For Cal Gordon, Creativity and Inclusion Go Hand in Hand

Cal Gordon is the founding partner and MD of Creep Studios, an end-to-end post house which has strived to reinvent the outdated post-production playbook since its inception in 2017.

Under Cal’s leadership, Creep continues to grow across the breadth of the advertising sphere, delivering full posts for luxury car brands, Premier League football kit launches, and soon-to-come major Christmas campaigns. In recent years, Creep has also established itself as a key player in the world of television, creating VFX for hit shows such as ‘Top Boy’, ‘Sex Education’ and ‘Bad Sisters’.

Cal recently sat down with LBB to chat about his biggest lessons in leadership as well as the empathy and communication skills required for roles in management…

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?

Cal> I think the best leaders know you’re never going to be the finished article, so it’s about creating a path for the company to go down, but listening to people as you go.

I was always interested in how other leaders were leading – it seemed to me some were telling people to follow, and some inspired people to forge a path. I always wanted to be the latter. You should be wary of people who only have absolute certainty; they probably aren’t listening enough.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest challenge in leadership?

Cal> The biggest challenge we faced as a company was Covid. Not a unique experience as everyone went through it, but helping people to navigate something that was so all-encompassing to everyone’s lives – both how we live and work – was a tricky one to manage.

The biggest lesson it taught me was that there will always be things outside your control. All you can do is try to lead the company into the best possible place to rebound.

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so, how did you work towards it, and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?

Cal> I didn’t originally think I’d make a good leader. At school, I didn’t exactly excel. It wasn’t until later, starting in the industry, not knowing what area I wanted to specialise in, that I found a natural fit in producing.

I enjoy being able to support creative talent and navigate the age-old problem we all face: creative vs budget. I found building on that and applying it company-wide really interesting, and I enjoy helping people create and grow.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?

Cal> I feel leadership is instinctual. Being able to walk the tightrope of challenging someone to be the best version of themselves is a soft skill - I’ve seen some who are too passive, and some the complete opposite. I think you can learn some elements of leadership, and you should always be looking to better yourself as a leader. The challenges businesses face always evolve; you should want to engage with that change and inspire others to rise to said challenges with you.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?

Cal> I think the hardest part I’ve found is navigating a situation where someone has a completely different viewpoint and is reticent to adapt to change.

At Creep, we’ve set out to defy convention and challenge outdated workflows and methods in order to push ourselves (and the industry) forward. This can lead to situations where a creative might have been doing something one way for a while, with success, and understandably might not be willing to try a new path.

I’ve found the best thing to resolve this is empathy and communication - a resilience that tells them we need to try this method, and we can get through it as a team.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?

Cal> Yes definitely! I have to make calls all the time, and they can’t always be right. I think failing and learning from your mistakes is the best way to progress in life. Do I regret making mistakes? No, because they’ve helped me become a more rounded person. If you don’t own up when you’ve got something wrong, how can people ever trust you to lead them? People will just call BS, and you end up looking like a prick.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?

Cal> I think it’s important to be as transparent as possible. In an industry that is becoming increasingly volatile, a lack of openness from leadership can be incredibly damaging to the long-term health of a company. You need to be confident in your decision-making, but you shouldn’t sugarcoat things if the business needs to adapt in order to survive. You need to give staff credit, they’re not stupid, they will pick up if something isn’t right.

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills, did you have a mentor? If so, who were/are they, and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders, and how do you approach that relationship?

Cal> I’ve had a slightly strange career compared to most company owners due to my starting the business straight out of university, so I haven’t had anyone to mentor me.

Honestly, I’ve learned so much from friends in the industry and from looking at other industries. No one person is perfect, so I try to take bits from each. I’m lucky to have had some great people work with me over the years. I try to create an environment that lets them be themselves, as I would never want a copy of me.

I think the best thing is to encourage them to get stuck in, be there if they need advice, debrief and reflect regularly. Most importantly, don’t create an environment where they’re worried about making a mistake; mistakes are just learning opportunities.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?

Cal> It can be hard, but in a way, it’s also what I relish the most. The current landscape feels like a puzzle, and we just need to piece it together. Creep always thrives when we’re forced to interrogate how we’re doing things and see how we might need to adapt.

I can’t get people spending and can’t affect geopolitics, but you can put yourselves in the best position to bounce out of any industry slump.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?

Cal> At Creep, we've always understood that creativity and diversity/inclusion go hand in hand. When diversity is scarce in a company, the work feels out of touch, lazy and most importantly, unchallenged. Therefore, as a leader, I've always pushed to hire talent from a variety of different backgrounds, not only to call upon different points of view, but to challenge and push the company forward.

In order for this to work, I have aimed to cultivate a work space where everyone's opinion is heard, regardless of role or seniority, and people are encouraged to express their thoughts.

To engage talent in this way is incredibly rewarding from my point of view and allows everyone in the company to feel involved.

LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with the rise of remote and hybrid working patterns?

Cal> Company culture is very important. We try to have the staff in the office as much as we can, but they are also set up to work remotely if needed. Creativity is best nurtured around other creatives.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?

Cal> I find the best thing is to read as many widely available resources, including other industries and universities. Read stuff from people who have no financial gain from publishing it. Ignore LinkedIn as much as possible; it’s 90% crap from the same people who told us pictures of monkeys smoking would replace money.