Blacklist Creative Brings Together Fun and Original Thinking with Two New Office Spaces

An office move to a bigger and better space often signals positivity and growth. In the case of Blacklist Creative, an independent creative agency and production studio, that couldn’t be more true as they’ve been on the move not once but twice in recent months. The company was recently awarded a Best Place to Work accolade, scoring an impressive 97% for the second year running.

The London team didn’t go far from their original Fitzrovia location, they’re now based in buzzy Farringdon. Dom Ho, co-founder and joint MD, says they chose the location because the area is “full of exciting creative, ad, and digital agencies as well as tech start-ups so it felt like a no-brainer. Plus our office is also right opposite Leather Lane, which is known for its incredible food market so the staff are loving it!”

The new London office currently sits 34 people which includes a large in-house production and creative team as well as copywriters, strategists, finance and a business development department. “It’s safe to say that we have most areas covered. We are always looking to expand and to grow the business, both in terms of adding to the core team and also investing in our junior talent through internships with various universities across the UK.”

“The new office is almost three times the size of our previous office, so we now have the luxury of several breakout areas - perfect for brainstorming and pitch run-throughs. We designed a purpose-built soundproof edit suite that we installed from scratch. There are two quiet pods for video conferencing and telephone calls. An 85-inch TV and lounge area, with an 180-degree camera for our full team Monday morning meetings.” 

“We are TPN (Trusted Partner Network) certified which means we have to go through rigorous security measures every year to qualify to work with unreleased content. The office was a blank canvas when we moved in; we were able to install all the latest tech and stringent security measures to make us a safe choice for clients,” Dom adds.

The company’s Amsterdam office started with just one staff member back in January 2022, Femke Westerhof - head of production, and has now grown to eight employees. That’s not including the two dogs that frequently make a very welcome appearance. Dom says: “We underestimated how quickly the business would grow and have already had to move offices once as we outgrew the first office within six months. Let’s see what the next year brings.”

“For now, the Amsterdam office is located in the western part of the city and is part of a serviced office building so it comes with lots of communal break out areas, meeting rooms, pods as well as a café and pizza bar.”

One of the main benefits of having a base in Amsterdam is that it has opened access to a whole new pool of talent, giving Blacklist the opportunity to work with even more incredible individuals. “Covid has allowed us to work from anywhere in the world and we have very much taken this into account in the way that we now work across our projects. Our Netherlands team operates in a fluid way and are not restricted to local projects. They work on a lot of our UK projects as much as the UK team now also work on the Netherlands projects. It is really exciting to see the team work so seamlessly together despite not being in the same country.”

Both of the offices operate on a hybrid working model with a mix of office-based and work from home days. This approach gives everyone the best of both worlds with the team learning from each other, brainstorming in the new cosy areas, and also enjoying the benefits of quieter days at home.

From the very beginning of the company’s life, building a positive, genuine, and fun culture has been key to Blacklist’s success with Dom and the senior leadership team firmly believing that happy staff are the key to great work. Employees at all levels are consulted on their opinions and thoughts to ensure that culture is shaped by the people, not for them. As a result of those consultations, there are ‘Pre-Thinks Thursdays’, an informal wind-down for people to discuss the week's successes, trials and tribulations, and a fund to support the staff's individual projects such as short films,” Dom says. 

In London, the office has a hidden area, a kind of chill out oasis complete with a fully stocked bar. “It’s a place for everyone to have meetings, to let their hair down, and to entertain clients,” says Dom. And what’s the one thing that makes Blacklist’s office truly unique? “We have a full sized 3D-printed Halo soldier mannequin that was rescued from a large experiential out of home campaign we did in Oslo Central Station, which is now standing guard by the editing suite keeping an eye on the staff,” he laughs.

Over in Amsterdam, the office culture is similarly fun and nurturing. Dom is very keen for both teams to feel connected to each other and to stay tight-knit despite growing rapidly. The company recently returned from an annual company trip where everyone got to mingle and spend time outside of work. On the horizon is the renowned staff Christmas party, followed by a summer event down the line.

“We are a tight knit team and it’s great to see the friendships that have formed from the office. ‘Make it fun!’ is our mantra. The relaxed and open approach to our working environment allows for the staff to lean on each other for both work and personal support. We are very proud of this as it’s very organic and cannot be manufactured. We believe that this is why clients like and continue working with us building long term relationships,” Dom concludes.