A Look Inside Park Village
Having recently celebrated their 50 year anniversary, Park Village is one of London’s longest established production companies. Over the past five decades the business has been traversed by some of the biggest names in music, art and fashion and produced some of the industry's most iconic commercial campaigns. On the cusp of our inaugural Better Together event, which is being hosted in the beautiful studios at Park Village, LBB's Tará McKerr thought it was about time we sent our readers on a journey of discovery on the lives, work and legacy of our hosts....
Last week, I squeezed my way through the commotion of a midday Camden to meet brothers, Tom and Jack Webb, from Park Village. Nearing the top edge of Regent’s Park, tucked away – you can find a hidden gem of Victorian grandeur. Set in a former Victorian riding school, the space encompasses a mammoth 10,000sq ft English Heritage building. Inside, you’re met with a swirl of historic charm and modernism – a duality that doesn’t feel at all out of place. The protection of original architectural features like the high-vaulted wooden beams, a spiral staircase and decorative ironwork, are indicators of respect for the venue's past, while state-of-the-art adaptations cater to some of the most ambitious creative projects. It's not only an iconic event space, it's long been respected as a production company responsible for some of the industry's most legendary campaigns and shoots.
Legacy is a funny thing. Sometimes in creative industries, the term can feel like an anchor – a weight hindering progress, keeping companies locked in the past. But at Park Village, they’ve chosen to embrace it, while simultaneously redefining it.
When I ask Tom and Jack about their father Peter, who founded the studio, I see pride fall over both of their faces, and a little bit of sadness too. “I guess, he was amazing,” Jack tells me. “Dad sadly died three years ago and we had the memorial here in the studio.” He remembers giving a long speech where he told people about how 55 years ago Peter walked into the building, and with no connection to it whatsoever, saw the potential.
“It was about to be knocked down to be turned into flats, and off his own back, he went and found out what was going on with it,” explains Jack. The crown estate owned it, and as serendipity would have it, Peter’s landlady had a connection with someone on the crown committee. He took the train to Scotland and said to the committee member, “Give me six months to turn this building into something worth keeping.” And that he did – Park Village the production company was born.
They tell me that their dad didn’t like to look at obstacles; instead, he was focused on the possibilities. “He was more of a dreamer,” says Jack. “He was a budding photographer then, and would become a very successful director. He was very hardworking, but also gentle.” It was John Hegarty himself who put it best when he said Peter managed to achieve what he did without being an asshole. Quite the rarity. It’s funny, because meeting Tom and Jack, you’re struck too by those very same qualities.
Harnessing the Power of Place
It isn’t lost on the brothers, nor anyone who works here, just how special the space is. It’s become more than just a workplace, but a hub for creativity and community. “The building is, of course, amazing,” says Tom, “but it only comes alive with people bringing life into it. That’s why the LBB event is so brilliant – it combines our production heritage and puts the space as the centre of these industry discussions.”
Jack adds that the building’s history connects an intriguing layer to its modern-day purpose. “During WWII, some of the animals from London Zoo were kept here for protection,” he reveals with a smile. “We even had a brown bear named Spitfire.”
A lot of what has driven Park Village to where it is today, is owed to this recognition of how wonderful the place is. “We’ve hosted everything from charity dinners to supper clubs with agencies,” Jack says. “We’re so lucky to have this space, and it’s important to us that we use it not just for business, but for things that matter, like community events and environmental efforts.” Park Village also collaborates with London Screen Academy to allow students to shoot on its location.
In fact, the studio’s commitment to sustainability is ingrained in its daily operations. Park Village was one of the founding members of the Net Zero Carbon initiative in the industry, and they’re currently on the path to B Corp certification – a process we all know, is not for the faint of heart.
“We do biannual eco audits, and work with local charities like OLIO to reduce food waste. And we’ve made major changes to the building's operations, and our production processes” Jack explains. “It’s all about doing what we can to be part of the solution.” Jack says that knowing their events and shoots won’t produce mass waste, is something clients are extremely grateful for.
Meeting people who not only talk the sustainability talk, but have the real receipts from the walk, is a total pleasure.
Continually Building
For Tom and Jack, the responsibility of carrying the Park Village name into the modern age is about pivoting with the times. “Everything is changing so quickly,” Tom says. “We’re constantly asking ourselves, ‘What can we do that’s different? How do we evolve?’”
The production scene today is radically altered from what it was in Peter Webb’s heyday. Speaking about their new, ‘Originals’ department, Tom explains: “Traditionally, ad agencies would send us a script, we’d quote on it, suggest a director, and get to work. But now, we are working with brands and broadcasters to develop ideas from the ground up. It’s a new way of working that means we aren’t just waiting.”
The Originals department utilises Park Village’s talent and pool of creators to come up with ideas, scripts, films and more, then taking them to brands, and streaming platforms – working to develop those ideas and funding content. This push toward original IP development, rather than commercial production alone, speaks to a broader shift in how production companies are adapting to new formats and platforms. “We’re creating our own opportunities,” Tom explains. “We’re more than just a production company, we’re a creative production studio, plus so much more.”
Adam Booth, who joined the team three years ago as managing partner, highlights the importance of fostering long-term partnerships and creative collaborations. “What we’re finding is that it’s less about bidding against competitors and more about forming long-term partnerships with clients…We’re thinking beyond the typical time constraints of a commercial project.” He sees this as integral to their growth.
Above: A still from Hitachi's blockbuster-inspired campaign directed through Park Village.
Creativity with Purpose
But sustainability isn’t just something embedded in their operational functions, it’s also a creative theme the team loves to work with. Their recent venture into long-form content comes in the form of Park Village’s first broadcast documentary for Warner Brothers Discovery Channel. “It’s an eco-film about coral reefs in the Red Sea, exploring ground breaking scientific efforts to combat global reef decline,” says Tom.
Their work with Greenpeace on the Wasteminster campaign, which visualised the UK’s plastic waste crisis by dumping it (digitally) onto Downing Street, is a particular favourite of the brother’s because of how well it did.
It ended up winning lots of awards, but it wasn’t the metal that had Tom and Jack favouring it. “It did well at a time when dad was starting to become unwell," Tom explains. "It felt like a way of showing him that everything was in safe hands.”
Despite all the changes in the industry, and their own shift in focus, both Tom and Jack are acutely aware of their father’s legacy. “There was a time when we were afraid of it,” admits Tom. “We thought it might make us seem outdated, but now we’re proud of it. We’re still figuring it out, but we’re doing our own thing while honouring what dad built.”
Jack nods in agreement, ”We’re not just a production company with a big building anymore. We’re harnessing the community that comes through our doors and using that energy to create something new.”
As I leave Park Village I’m struck that this place isn’t just steeped in history, but is making it too. It’s a space evolving; acting with kindness to the earth it is built upon, love for the community around it, holding fast to what made it special in the first place. Not resting on the laurels of legacy, but working to sustain it – all while looking ahead and pushing farther.
A rare combination of past fuelling future.
I think I know of someone who would be proud.
Park Village will be hosting LBB's first Better Together event on Wednesday 23rd October, 2024. For more information about the event information click here, and to buy tickets click here.
