Nick Francis and the Dragon That Is Leadership

Nick Francis is the founder and chief executive officer of Casual, a global production group that blends human storytelling, business know-how, and creativity turbo-charged by AI.

Named the UK’s leading brand video production company for five consecutive years, Casual delivers nearly 1,000 projects annually for world-class brands like Adobe, Amazon, BMW, Hilton, HSBC, and P&G.

The adventurous spirit behind its first production – a 9,000-mile journey from London to Mongolia in an old Mini – continues to drive Casual’s growth across offices in London, New York, LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Nick previously worked for BBC News and is widely recognised for his expertise in video storytelling, brand building, and corporate communications. He is the founding director of the Casual Films Academy, a charity helping young filmmakers develop skills by producing films for charitable organisations. Nick lives in San Francisco, California, with his family.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Nick> Good question. Probably being a ‘sixer’ in the Cub Scouts in London when I was 10 years old. I was in charge of our troop at our week-long summer camp. There was a kid at the other end of the tent who wet the bed every night. We were on a slope, and every morning the sleeping bags would be hung up outside to dry. It never quite made it all the way down to me, though.

I’m not sure what that taught me about leadership. Maybe, ‘it’s essential to be able to rely on your team?’. Always make sure you pitch in with any cleanup, though.

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?

Nick> When I was an NCO in the army cadets at school, I think I used to try to bring people with me – to help them understand why I was getting them to do one thing or another. Consensus can really water down what is great in a group. That said, if you have a lot of people who really know what they’re doing, the leader’s job is to get the best possible results out of the resources they have. I still think it’s important to take people with you; I wouldn’t want to have to lead by edict.

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

Nick> Probably the death of my father when I was 10 years old. It shook everything I knew about the world to the foundations. It made me mature a lot. It also taught me – at a very young age – about the transience of life and the importance of resilience, empathy, and perspective. These qualities are essential for compassionate, grounded leadership.

We all work extremely hard to do our best work – we only have one shot – but ultimately, none of it really matters. In a few short years, everyone we know, everyone reading this, will be dead. Our work will vanish into the mists of time. Knowing that frees us up to focus on what matters – relationships, family, friends, and enjoying the journey. So, don’t take yourself too seriously.

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?

Nick> I guess so. We didn’t set the company up to lead it – we set it up to make films and build something because it was fun. In many ways, the human aspects of the job have been the best and the worst elements of it. Building a global team of fantastic, culturally-aligned people has been one of the pleasures and honours of my life. It’s so cool to jet off to cities all over the world and get to meet with people that I have so much in common with. That wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t had the opportunity to grow this business in the way we have.

One of the harder things is when people question why we have done one thing or the other. Sometimes, people see a way that we have made an error as the exec team, and assume some kind of conspiracy. That can be quite demoralising. Leadership often means acknowledging that you're continually learning – no one is born knowing how to run a global business perfectly. Sometimes, you just have to suck it up and be better next time.

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?

Nick> Like any skill, people have a natural aptitude for it, but it can be trained and learned. I have read and listened to hundreds of business books. All of these help to give you tips on how to be better.

One of the amazing things about business is how similar they all are underneath. Every single challenge we face on any given day has been solved a thousand times before. It’s just up to you to be industrious enough to go and find those solutions written down. Some of my favourite books include: ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins, ‘Traction’ by Gino Wickman, ‘The Road Less Stupid’ by Keith Cunningham, ‘Stand the F*ck Out’ by Louis Grenier, and ‘Reboot’ by Jerry Colonna. There are also some fantastic podcasts out there, like ‘Founders’, ‘Acquired’, ‘2Bobs’, and more general business podcasts.

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

Nick> Running a business, particularly a creative business, is about building a fantastic team. We’re always working to build better cohesion within the company, but sometimes it doesn’t work out. Over the years, we have had to let so many people go who often didn’t do anything wrong; they just weren’t quite the right fit, or the role they were in wasn’t right.

It’s hard because you feel responsible for people’s wellbeing, but we wouldn’t still be in business if we hadn’t been voracious in our pursuit of the best possible people in each and every role. This is a team, not a family. You generally can’t restructure or reduce headcount in your family when things require it, as much as you might want to.

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?

Nick> Without wanting to be semantic or sound too West Coast about it, I think ‘fail’ as a term has a degree of finality about it (i.e., to fail is to give up). We’re still throwing punches, so I would say we’re yet to fail.

That said, there have been endless things that I’ve messed up on. Not taking action early enough, despite all the signs pointing towards something I didn’t necessarily want to do. Waiting too long to have a conversation with someone when things aren’t working.

I learned that if you’re serious about putting a dent in the world, you need to be willing to make difficult decisions to get there. We’re not war-fighting, we’re filmmaking, so no one is going to die. Making decisions early allows everyone to move on and find something that really works, which is the kindest and best thing to do.

Beyond that, business is about playing probabilities. It’s generally not definitive. You do what seems right in the moment and then build on it. As a great general once said, “the only thing worse than the wrong decision is not making a decision.” Keeping a close eye on metrics and not getting carried away by optimism (the enemy of good business) is essential. Correct course as required, and you’ll get there.

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

Nick> I try to be as transparent and honest with people as possible. Sometimes, it’s just not possible, and that can be hard, but generally, I have found that if you sit someone down and explain to them what you’re trying to do, they are surprisingly receptive.

Ironically, given the fact that I run a communications company, I don’t think I am a great communicator, but I try to be better. Having offices in nine cities around the world makes it hard to speak to people face to face, which I really miss. I host monthly town hall updates, sharing both successes and challenges as openly as possible. These sessions have become a cornerstone of our internal communications, allowing everyone globally to feel – I hope – more informed, connected, and valued. It is still hard, though.

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?

Nick> I have always sought out people who are more experienced than I am in various fields. Sometimes that was over a lunch or a pint, sometimes it might be on a weekend away. Be interested in people and listen when they speak. I know that seems obvious, but it can feel like a receding skill. When you find someone who might help you, seek first to try to help them. That is a complete game changer for the relationship.

You might ask them for some advice. It is hard to find people who understand the business, and so when I do, it is really useful to bounce ideas around and to sense check assumptions. I am also a member of a Vistage mentoring group, which has really helped me to understand the changing nature of my role.

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

Nick> Running a creative company over the last couple of decades has been like riding a dragon. It’s amazing when it’s heading upward and the sky is blue, and a bit more white-knuckle on the way down. The amount of macro and market turbulence we all have to deal with is incredible.

Meditating and exercising are two essential ways to ground yourself. I love to go for a ride into the hills over the Golden Gate Bridge from my house. I often listen to an audiobook, which gives me some of my best thinking time. Being fit and centred also helps me to deal with the dragon ride of running a creative company.

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

Nick> Early on, when we started going to networking events with other production company bosses in London, we couldn’t believe how homogenous the culture was. It’s hard to get into media because so many entry-level roles are unpaid, so you need a certain level of means. This excludes a huge swathe of the population, despite the fact that it is essential the media industry (even corporate) reflects the societies we serve.

In order to try to remedy this in our small way, we set up a charity to give production experience to young people from diverse backgrounds. Over a few weeks, or a long weekend, they get the experience of making a film for another charity. It’s not much, and I wish we could do more, but it has been great to see some of the past students go on to find further success across the industry.

Beyond our charity initiatives, we prioritise inclusive hiring practices, making sure we include a diverse selection of candidates for every role, for both internal and freelance roles. We also try to prioritise minority-owned businesses when procuring goods for our shoot, whether that is cameras or food for the crew. We monitor and track all of this and report on it quarterly.

One thing which I didn’t realise at the time was the importance of diversity in the founding team. If all goes well, those people generally end up running the company. As a result, if you don’t start diverse, it’s difficult – not impossible – to fix. Diversity matters because it gives you different viewpoints and ideas. It has been extremely depressing to see so many companies drop what they professed to hold dear so rapidly following the change in administration in the US. I naively thought these companies stood for more than they clearly do.

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

Nick> Culture is utterly essential. We have put a lot of work into our values, defining what they are and then recruiting, promoting, and incentivising the team with reference to them. Values are what you do when no one is watching, and with nine separate offices and a lot of remote work, there is a lot of individual work. Being casual would be inconceivable without our culture, which is why we aim to continually reinforce and safeguard it.

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

Nick> As I mentioned above, business books, business podcasts, mentors, friends, exercise, meditation, alcohol (sharing post-work/shoot drinks with the crew/team/clients in different parts of the world has been such a highlight), and of course, my family.