TIN MAN'S CREATIVE DIRECTORS TELL PR WEEK WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK AS A TEAM

PR bible PR Week interviewed our Creative Directors and here is what they had to say:

“The people we spend most of our time with are the people with passion for what we do, there is a sense of natural gravitational pull.”

Tin Man is arguably one of the hottest creative PR agencies in the world and is recognised for its creative output in award scheme after award scheme, across lots of different types of work and many sectors. After just five years of existence it is envied by many, chased by a few and copied by none.

While founder and CEO Mandy Sharp, director and head of planning and strategy Elly Kestenbaum, and director and head of client services Natalie Neave have all played key roles in the agency’s growth and success, sitting at the heart of the creative output are creative directors James Hoyle and Paul Valentine.

Both are PR through and through and, like so many who have the title, are entirely self-taught, products of their PR upbringing; James came through the ranks at agencies like Fishburn Hedges/77, Weber Shandwick and MSL, while Paul came through Beatwax, Henry’s House, Exposure and M&C Saatchi, before freelancing and then finding his home at Tin Man.

They are also, like so many of the creatives in this series, almost the polar opposite of the obnoxious, loud, showy CD of stereotype; rather, they both come across as relatively soft-spoken, thoughtful, empathetic and generous.

Are you creative directors in an ad agency sense?

Valentine: "No not really. We divide and conquer as much as we work together, but there’s no doubt we do work well together when we get the chance…"

Hoyle: "…The trouble is, there is so much demand for creative at our place at the moment, from both clients and new biz, that we have to cover it all and it makes far more sense to split it."

And when you do get the chance, what’s it like?

Valentine: "I think we had a similar upbringing, but are very different people; in a lot of ways we’re both pretty normal south-east kids who loved pop culture, got really excited about Euro 96 and the type of pop we were drinking, and remain really interested in culture – fascinated by it, actually – and we share a lot of 'have you watched, have you seen' chats. So we have this huge big box of shared references we can pull on together."

Hoyle: "Yeah, we share quickly and we share a lot, including other agencies’ work, and I think we are both really good at listening, which isn’t true of all creatives."

Valentine: "That’s true and it gives our a relationship a real ease. And it means we don’t have to edit ourselves before speaking; we trust each other with the half-formed and don’t need to worry about polishing, because it’s in half-formed that you find misunderstandings, which can actually be really helpful. And it means we can happily play different roles: sometimes one of us is the backing singer and one the lead singer, but we’re both comfortable in both roles and easily switch."

And how do you each get to concepts?

Valentine: "I do one of two things: I either go really methodical and approach strategy first and planner first, and look at brand strategy and do the stuff I guess we’re “supposed” to do, and sometimes it gets me somewhere interesting; [or] sometimes you want to run to an answer. And it's only gut instinct which tells me which way to go on any given brief."

Hoyle: "My approach, unsurprisingly, is very similar. Time is usually your best friend and yet we never have enough time, so occasionally you’ve just got to put it into the mangle and then rummage in the toolbox and find a tool, any tool, to help you get to the answer."

Can you put your finger on what Tin Man has that sets it apart?

Hoyle: "I think it’s a couple of things: Mandy is phenomenal – she’s just a brilliant, creative businesswoman; but also Natalie and Elly bring a huge amount to every brief too and, while it sounds a bit cheesy, we genuinely have a huge amount of collaboration between us and in a really positive, ego-free way, meaning energy isn’t burned up by friction. That’s invaluable I think, and a huge part of the magic."

Valentine: "It’s also down to a really clear and simple agency philosophy. Exposure since the early 90s was all about cultural relevance, which I think a few other agencies now deliver on that too, and M&C has its brutal simplicity of thought, whereas for us, we’re all about emotional connections, campaigns that engage the heart, and that runs through everything, pretty single-mindedly."

Is Tin Man a creative agency, or does it have a creative team?

Hoyle: "We think upskilling the agency creatively is part of our job. We try to give the agency some structure, allow the whole team to contribute, to present solutions, and then we try to draw out the value of what they come up with. We use a mix of formal and informal sessions and the agency portfolio is pretty much split between us, so we are fully involved with teams."

Valentine: "Traditionally agencies had no creative departments, so ideas come from everywhere, and I think it’s important, we need to keep some of that alive; but we also recognise there needs to be a certain amount of ownership. The people we spend most of our time with are the people with passion for what we do, there is a sense of natural gravitational pull. And it’s important that sometimes we’re not in the room – it takes the pressure off that moment sometimes."

What’s the future? Will you be like Dave Trott, sharing your wisdom in 30 years' time?

Hoyle: "I don’t know about that! But I definitely feel the privilege of a job like this, being involved around big tables with big, difficult problems and being part of the team that solves them. I love the job today and that’s what matters most to me."

Valentine: "I love those constant challenges too, it’s like being in a never-ending escape room. And yeah, I do hope to be around, although there is always the question of whether it’s a good look to be an older CD, or to let someone else have a go. For now, I enjoy the process, I genuinely enjoy what I do – the shower-thinking, the constant mulling, the team, even when it’s a relatively obscure brand. And like James says, this job is a huge privilege."

You can find the article over at PR Week.