Grow Your Video Business with Ryan Koral 154: What It Actually Means To Be A Creative Director w/ John Azoni
A creative director is a crucial role to be filled in any studio, big or small. But if you’ve ever wondered just what a creative director is, I’ve got a real treat for you. Today I’m sitting down with someone who’s talents for this job I have been blessed to know first-hand, and he’s going to tell you all about it!
Today you’re going to hear from my longest-standing employee. John Azoni is the creative director at Tell Studios. I have the extreme pleasure of working with John as he expertly helps clients hone their storytelling skills for maximum impact, as well as directing, shooting and editing many of the projects that come through our door.
John explains the many varied roles that he fills at the studio. As a self-titled “creative generalist” he spends his workday doing anything from copywriting, editing, scriptwriting, strategizing with clients, and emptying the trash.
I ask John some tough questions, like what has kept him working for me through all these years and how he has viewed the evolution of his role. John explains what keeps him happy and fulfilled in the workplace and how other business owners can create a healthy and nourishing workplace culture as well.
Being an integral part of landing big clients, John explains what he thinks it takes to find them and make them happy. There’s no single secret to this, but having solid processes in place and communicating those well to clients is a central part of this. But most important is finding the right clients for you from the beginning so that everyone understands each other’s value. To that end, we talk about what clients really want out of a partnership and how you can fulfill that for them every time.
What role do you see a creative director playing in your business? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!
In this episode
- What it actually means to be a creative director at a small studio
- Keeping quality employees happy to stay with you for many years
- Deciding the type of work for you to do and what’s important to delegate
- The one thing you can do to book better clients, charge more money, and make better videos
- What clients are really looking for when they hire you
- The power of strategically workshopping with clients
“I just think of myself as a creative generalist. That’s what I love about it -- being versatile and not pigeon-holed into one thing every day.” [13:26]
“An eye-opener for me was learning to let certain people be how they were designed to be and not expect something else out of them.” [29:09]
“It comes down to the problem that you solve for your client. The obvious thing would be helping the client make money. But I think deep down it’s to take the creative pressure off of themselves.” [35:17]
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