Podcast | Evo Gaming – The Art Of Art Management

This is the evolution exchange podcast a channel that connects some of the most successful technical leaders in the Nordic region.I Monday, I help connect businesses with the best ux and UI freelancer talent.And today I’m your host, welcome to another installment of the evolution exchange podcast.

Today we’re going to be talking about the art of our management and this is another episode in the series of our Bart management.And we’ve got some great guests today with us.Obviously each gas has provided some questions that we’re going to talk through, but before we get into that, we Going to kick off with a round of introductions.

So first of all and say, please, can you introduce yourself.Oh yeah.Good to meet you.And see everyone here, Andy, I’m Anthony or Donald art director at the treaty.Limited coconut lizard.Both are part of the keywords Studios groups or focused on code Development.I’ve been in the industry since 2007.

So it’s about 16 years coming up this year, I’ve worked on a variety of games in many roles mainly art including Driveclub the MotorStorm series from Lego games and more recently.Alan Wake remastered and also some unreleased viewer titles.

Originally studied classic animation was an aspiring comic artist in my teens and early twenties before eventually finding my path into games.And for me, the attraction with games is the both Technical and creative aspects of it, which I quite enjoy.

And have the elements interact to produce the experiences.We all play.That’s me.I’ll pass it over to, and he’s amazing.Thank you very much.I’m ready to Hextall.I’m an art director.Director and producer.Yay!Both that four cents, goes to use small in this studio.In the UK, we make horror titles and we do Outsourcing for other in the Studio’s, sometimes for Bigger Productions as well.

Most of my experience has been and Outsourcing so far or other freelancer on my own before that.And yeah, there isn’t actually too much.I can talk about, that’s not all rated, but there’s no.Oh, but yeah, if we’re going back to Anthony my passion mostly comes from making things look very Very detailed.

Oh honestly.But I was speaking out to be a texture artist.So yeah, that’s perfect.Thank you.Yeah.Thank you very much Lisa.Yeah.Leo me to town.Yeah.So Louis with few minutes I’m a Colombian national being the UK treble short of 20 years.

And I work for this company called natural motion at that.Belongs to a not bigger company, that’s called Zynga.Then be be lots of a much bigger company.A to are we sitting up recently acquired?Yeah, just going to make did I’m with all the experience of and be known by a match, the accompanied by so far, so good.

I’m a graphic designer up by trait, but then when I came to the UK, did my Master’s you games and what now and they began my journey, Sr, a character artist, and then life happens, and then I found out environments and their wedding love with the back that it far more difficult to make and actually get to own them.

And so I developed a lot of skills throughout, but one of my me, Passions right now is nurturing people, making sure they are and they have all the skills looked after and you know out my I would say that my I specialize on making sure that the team has the right skills for the right moment.

Everything is planned that no one does and over time or everything has to be just like looked after.So I really like that aspect of my job at the moment, as well as always, they just and dealing with the vision and making sure the operators for the project always.Looked after and yet that’s being as brilliant as by all very much, all right?

Yeah, thank you all for your introductions.Well, let’s get into it.So Anthony over to you for the first question of if thank you.And so my question came about to to the recent shift over of say recent Frost has been probably a couple of years for most but the games coming out would be put in the last year for the ninth generation.

So as that’s happened, the team sizes have grown, the complexities of these titles have grown and myself being in Coal development.There’s been a shift to most Studios now.In that kind of set up where you have multiple art directors, running the studios or the project.

So with that said, are you honey you had experience with working on projects with that setup multiple art directors and if so what are your thoughts right question?Yeah yeah no but I’ve been in my take on it.Yep.So for me I mean I think about this quite a bit and as the res mentioned areas like thinking about the team and well-being and how it all functions and how we can all collaborate together to kind of produce something, which is quite complex and it Often the case is big, if you’re going into the AAA side of it in terms of the amount of content.

So for me, the larger projects is the workload and keeping on top of it and the various different streams of work, is becoming a bit untenable for like a singular art director, whose needs to be the vision holder, you need to be kind of Silent everything off.You need to be watching the various disciplines like characters.

It’s a Vehicles weapons environments, lighting concept art and also the interdepartmental communication as well.So with like design programming QA production and everyone else who’s involved so I just find like no single human being anymore.

Can kind of tackle all these things even on a smaller scale project can be quite a lot to do.So for me it’s just a matter meetings up.Reduces the quality of work and kind of looking over that work is where it kind of came about to seeing a lot of Studios now and you look at the credits of games do have departmental or a tractors now which is kind of echoing what the kind of movie industry.

Does so yeah, I think it’s an interesting change from what we normally used to the industry.Heading, that way means the needs to be more people in these roles, more people kind of stepping up to become our directors, which are finding as we kind of note on the call earlier, on the conversation that with Anita Louise, some self, we all kind of end up coming from a treaty background which is kind of unusual at the moment for our tractors.

That mainly used to be a case about 5-10 years ago, when they all come from the concept art background because was very much about Final image, very much about the quality of that and how it looks in terms of composition and color and the suitability to John and the game being produced.But now it’s getting so difficult to execute on that Vision to have every Department kind of working in unison to get their element, whether it’s environments, characters, whatever.

Maybe to kind of stick to the style stick their technical guidelines.Make sure it runs like 60 or 120 FPS.That’s kind of the challenge.These days is to manage all these different streams at once.So, in my personal experience being cold, Over the last couple years, I’ve kind of learned a lot about collaboration other art directors, because there’s a Code of art director, the difference being with the main product or game art Direction team would be.

We are either helping and supporting to produce something.So in terms of collaboration were very collaborative and you need to be because you can input on the vision what you’re doing.You don’t have input on the kind of bigger overarching direction of the game.So it’s been quite an experience working in that discipline where previously I have actually are directed on projects or so.

The art director also has more control of the vision side of it.So relinquishing, some of that then try to achieve someone else’s someone else’s Vision.Has definitely changed my viewpoint on where this kind of role is and what this role means going forward into ninth generation and Beyond so I can leave the door open if anybody else wants to input that bum.

So my own experience working with multiple departments, are other, a kiss was obviously an Outsourcing because we’re only eight people full time.There was two out there.X would be a bit weird.So, first time, it was really, really Positive experience because the feedback loops tend to be a lot tighter because they have more time to actually spend on their area of expertise and said to be more know-how, as well.

As of the free back, you get tends to be deeper than if you had an overlap director because obviously has to be more generalized, their knowledge.That was actually really positive for us, but if I’m thinking about it in an internal perspective, it really, really depends on how your hard work is a structured and how much autonomy your department 80s have because it can be Very helpful for a team will be very detrimental.

Depending on how much overhead you add life using those extra positions?Yeah, I think I agree with them.I think it really does depend on TV team sighs, I’m running Barman, artifacts.And obviously the ideal ones we all have autonomy.And, you know, we’ve really do care about each department and it’s also just giving us that sense of progression as well because the company empowers people, then you develop that sort of sentiment towards the contents.

Well, the property bb5 did.But and it’s a very interesting question because it really does depend on the size of the team.What the thing called shelved, a specific company is and couldn’t that hypothetically, speaking could end up, pop it off project our director.

But on the other hand, you’ve been empowered, you allowing that project.Our director to really care about are these teams.Meeting The Operators are these themes being looked.After I am, I thinking about what is going to And in the next year or two years, what is the vision of whatever project on work?

So that’s the plastic self-empowerment.The project ad will have, whereas inner Us in this department.We really we just like take his vision and then make ours.And again, you know, if we are being accountable for that vision and we obey to those are pillars of the project cast, and it works, it works a treat, no one knows best and our departments, and our us.

So very often know in the past, you will see our directors commenting on and Promenade and they will just come up with these.These are ideas or how things you’d like or even things.Like I remember on how the roads are coming and explaining what normal markzware.

And I was like, you could have been disrespectful.Still want to Infinity.Yes, that’s the basic.But it’s that sort of thinking where you know, for that old school day the other it just one person.Capable of being a just everywhere.

I know exactly everything I.Yeah, I don’t, I don’t agree with that sir vision.And I think what we see in in the reason he is, it’s an evolution just like anything and things have to evolve just like, AI, for example, now is also a big part of us.

See ya.So we do need to use never understand how it works with that your signal to be far more efficient.And I think that’s what they after at, what is the efficient way to deal with team?Eames biggest cared about people and comes to actually have a question for you because you to work on bigger teams and I usually do.

I’m not, is you just said that, give me dating vision from the main art director to the sub all directors.Basically, that’s already quite hard to get exactly correct from creative director to art director.All right.So how would you guys ensure that that actually works down the chain that doesn’t get diluted because that seems like a really hard thing to master and needs to like the kind of perpetuates need for even stricter style guide.

Even these.Everything is be more.Regular Mentor.I mean, sorry, I’m just gotta jump on this because I’m quite passionate about it and I think it’s all about communication with honesty and transparency from day.One things are set in a project in where this game is going to be stylized and we all chip in on and we believe that that is the start of the game and, you know, nobody at the end of that.

So I don’t know, I actually won a realistic one.Well done.And that, it’s just purely because the vision is always been there.Now is, this is Is really easy to say about how do you pass all the information constant?And I think from from my point of view, it’s about making sure that our input in regards to environments.

For example, it’s always there.It’s always, everyone is aware of what we doing this all.There’s no question of like, when are the environments going to learn or, you know, when is this Feature Feature gonna be able to know I’m always putting stuff out there for people to know?

The part of the transparency.Now with honesty is about just like when you get random vision is always like it’s not just honestly from from my side or from our side or also from the, a decide all stakeholders in web, we are welcome to keep our opinion and as long as that there is that transaction.

Then I think that’s where it’s making us show that we always on the same page.And I so far, I haven’t found really a big surprise in my years of experience with With this company.And as another Vector now I have, this is just it just by his how the team behaves it’s all about culture.

I mean, favorite is, if there is an internal good culture, then things work.If not then that’s where team have to start when working on that subject.I don’t know how you feel about something look here for me.You had a lot of good points there because I think the honesty and the communication with the teams are about for this and then that transaction you mentioned with the collaboration with either the project 80 or stakeholders or whatever it might be.

Because in Coal development that we come up against the lot is We on board on a project.We try to put the polar driver art directors or leadership team straight into meetings with the everyone on the team.So they present their idea in answer to this question directly to the team.

So we’re not actually putting those Gates or levels in there.So we give the access to the right, all the team to these create blades.They will present their vision of the project.What is important to them in terms of the different visual motifs?Or ideas you have to hate her shape language or whatever might be.

And the team will get to hear that the one-to-one level.So then when they’re creative leads, go back wherever work, they’re doing, I think my job then becomes a almost intermediary between the creative Direction team and my team internally where I, then we’ll assess the work and make sure that we’re actually hitting all the notes required, whether it be technical or creative to make sure we’re actually heading that Vision.

But as often happens with games, when you work with teams for months and months, Stuff changes Direction, shifts, for whatever reasons Market forces or Trends or whatever might happen.So it’s always having that open to a conversation between ourselves and the client that as that begins to shift.

We need them to tell us all this is changing.Now, this is why so we can properly understand it to then get that into a work and make sure we’re following the same path.They are.So the only time it will break down is if those Communications breakdown, pretty much.And how do you find it an 8 on your side?What kind of a smaller team but you actually setting the vision yourself or you NG with, like a design director, or the direct creative directors for like the overall Creative Vision.

Obviously, I work with the other directors that I found a company with well because we obviously initially set everything up together.We came up with the idea together how it is in a start-up, right?So obviously I’m specialist at know that audio.I’m not gonna dictate to them what they’re gonna do and we’re programmers, may know what they do best game design, right?

So when it comes to everything out, yes, that is all me all the time.Which is very toxic but better removal Ding and you actually get a lot of chances to be very Hands-On with your artist.So yeah, I would say it’s easier but it’s more work intense and places.

At least from how I can gauge it.When it comes to Outsourcing, you kind of have to say as when you have a CD and the sup baby, right?Because if they want art direction from us, then that’s great.But most times they have their own art director so I’m just enforcing their guidelines with our team.Let me have those care pillars is one of the other things as well.

If people can distill and the project owners, what the idea is for the game, most important and makes it unique and unique to that, that’s what really helps to kind of rally the team behind because sometimes you don’t have that benefit of that and that’s when it can create a lot of kind of opinions or people trying to things in the mix.

It’s actually you think would code of, I know Outsourcing oftentimes you were from The Climb doesn’t have a vision and you kind of have to find out what they actually want by just talking to them.So the same code of or is that more organized and Depends.Clients, right?Like anything out for changes.

Very often.Do we meet a client chatter them figure out how they’ve set up their teams who’s in charge of which department?Did in what way, figure out what the vision is true, all the different pitches and onboarding that happens.But after that, yeah, you can have discussion points with them to kind of solve it.

So if they don’t have their art Direction, you can then look at like the look of the genre, the market positioning comparative analysis were competitors, and kind of see and help them guide them to what that Vision might be.So, there is always As opportunities with code of to that also.But it depends on the client sometimes come in with very solid Vision, which is just great.

You’re like, okay, that’s brilliant.We understand it.We really like it and as Lisa, same his team, you then, just grab it on it and run with it and work within the confines of what that might be.And I find it’s just great to have it sometimes because it’s I often prefer having a stronger attraction that’s challenging me as a creative as opposed to nothing which leaves me floundering and having every option under the sky available to me in that actually I think is worse in the end so everyone should agree.

That’s him.The big job, the art director is very quickly to setting like this is the style, this is the genre, this is what we’re doing.It might not be perfect, it might not be the right thing, but we create this box now.And then through the phases of production, you explore and it will change and never I’ve never seen a project in my 16 years.

Begin with a pitch an idea and somehow come out exactly the same at the end it just it never happens.I mean if it ever has happened to someone, can correct me or send me something online to go look.Here’s an example.I’d love to see it, but it’s just a natural process.Desecration and Eeveelution iteration that it does shift and change for many, many reasons.

But I think with the original question were having so many art directors involved in creatives, it’s just keeping that aligned and make sure that everyone’s kind of singing from the same hymn sheet, whether its design directors game.Directors, art directors, everyone are all roughly heading in the same with the same tall and in the same idea and it’s also just like if you get people on it doesn’t have to be just as they hold.

As a wife on the rectus everyone, you get absolutely everyone who’s back their opinions and you really communicate with transparency, The, and you want to, obviously there has to be a high Rockies, has to be sewn on, making the call, I didn’t know that, but when people never really listened to, and they can give their opinions, it doesn’t really matter.

If you choose an opinion, it just stays there.But as long as they are happy that they care of their opinion, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that those pillars that were set, it refers to are always lived after and you always referring back to those videos and send that right?Is this what you’ve done talking to that opinion and that buildup Could be are not.

Dramatic light.Is it dramatic enough?No, it’s not.All right.Well, XML opinion that you’ve got, but it’s not talking to the operator.And that is kind of, like, the way to sort of edit those comments.I bought the way up seeing so far.So really good, really good question to kick us off with an initial.

Thank you very much for that and some, some brilliant input as well.So yeah, we’ll move on to the next question.Now, that’s going to come from an Anita.So I need to oversee.Yeah, so my last ties back into that, but it’s more about what your should you want in the thick of it.Sir.You know, in pre-production, you sit down, you plan everything, very neatly, and then you go to block, sure, everything’s to change, right?

So what do you actually do and what tools do you use to give you and your team that time to replan rethink and actually manage the project to keep that on course or course?Correct while you’re already working on it.Full force really good question, go on Louise.

Now I’m just trying to think about it as you know what?If I don’t need to do know part since I’m at it and I think he is, it’s an excellent question, but to be honest because nothing’s set in stone, and if you watch how boring, this world would be, everything has to change.

Every has to to evolve them become better, or maybe not better, go somewhere, right?And I think didn’t meet those changes.It’s quite important but knowing how to deal with those changes in Elegance is far more important.Why I’m trying to say here is that as long as like this that and I understand, I’m finding myself repeating myself, And that over communication with everyone that seems especially with production and they know the risks all in advance.

Then you kind of like avoid those and a mistakes of others, you letting them cheap in into the creation progress, very often than not.I’ve seen people that believe that only because you are not, is means that no one else in the entire planet is creative and be very creative, all right?

You could be very created by coding, you can be very creative with whatever.And so when it comes to, when it comes to what is very important for them to understand, what are the impacts that you would doing today to the whole timeline?And if they are able to cheap in very early, they would understand the risks.

And when they suggest these changes, it’s always been in the back of a mind that they already know.We are asking the question, Baskin effect XYZ buying things have to happen, you know, things have to change, but at least that communication is in place.I’m going to change this country and they’ll understand.

Will be a few pain and the walk with you through the paint out without having this, and it just changed yet.See you later.So it’s about involvement and very often we speak about teams.But I’ve seen a throughout years of experience that I had no many things behave like Tim’s you know says that you know it’s not just the engineers here is not the aircraft recently is that Molly and take our bed knows, none of that, we all push him towards, you know, the success of on product.

So if we are doing That why I know behaving either.So it’s a little bit off arm and behavioral change that has to happen for these things to, to modify in regards to the tools we use and smash eats a lot.

We use obviously, all the stuff that is out that I love /, it’s because his head is quite graphical and it doesn’t help my isolate Excel does, but that is Count.Like the way it represents stuff in a way that I put all the risks everything that has to be seen and then eyes Pulled out a dashboard and the dashboard is taken by production and a very clearly.

Now on a daily basis where things are to be discovered in link towards mentioned earlier and when I was in about that communication with transparency it’s not just presenting to the team but he’s also just putting out the outputs of what is he where you are?It’s obvious demonstrating.

And you know what are the risk where things are going to learn?Everything has to be clear and even even if they are director who are they?They said that, I don’t know, just want to strip it all backwards while you call me because, you know, it’s the whole team that is pushing towards that direction and obviously that person needs is his driving and he afford is nice.

So then for my mmm experience of in, that’s how you would deal with that soft program, always with the mindset of like or you know, you guys know it.There’s always feedback.There’s no, that is, I mean, we can’t really marry ourselves to our work.It’s all That’s really good parts of his but thank you very much and so they do want to comment.

Yep, I definitely s the key production on board cause they are your friends in that kind of situation.And so that work at the treaty and obstacle is really, really good production team.And the same as we said, it’s constant communication and currently in transparency and honesty with them.But for me, I’m going to come at this question two different sides because for me, yes, when things we were the heat of it, you’re in full production full-scale momentum is full and the team has to stop whatever.

A reason whether it’s a direction change or production issues being hit or a problem.I don’t see.Take the tact of, don’t be afraid to down tools.And I’ve used this in the past where what happens with teams at a certain moment is when all the Panic starts to happen and everyone keeps asking for questions.And that kind of tension starts to build people start panicking.

And sometimes like the previous experience for having this kind of happened is literally everyone, just down tools right now, everyone just stop making everyone stopped at a store doing.Let’s all just get on a call and have a chat about it caused by Can a little bit of time out to kind of reflect on, what is the problem, how have we had it?

What can we do to fix it?What’s the safest path, out to figure out what the problem is tends to actually yield better results than lots of different conversations happening at different times.So, even though it seems counterintuitive to say entire team, stop it actually can be beneficial just for one day to do that or two days, whatever it might be to solve the core issue, properly, rather than Nedra panicking.

Which I’ve seen other people do a times and that candy Lead to further problems.Are you kind of plaster over the issue?And it comes back two months later, but the kind of CounterPoint to that issue, as I wouldn’t want to do that.It’s not my choice but you do it in that situation.But for me as an art director whenever I start a project or onboard on a project, my first thing every time is looking at are the pipeline’s fit for scale and production, do the yield, the technical results, we need to make it one in frame at the Target frame rate and resolution does it hit the technical bar visually?

Quality Bar for what is aspirational by the project as well.And it’s making sure that the early phases of production, you’ve done your due diligence with your kind of whatever you want to call it beautiful corners.Vertical slices one of everything’s there’s lots of names for this but if you get that stuff right early on you will mitigate a lot of problems later.

And if the have the foundational elements in place, if the direction changes, if all of a sudden you’ve to build two new environments or you scrap one and have to read back to it to something else.Really good place to do that because, you know, the foundation that was built as good.If you haven’t done that, you raise true pre-production just to get content in and make it look amazing and oppress people with this Gala work you’ve done, but it’s not all built for the technical spec as expected.

Did you set yourself up for having that problem later in production when you have to down tools and fix it?Basically, when that stuff set up, do I find most Productions tend to run and it’s usually just a deadline of how much polish and how much content you can get in is always the thing.You’re going to fight with during those, Phases.

But yeah, the kind of crops that is just take time out.Absolutely, if you need them tools, Don’t Panic, it’s probably the best thing to do.Thanks.I might was also quite do from the Bigger Productions.Because in Indy timelines, I would say shift a lot more because there’s funding changes.There’s white often personal changes where one of your key people get tied up by AAA studio and you like what do I do now?

I don’t have programmers anymore.So yeah, it’s a lot more volatile.I’m the only way.I’ve really found I can mitigate it is doing a as you said really.A job in pre-production.Do you risk logs to use for analysis to all of your contingency plans?Like a long long list?

Because at least then you have already have a few steps to take and you don’t need to panic.That’s really good Insight.I could be interesting to try the MD at one point, see what it’s like, but you’re definitely, if you have all that place and especially you just don’t know how many people on your team in terms of production or other people involved at the same level as yourself, but it’s getting them involved.

Also, to make sure other departments are aware and getting help if needed from Other departments because quite often we have a really good like strong leadership team that involves programmers producers artists and designers.So even if you’re stuck and it’s not our specific thing, and it could be a developmental team thing, there’s always people can go to and go actually need help and advice and support, and it’s just reaching out to people and not staying quiet about it as well, because sometimes you might have an issue on the art team specifically and then you kind of panicking.

Like, I can’t tell anyone, because that would be an issue is, I don’t be afraid, because most people are quite nice to receptive and Poland.Hopefully the industry touch wood.Everyone has kind of come across as being great and that respect.So yeah, reach out for help is definitely a thing that people should do more of and support each other.

Therefore my but I think the barrier to actually reaching out for help from different teams, much higher with what you work, as because we don’t have different teams, we have a team and if you need help, you ask one other team.I only expect more concrete if you need help from someone else, for example, freelancer because they might not be available for like six days a week.

So, It’s different.It is interesting here in the comparisons, between obviously, larger studio and an industry, also hear how you deal with the similar challenges but on a very different level.And you know, how are you both go about Latin different aspects.So it’s a part of this conversation, that’s quite liquid.

Looking forward to as anybody else, got anything else to add on that other?L question.And but Anthony was touching on something that was really interesting and it’s just that we see a lot when stakeholder say something and then person Below just mix a bigger and then breaks a big makes a big gambling disorder.

Some comes to the action, people are in on ground and then it sort of assign our problem.So now taking that very same example, to Williams and nothing is there is a problem and very often are not is simple just to go and talk to the person and then within minutes perhaps just come up with a solution but because sometimes they might not be that communication or they might be sort of like three-year-old know putting the problem out there.

Then it becomes that that issue and and that is, what is Noble?Just becomes huge.So yes, touching back on the initial subject, but making sure that everyone is on board and the Productions are young.Producers are your best friends that are supposed to relate that to the topic title.

If they are about management.Charlie, that’s a and management tool or strategy is to make sure that people feel comfortable to be able to approach, you know, manages to that’s what Tripping, to be able to approach life Counterpoint.Absolutely, absolutely.Like, I’ve seen it years in where people love tickets, and then you just read just as a problem, you know, that he can endure that he could just go to another team.

And then you’d go to try a Three Arch.And then, that really goes to the produced, a team of producers, the producer to another produce, something that goes back to you, or whatever.And then, you know, don’t be talking about a week.Seven is implied used to all use color person.I haven’t enough to em and it was human being just like you.

Lynette.You said, you’ve got to have that element of that that environment, you’ve got to create that having that level of trust and that culture for people to be able to do that.Obviously, it sounds simple, but when you’re actually in the day-to-day, it’s not always often that that is the case.

And it comes down to management to set that environment off by suppose, when you just mention that as well.One of the big issues usually, we’re approaching managers is that managers aren’t approachable, right?Because all time A lot of stress so they will stop at people.

Stuff out has happened often enough.So while the challenges at someone managing people is to make yourself look approachable as well.So that they feel comfortable talking to you.And one big part that I know it’s a really bad buzz.Word is like a no blame culture.Where, if someone tells me, I fucked up this entire thing needs through, he done, then we figure out how to fix it, like, Keep It Forward Thinking because especially, I’ll profession you get a lot of controversy.

A lot of people that don’t necessarily most comfortable, social situations to begin with, and then putting them into that situation will only end badly for the entire team.Yeah, that’s quite right.I think one of my personal methods was years ago, I changed the way I I need to speak to say we did.

It is always cruel her up there and he doesn’t matter if I create an ass of myself.I also like we did this and that transform into a team culture within my team in where we all say we did this.We achieve these even if that person is just doing, optimization that based on would normally say we did is hungry, Experiment with this all, we found out that we made a mistake here and that is sort of the sentiment of like it’s, you know, elevates your security rather than the individual obviously everyone receives the Credit Value to everyone but creates that level of being approachable.

That is it’s not just one person some like up there directing and you do this.You do this or don’t do that.No, it’s quite quite the opposite, like I said, everyone is listening to everyone’s on the same level, there is a hierarchy.Because there is someone calling the shots has to be.

But at least start feeling of like being listened to, I think really part of him.Yeah, I’ve been part of a team sound sounds cliched, but that’s what it is.There’s a local icicle can piggyback onto that water back and fostering that kind of culture with your team and stuff that we’ve been doing like the studio.

But now, DT over the last couple of years, as the team has grown from, like, 12h people of Tibet 40.Now, it was quite difficult during the covid remote working.You’re expanding at a And I try to keep that kind of culture and that kind of no, blame atmosphere, Odyssey, transparency.And some of the kind of strategies we’ve put in place is we have a kind of like internal checklist for art.

So what artists actually produce art that have a checklist of like, okay, I need to have this done at this stage, this at this stage, like, block out white box, cutter box, wherever it may be.So they have a clear guide what they need to do and then they will get a peer reviews from themselves and then my work included goes into like a peer review pool, so anyone can review my work so you can have like a saw Asia artist, or graduates or seniors.

Everyone can have a look and go.Oh, you missed this or this is a problem because hey Art directors, make mistakes too.That’s a dirty secret for everyone.We’re not infallible and it’s having that kind of situation where you I will accept you make a mistake, but I’m sorry.Okay.Me too and this create that culture for the team but they’ll feedback a my workout feedback on there as well, using a consistent manner to feedback as well.

So we have not necessarily a sheet or format but there’s like with that checklist, everyone can have objectively knows what they need to hit and do for approach.And then just a subject of stuff like other should be more contextual.We’re here, when you get down to the subject of stuff, it’s less of an issue and people very open about it, I find.

And sometimes, if you do have any issues at the work, it can be the object of stuff.Like, oh, you didn’t sword-like Maps out where your missing Collision, or it’s always something silly or Texture sizes, too big.And by creating this kind of atmosphere where we do peer reviews, then do the formal review, then it goes to the client, everyone has that kind of sense of ownership, but didn’t know they can just say what they want and feedback, I think that’s helping.

So the only way to do this, Yes.But engaging the team in that manner to hopefully helps promote a big communication, especially for the introverts or people who might be new in the company and be a bit afraid.I don’t show my stuff to the leader and Senior.Someone else you’re doing it openly and open formed front of everybody.Which helped doesn’t hide any of its, everyone can see everyone’s feedback and learn from each other’s feedback as well which helps in some other area why don’t Andre Berto because that’s much harder when you work for a big company or even a more prestigious company because people will have like that sense of all when they first join.

As well as like, wow I’m part of the beta links now and they will be hesitant to do that kind of stuff and great show for me.If I have a mistake in my art, I’m lucky.If it isn’t like point out with a meme instead, love it.But yeah, there’s mention memes.

Not Unreal, Engine documentation.Now, because now, I was really lucky mentation.So, I added some memes, and I’ll be glad she reading it.So, that’s another excellent tip.I’m going to steal that the theft.Well, I think you need to use a really Really good.Second question as well.Hi everyone.

This is Chris Bennett here and knowledge managing director here at Evolution.I really hope you’re enjoying the podcast.So far, we’re committed to doing recruitment in a different way that adds value to both our clients and candidates by providing you with amazing speakers, and leading-edge discussions on what’s going on in the tech scene at the moment.

There are three reasons why you should contact me if you would like to speak and future podcast if you are Interested in hiring awesome Tech data product of gaming, Freelancers for your business, or if you are looking for an exciting new organization to work with please get in touch.

Thank you so much for listening and I really hope to hear from you soon.Please enjoy the rest of the podcast.Final question, which will come from Louise, so over to you white.So it’s quite a funny one because we’ve been kind of like touching on it for a little bit answers and but at what strategies did you do to give yourself and your team enough time to think and Bland you are busy production times.

And I’m only asking this question is because I’ve worked in a way for years that it wasn’t allowed me to do this.We were planning and planning is completely different to thinking.And about six years ago, I went to this conference in Barcelona, which by the way I just came back from one of them and I had a disease, I’m a director from almond animation.

Stuff in strange.Absolutely amazing God.And what he does is he does everything.I do not have this man.Use feet everything to his day and one of those.One of the questions are he was like well you know I’m no Opera do sir but I have to tell you myself to do Stuff.

If I if it’s not on my schedule then it doesn’t happen.And I just get me thinking that I’m not really allowing ourselves to think and that’s probably why we just at the end comes to the end stakeholders.I know both into the idea, things change and all that but we’ll have planned throughout and anything that that we deliver is just thinking and thinking it’s a big thing for me because if you don’t think then you can’t really plan and And that is where that people have like, you know, stink of how are you going to doing it?

Are you thinking of the engineers?Are you going to optimize these and all that comes from the aspect of doing all that exercise before you even read the first product?So it’s not even planning.It’s just pure thinking in my butt on the line.For example, I wake up every morning and then I assign myself from 9 to 9:30.

To purely think sometimes, 210 actually 92 half an hour, just the thing.What is it that I’m doing?Are we going to answer these and they’re not come up with an amazing idea.Some of them really crap but that’s not the point.The point is down that I’m allowing myself that time so yeah how do you do that?

If you give yourself that is it just me, just talking he’d be here.I don’t know, I mean to fact he was just saying it now it’s something I’ve been doing more so with me other code of side but I found over the last couple of years was we?That’s the one I started at the studio.

There’s one main project and I was kind of artifact on that main project.It was very clear.There was 18, there’s myself there was the goal of release.We did it but since then we’ve been working with a coal development fashion across like five projects at any one time.So we have 40 artists spread across five projects that I have to be a day on each project seeing how it’s all tracking, where it’s all at, where the issues are, what we could do to unblock it, or we can do to support the staff.

Push, a bit harder, be quicker better, whatever it might be.And I found myself for last few months, getting very overwhelmed by having so many.Things all at once and one of my strategy is exactly what you said was.I ended up taking a bit of time.Every morning and go, right?I’m not even going to begin the day until I sit down.

Think about what’s the most important thing to do today, who needs my support and help today, more than another person on the team, and it’s like prioritizing it a very sensible.Clear, headspace scenario.And even last week, I’ve taken it a step further by setting up my own channel bored at work.So I have a kind of private Trello board, just for me, but all the things I need to do in terms of running the studio.

As a whole in terms of Team development and process development, more kind of granular Project based stuff but taking the couple of hours out last Friday I think I did it in the afternoon to kind of sort out this channel board and get everything I need to do on to it.I found has let me be a lot more efficient.

This week is that you have moments and you might not experience this if you’re not across by projects but when you’re across so many projects, you do everything you need to 11 and then you’d stop for a second and I don’t even know where to begin with the other four.And you have to kind of Bit of a plan of action there and to what the next steps are.

So I kind of envy people one project that sometimes it’s a, that Clarity is nice, but I also quite like the kind of dynamism and variety of having multiple projects and you learn so much with all these different processes and approaches to different ways to develop as well, which is good, but definitely taken time out.

And having a clear head space to formulate your plan of action.But, again, onto the channel border, somewhere, mirror or whatever you want to use getting it somewhere tangible work actually.Look at it and bring The tickets across to show it was done.And you know what you’ve done and how long it took you to do it, I find it really useful as a tool to kind of keep my time efficient are not losing time thinking about next steps.

On the moment.You have a kind of preordained when you begin on so you must have for that level you know with that amount of stuff on and keeping that busy, you must have a good routine in place.I think with anything like this with like keeping busy with all sorts of stuff routine and consistency is what makes it easier so yeah.

I think it’s my calendar helps because basic you have the meetings for each project throughout the week.So on certain days we have leads meetings for each one.We have the morning stand up for each one, which I attend one week and then I have ketchups with the lead team Butters lead to seniors on each project as well, so that creates that kind of routine Cadence will be.

But in between that I need to kind of keep an eye on the Milestones, the targets.What we need to be achieving as a team together and making sure that everyone has what they need.It just varies day.Today.And that’s why I end up getting very busy because it’s the unknown is, what always gets you, where an artist might be struggling with something one day or a project might be struggling in terms of tools or thought about many different ways.

It can get busy or performance issues or bugs, or whatever and it’s being able to kind of make sure my calendar has empty gaps in it as well.So if something does come up, I can jump on it straight away.So it’s just a routine but I can get chaotic in a bit mad.Just go to, which I like and then I quite like that in the industry, but not too much.

I guess it’s like it’s like like you know, I going to gym radio whatever activity lights come, I have to be build a habit Builder habit and it you know, you know, that on this day, at this time, you’re going to be doing that.And then it wants to party becomes a habit edges.I like, what’s the next challenge?

And just to quote and discovering his lady that her name is Nancy claim.One of my Idols out there and because it just has some really awesome stuff to one of her face is the quality of every And we do depends on the quality of the thinking with the first, that’s kind of it.

And yeah, I need to.How do you feel about this whole thinking thing?Well, I kind of had a very similar situation that you described, we’re having multiple projects.Answer me at first when I had to take a reproduction as well, and I had, suddenly had art, director, tasks, and production tasks.

And error was staring at me from all sides, constantly a bit.Any of my old tart stun because was called she has real people’s request.So, in the beginning, the thing I do it is Get up two hours before the Americans but fixed it, mostly the beginning.

Now what I do is because I also organize a daily stand ups.Before I do the stand-up, I organize myself and then I will be nice to stand up and I have a standard, I can actually start working and the only way actually get stuff done is to dedicate quiet hours.So there’s only certain times which people are about to book meetings and outside of that I’m just not going to respond to requests because otherwise I’m never going to get any of my tasks done and be constantly torn between.

Everything.Because as you said, it’s really hard to focus on one thing if you keep being interrupted constantly by other things.Anita how, how strict are you with that?You know like how well do you keep yourself too committed to doing that you know when you say that I’m not going to reply to messages during this time and then you know did it say if you are committed to doing that and you do very well with it, did it take a while to build that up because I know we’ve done a lot of trading.

When I first tried this is obviously to the recruitment.Nothing to do that management around different light time quadrants and where you And time and q1 being very active to like slam messages coming in or I must reply to this, because it’s urgent.Really, it’s not as urgent as you think and you actually can do that development time.

But it took me a long time.So it’s not of develop that and learn that process.Or how was that for you?So this is what do not disturb was invented for and it’s the only way I managed to do it because if something pops up and peripheral vision, you’re already going to respond to it.So I just turn that off completely.

So people can’t even see if I’m online because Stand.They don’t have the oh she’s online about quickly.Reach out to the mentality that helps a lot.And what also helps is training people on your team to expect that because in the beginning they will stride Reach Out constantly even if you informed them that you’re not going to be available during this time, they will forget because we all forget we all do our own thing but over time that kind of starts working and now necessarily is on fire.

No one’s going to reach out to me.It also helps with half an hour’s sleep during the time that I am not a miserable.Like the hardcore mode to solve that solution is all a shake but it is truly half the kind of do that and take that time out to get on top tasks by often find the conflict of being there for the team there for the clients.

But as you said, educate the team to make them become more self-sufficient, independent leaning on each other because obviously for us were looking off slightly bigger team.So the team can help themselves between a seniors and leads and everyone else as opposed to always having to go straight to me.

You’re a straight to someone else and production mind map selves.Ombre cancel with themselves.It’s just easier to reach out first.Don’t tell him, he said this the fact that there is this there is this thing that I tend to use.But what and I’m quite strict with that stuff like you know comes to Friday.

Someone’s health and sense, I don’t care.It’s already, May is until Monday is this is shut.But in regards to like and organizing what is important and what is I used this, the 8mm 18, our Matrix then if you guys are aware or whatever and where do you think of my Egg four quadrants on the top left, you have like, what is important and Urgent?

The extra is one less urgent and reports and then follow-up is less important, but urgent.And then on the on the extra one people like, you know, things that doesn’t really matter someone else can taking a.So, again, I tend to have a mirror ball in wear on a daily basis and this is open for everyone to see what I’m doing.

It was like, these are my priorities and you, commonly talked to me in salaries and we need to tackle this on, like, all right?Yeah, we need to tackle this and then I put it on and all the Miracles and you can see when priorities is your corn, and it will be, it will be tackled.But, you know, not important or not important in my priorities, then, you know, you have to deal with that men during the Q and that kind of thing.

But I think that’s, that’s the, that’s the best way to allow people to see that there are bigger problems.Obviously, when you can, someone brings a Is bigger for them about us.I mean that in the grand scheme of things it’s a speak as though you might or maybe it is.I which point you know.So let’s jump video one when it comes to like the end of the week.

Sorry closed.The shutters is helpful to have that balance.It’s interesting.When you say that that’s the quadrant that we’ve done like I meant to me, I’ve done a lot of training on in here, we do it a lot when new people join the company because are complete click on that and where you spend a lot of your time but interesting that you very transparent with that you know to towards the rest of the team as well that they can actually see through.

The quadrants as to what you prioritized I think that’s quite interesting.So people can see that it’s their savior is relevant and might say we’ll get tackled but you’re looking as to where it is a priority for you at in the time because I suppose that you know, solves the problem of like people keep messaging messages saying like you know when’s it, when’s it going to happen.

They can see, you know where you’ve got on the other process you’ve got.So that’s really interesting way of dealing with that.I use a similar version of nice because it makes the most sense.I just don’t know different name because I know she learned all of like logic measures.Skill in German.So, but I use a different category instead of important, because, as you said before, important is relative to the person who brings the Tarts to you.

So what I tend to use, it is purposeful.So if it on my car spaces, the most purposeful, because ice get the most progress.Um, Antics are important.Thank you so much.That’s awesome are among the I’m actually going to use that.So are you starting stead?

And it’s also a really good way of tackling tasks, to have to delegate because you end up with tasks in a quadrant that you can’t tackle.And they’re not that important or I don’t require your skill set and then you can you immediately know which ones you can hand sew.What else?

Yeah.Really good point.Well, fantastic question though he says well.So hopefully.Well you got something there from Anita, hopefully everyone.You know, it’s got a couple of little hints and tricks there or anyone listing is taken Some value out with that.But yeah, that concludes the podcast.

Obviously that was the third question.So I’ll take this opportunity to thank Anita Anthony in that Louisa for all of your questions and your contributions.Hopefully, like I said people who are listening to this of getting something from it and I’m so thank you for all your input.And if anybody else wants to join the revolution exchange podcast, please feel free to send me a message but until then we’ll see you next time.Thank you guys.