In the lead up to the AWARD Creative Leadership Residential, Comms Council chats to former student and The Monkeys CD Barbara Humphries about career highlights, her thoughts on the course and the best thing about her job.
TCC: How long have you been in the industry and in your current role?
BH: Over one year in my current role, and about ten years or so all up.
TCC: What is the best thing about your job and being in the industry?
BH: Working with creativity every day and being surrounded by talented and inspiring people.
TCC: What made you want to get into the industry?
BH: Realising I could combine a lot of my interests and loves in the one place.
TCC: Who do you look up to in the industry?
BH: Kim Gehrig is a force. She’s been both a talented creative and now one of the best directors in the world, her energy and laser sharp instinct make her one of the most exciting people in the business.
TCC: What made you want to do the AWARD Creative Leadership course?
BH: Being able to learn from the combined experience of the industry’s best.
TCC: How would you describe it in a nutshell?
BH: Relevant! The non-nutshell version is: Previously, some of the best insights I’d learned about the role had been half-heard pieces of wisdom shouted over a few beers at the end of the night. So imagine that, heard clearly, times 1000 – with the benefit of being able to write it all down.
TCC: What have been your career highlights since then?
BH: As a CD, seeing teams create and produce work they are proud of.
TCC: What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your career that you know now?
BH: I wished the awareness we are seeing as a result of #timesup and #metoo could have started ten years ago.
TCC: What sort of creative do you think you’ve evolved into?
BH: My role has evolved, but I still need producers to tell me three times what time to be at an edit. (I’m really trying Penny).