5 Minutes with… Lydia Wright

Spring Studios’ new managing director, Lydia Wright, says that she grew up with the creative agency on her doorstep. Considering Spring’s specialism in all things luxury and Lydia’s expertise from companies like Dazed Media, Highsnobiety, Wasted Talent, and Portas – the match couldn’t be more perfect. She’s seen first-hand how a close relationship between publications, culture, and audiences leads to work that makes a mark. 

With Spring since July of this year, Lydia is looking to further focus on Spring’s super-premium branded content while modernising the way the agency creates it, alongside the new ECD Fred Paginton, with a firm eye on its craft and execution.

With Spring’s clients spanning the who’s who of the luxury world, Lydia is aware of the challenges the current landscape they’re currently facing. She can see how hesitancy is the prevailing mood but notes that there’s “real opportunity for the brave to adopt an agile, culturally-led approach to communications in order to get ahead.”

LBB caught up with Lydia to learn more about her approach to leadership, doubling down on the agency’s successes, and venturing into the sphere of branded content as entertainment.

LBB> Lydia, you joined Spring Studios as MD in July. What drew you to the company? 

Lydia> As a Londoner, I grew up with Spring on my doorstep. Seeing all the amazing talent coming in and out of those doors every day – it always seemed like the place to be. I’m so excited to take all of the amazing people and energy that makes Spring the ultimate in creative craft, into a new era.

LBB> You bring a lot of impressive experience to Spring – from Dazed Media, Highsnobiety, Wasted Talent, and Portas. What have been some of the most important lessons that you’ve learned from working at those companies?

Lydia> Publications exist in such close proximity to culture. They are in a constant dialogue with their audiences, helping them to discover, feel inspired, and feel heard. They are fast moving and expressive. These are all lessons and behaviours that we as makers can help our clients to learn – in turn carving a genuine, long-lasting place within culture. I am looking to bring some of that energy and thinking to Spring.

LBB> Do you have any key principles or an overarching professional philosophy that you’re applying to your role as MD?

Lydia> I believe in being genuine, clear and focused, and always striving for bigger and better – these are the principles I hope to share with the team here. We are an ideas business and it’s our people who make us what we are, so I am looking forward to putting our team front and centre and helping them to keep innovating and helping our partners to do the same.

LBB> What are some of Spring Studios' current and future goals and how will you help the company to achieve them?

Lydia> We are known for super-premium branded content and also our expertise in craft, which is of course what we will always strive to create — but we want to modernise this way of thinking and turbo-charge it for a new creative landscape. Alongside our new ECD Fred (Paginton), we are now challenging ourselves and our teams to be nimble in the way that we make work, adopting nuanced approaches that deliver every time by recognising the needs of different platforms, mediums and audiences.

LBB> Are there any changes that you would like to implement?

Lydia> For me it is not about radical change but about taking the best of who we are and turbo-charging it. We want to keep nurturing our network and opening our doors to the next generation of creative talent so this is something that we will be pushing on in the coming months

LBB> Which industry trends and developments are you most attuned to right now? And which ones are you ignoring?

Lydia> We are very interested in branded content as entertainment, creating content that meets audiences where they are. As end-to-end content creators, this way of thinking comes naturally to the team here – we are excited to see our partners increasingly keen to come on the journey with us.

LBB> Spring works with a lot of clients in the luxury space. What are some of the main challenges and opportunities for those clients in the current market?

Lydia> It is not new news that the luxury market is challenging; clients must keep one eye on the long term brand vision and another on the immediate commercial needs of the business.  The current challenges in the market are creating hesitancy, but there is real opportunity for the brave to adopt an agile, culturally-led approach to communications in order to get ahead. We help our partners to bridge the gap between brand and commercially led work, to find a space that helps build and maintain brand relevance.