Bossing It: Keeping the Energy with Yohan Ungar

Yohan Ungar has been in the industry for two decades, starting as a director of music videos and commercials. He later joined the leading production company Birth as EP & managing partner. Yohan initiated various different projects such as establishing the London office and Birth LX luxury division among others. He has worked on impactful campaigns for brands such as Hermès, Audemars Piguet, Adidas, Nike, Saint Laurent, Audi, Dior. Yohan splits his time between Paris and London.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Yohan> I found myself deep into the front lines, in the role of director, at the very beginning of my career when I was entrusted with directing a music video featuring a renowned hip hop artist.

Leadership, I quickly learned, demands unwavering self-assurance. Once you step into such a role, your task is to steer the ship, no matter the challenges. Everyone looks to you for direction—asking what, when, and why—and any hint of hesitation can plant doubt among your crew.

My inaugural experience taught me that it's a sink-or-swim scenario. You must swiftly make decisions for the collective, for those who place their trust in you. Why choose to collaborate with a particular individual? Why select a specific location? Can we afford to allocate resources in this manner? Or settle the things and then the decision making is going quicker again… These are the rapid-fire queries that demand immediate answers.

In the fast-paced world of directing, there's little time for deliberation. You either seize opportunities as they arise or risk losing them forever. It's a crucible where every choice carries weight, and the ability to navigate it decisively, is paramount.

I’d say that leadership is the idea to take decisions for the group.

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?

Yohan> I firmly believe in the power of teamwork. Together, we're stronger. In a football team, whether you excel as a winger, a defender, or possess fast-as-lightning speed, or the one who leads for the others. If you have the skills to take this charge, go ahead, guide us, and show us the way forward.

Leadership isn't a solitary journey; it's about guiding a collective effort. Within a team, every role holds equal importance, including the one of the leader. To be recognized as the leader means you have the aptitude to fulfil that role effectively.

Leader is one of the many roles in a team, important like any other role… maybe not exactly (laughs).

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

Yohan> I think the best experiences are the moment where a situation confirms the result of your choice. You chose to invest, you chose to upgrade certain people, certain organisations…

At the moment when you take the decision you never know at 200% if it’s the good move or not but you have the conviction this is what you have to do for your group.

This is the result, a comment, a success, or an intermediary result that gives you the feeling or the approval that you made the right choice or that you’re on the right path.

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?

Yohan> I've never been one to readily follow other people’s rules. Yet, I realise now that this type of defiance was perhaps just a phase of some teenage rebellion. The truth is, we all inevitably find ourselves under someone else's leadership at some point. I still refer to those who possess a vision that’s different from my own, allowing them to guide the way.

I’m very respectful of the people who want to open new routes, who want to innovate, who take the responsibility to highlight what others don’t see…

Once people offer that kind of impression, I’m ok to accept their leadership.

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

Yohan> Keeping the energy

Consistency

Keeping the people enthusiastic

Protect your people

I’m not sure to be able to explain this.

I consider that you take a decision at a certain point with the information and the knowledge you have at that precise moment.

If you’re sincere with yourself and with other people, you’re going to take the best solution at that moment.

Of course, you can easily reconsider a few years later that you should do this or that but at the moment you did it, and if you maximise all the elements you have at your disposal and if you believe in yourself… it was probably the best solution to take at that moment.

You anticipated the different scenarios, even the ones that played against you.

You took the good decision.

At the same time, there is never an ideal situation, you do the things that are going to solve, let's say maybe 70% or 80% of your situation.

For sure it won’t please certain people. You have to integrate this notion and move forward… this is the game!

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?

Yohan> I like the idea of authenticity, being straightforward and transparent in explaining things as they truly are. As a leader, you may find yourself surrounded by intelligent individuals who trust in your judgment and can comprehend your explanations, even if it's not directly aligned with their interests.

However, it's also essential for them to recognise that you're committed to exerting your energy to solve the situation, protect their interests, and make decisions that benefit the collective as a whole.

Above all, what matters the most is taking action. Actions speaks louder than words and demonstrates your desire to move forward and achieve collective goals.

Take the good decision to save the interest of the group…

The most important thing is to act!!! Action!

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?

Yohan> Good inspiration comes from what you live with your family, best friends, and collaborators. A good leader is someone who knows how to surround themselves, avoiding harmful personalities or "vampires" that suck away your energy. I believe in the mantra a person's intelligence is measured by the number of smart people in their close circle.

So you choose the people around you because they share more or less the same values, and take care of each other. This doesn't mean approaching everything with the same feeling or the same view but creating an environment for different ideas to live.

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

Yohan> Speak! Speak! Speak! Stay as close as possible. Do not allow too much space between you and your collaborators.

Don’t leave them alone if you decide to work with certain people. Truly collaborate with them, they are here to support your vision and actions and you theirs. You should be there to help them progress and encourage them to progress.

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

Yohan> It has been in the DNA of BIRTH from the very beginning and in my personal journey. I care about you, you bring your energy, your desires, your background, your culture. It's likely what will make the difference because of the fact that you see things differently from me, and that's why we should move forward together. 

But it's not a quest. In the end, I invite you to step into our offices, in Paris, London, Algiers, Milan, Shanghai. I believe you will be impressed by the diversity of the people that are present. I believe that if you approach things with sincerity and a certain philosophy, they will align, and things will combine in the best way at a certain point. 

Time is the judge.

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?

Yohan> It’s the reason I wake up every morning and I fight.

Perhaps the most pivotal juncture, the paramount moment, the very essence and driving force for my living.

The common culture we build together in a company is the core of our work, this is why people come to us, this is what we spread in the industry and in the audience.

Every company, especially a production company has its own cooking, its own way of approaching the job, the relationship with the artists or the brands. I consider this is the point where we differentiate ourselves from the others. 

We started a few years ago with the idea to produce differently to entertain a new way to accompany our artists, our clients, to give another perspective to this relationship, build another culture around the way to produce, the artists we invited on the field and the material we like to deliver… We’re still fighting for it from music videos to commercials, from cinema to mixed media experiences, we’re all involved in this idea to push new codes, then new culture… let’s see what happens!

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

Yohan> People

Discussions

Books

High scale business