The Efficiency Equation No One Talks About

At SXSW London, I had the privilege of sharing the stage with YouTube’s head of creator marketing - EMEA, Elizabeth Hartnett, for 'Shot In A Day: A Look Into Fast Production.' What started as a discussion about production speed and efficiency evolved into something deeper: how do you fast-track a collaborative relationship that actually elevates your creative work?

What we uncovered:

✅ Strategic constraints unlock creative breakthroughs: 

Xpedition believes in crafting “brief” briefs that include our creative POV in the process and clearly demonstrate to our clients that we’re listening. Clear parameters don’t limit ideas; they focus them. When clients define the boundary conditions upfront, the path is cleared to our creative strategy. Creative teams can then push against that strategy to discover breakthrough approaches instead of cycling through idea overload.

✅ Stress test your brief with the Get/To/By framework:

Elizabeth shared a clarifying framework she and her colleagues use when briefing agency partners: Get (audience) to (action/feeling) by (tactic). This one sentence alignment prevents endless revisions and keeps projects moving. When everyone knows exactly what success looks like, creative decisions become faster.

Preparation creates space for creative elevation:

When logistics are locked in, we’ve found that clients trust you with bigger creative swings. Our YouTube relationship works because seven years of solid process earned us permission to be bold.

✅ Establish clear decision-making roles:

Clients deal with their own set of internal obstacles - but if we do not understand them, our timelines will suffer. Elizabeth suggested using the “DIN” framework or something similar: Who’s The Decider? Who gives Input? Who just needs to be Notified? And what is your client’s role in this process? This simple structure prevents on-set disruption and eliminates the “too many stakeholders” problem that kills timelines.

✅ Respect isn’t a manipulation tactic, it’s the foundation:

Every dollar a client fought to get for your project matters. Take a moment to appreciate their work internally. When you start from respect, you begin to build the trust that lets you take creative risks.

All the work matters...

"My intention is that these are not shortcuts to “just fine” work; if done right, they should enable mutually proud outcomes, not just fast ones. At Xpedition, every project is an opportunity to hone our process, deepen client relationships, and create work that sets the standard higher for next time. The YouTube project we discussed? It was shot in one day, technically ambitious beyond our previous work for the client, and only possible because of an incredible team and the collaborative relationship we’d built with our client over time. That’s the real “speed” secret: regularly demonstrating competence, understanding your client’s needs, and investing in partnerships that let you move fast when it counts," said Nandi Smythe, VP creative strategy, Xpedition.