-time staffers with a large community of extremely expert freelancers, so we will be versatile in how we ramp up our creativity with further help.
However clearly, freelancers use totally different methods they usually every work otherwise to at least one one other – and to ensure that this to work, individuals have to be built-in amongst the crew and everyone must be singing from the identical hymn sheet. So, we needed to make adjustments to how we work. We now have an excellent stream for onboarding in place that components within the want for safety. You possibly can’t simply share every thing when working with bigger firms, in any case!
That was the primary motive we migrated to Dropbox Enterprise. Now we are able to management folder permissions and add two-factor authentication on shared folders. Dropbox Seize additionally permits us to create a video archive of our processes for onboarding freelancers and new crew members so organising is a way more seamless expertise.
From transient to remaining product, how do you’re employed collectively as a crew and with the shopper?
We got down to make every thing as streamlined as attainable from the outset, and we embrace the shopper in that.
It begins with leaping on a briefing name to scope out the challenge. After following up with notes from the decision to make sure nothing has been misplaced in translation, we then begin collaborating to place collectively a proposal to ship to the shopper.
As soon as the challenge kicks off, we’ll arrange a Slack channel together with the shopper for simple comms. If utilizing freelancers, they’ll be onboarded onto our Dropbox, too. When it comes to challenge phases, these can differ, however it often begins with creating type frames and movement assessments earlier than transferring into storyboarding after which manufacturing. Including and receiving suggestions is essential right here, which is why we use Dropbox Replay for suggestions on our video content material as a result of it’s tremendous straightforward for shopper stakeholders to leap in and supply suggestions on a frame-by-frame foundation and to check iterations facet by facet.
With individuals working throughout numerous areas, quite than sharing a display and risking speaking by way of a movie which everyone knows can lag, everybody concerned can leap into their very own model and all watch on the identical time. Organised model management and integrations with different modifying instruments imply that Replay additionally allows us to show round content material and log off remaining variations sooner.
Lastly, we’ll all the time use Dropbox Switch for sending remaining deliverables for a fast, straightforward {and professional} trying packaged appear and feel.
Have you ever needed to develop your working practices over time for collaborating with worldwide shoppers? What suggestions do you’ve gotten for others seeking to increase their model and shopper base internationally?
Two phrases: collaborative instruments. Working between time zones will be useful. For instance, with the US, you possibly can ship a movie at finish of day our time, the shopper evaluations it in a single day our time, and we are able to leap in to amend the following day. However having the appropriate instruments to ensure issues don’t get missed is so essential right here. It’s why Replay (certainly one of our producers’ favorite instruments) are key. It permits a number of individuals so as to add suggestions neatly and precisely in a single place.
Whether or not working with worldwide or native shoppers, it’s about eradicating friction so everybody can give attention to the work that issues quite than losing time on admin. Whether or not that’s Slack as a substitute of lengthy electronic mail chains, Google Meet for tremendous fast name hyperlinks, or Replay to take away any ambiguity on suggestions on movies because of timestamps and annotated feedback.
Do you’ve gotten any remaining recommendation to different SMBs and inventive companies seeking to speed up their development?
It’s all about relationships. Folks like working with good individuals who do good work, and to have enjoyable – it provides them no motive to go elsewhere. Internally, it’s why now we have a studio in addition to distant work, to permit individuals the flexibleness to get collectively. From a development perspective, don’t be afraid to leverage the relationships you’ve gotten constructed. We’re proof that they open doorways.
Lastly, by no means underestimate the facility of arming your individuals with the appropriate know-how. By having the appropriate instruments of their palms, our persons are in a position to execute business-defining work, with out having to be in the identical room or on the identical time zone.
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