WorkWise for Screen Logo
Supported by
Search Icon

Clock Icon 14m 23s

How Team Satisfaction Fuels Creative Powerhouses

Listen on Apple Music

What happens when someone who's always felt like an outsider builds a company that wins "Best Place to Work" not once, but twice?

And how do you create an environment where genuine care for your team becomes your competitive advantage?

In this episode recorded at our live Sheffield event, Dr Amit Patel is in conversation with Steve Wynne, the CEO of production company Strawberry Blond TV, to explore how unconventional leadership can build extraordinary workplace culture. From his working-class roots near Liverpool to founding a production company that prioritizes people over profit margins, Steve shares how questioning "the way things have always been done" led to sustainable success.

Steve reveals why he refuses to accept 12-hour shoots and how his team's recognition means more than any industry accolade. 

The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.

THIS EPISODE COVERS:

  • What it means to win workplace awards based on team feedback
  • Challenging industry norms around working hours and production culture
  • Why looking after junior team members should be a priority
  • The relationship between team wellbeing and business success
  • The value of questioning established practices

Episode Topics

Keith Arrowsmith introduces the episode, and Steve Wynne explains why it is important to create a positive company culture (00.00 - 04.02)

Steve Wynne discusses challenging industry norms such as long working hours and the longest hours often being experienced by the most junior staff. (04.02 - 08.32)

Steve discusses the practical resources Workwise for Screen can provide and final thoughts from Keith Arrowsmith (08.32 - end)

Episode Highlights

"Getting an award from my team and getting the feedback from them that we were doing something right, sort of meant everything. That was the bit we went, we're doing something right.." - Steve Wynne (00:30)

"I don't subscribe, for instance, to 12 hour shoots. I don't subscribe to people being in the edit till two o'clock in the morning. 'Cause I don't, if that's still happening, I think you're doing it wrong." - Steve Wynne (02:30)

"The runners are the ones often, for instance, that come first in the morning and leave last at night. And they are usually, the younger people of the team, we’ve tried to turn on its head and make sure they're the ones that are looked after." - Steve Wynne (03:00)

"I've made the mistake before about chasing the money. And that has not worked at all. I think if we're enjoying it and having fun with it, then that should breed success in the rest of it." - Steve Wynne (06:00)

"Do it your own way. There's no rule there. There are rules, but there aren't any rules. So do it the way that you want to do it. Do it in the way that you think is right and make sure that you look after the people around you." - Steve Wynne (09:00)

800

0 Comments

Useful resources