Bossing It: Mark Witherow on Learning to Lead

Mark Witherow is the managing director and executive producer of Pebble Studios. With 18 years experience in the advertising industry, Mark now leads the development and direction of commercial and content production across an array of animation, film and immersive projects. Mark directs an award-winning team of producers, artists, and technologists, to create characterful and emotive content for a roster of global clients.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Mark> I’m very lucky to have been surrounded by lots of brilliant leaders throughout my career, from line managers all the way up to exec teams. I found that I worked best with leaders who were really entrepreneurial – willing to get stuck in and with a real ‘hustle’ mindset.

I always liked working with and for people who are aware of their position and point of view within the industry, and really owning it. Authenticity in leadership means a great deal to me. And is something I have really tried to keep in mind as my own leadership responsibilities have grown. 

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?

Mark> Mostly through personal experience - I like to learn things on the job. I learned a lot from some great managers, leadership teams, founders, MDs or EPs that I've worked with. But similarly, there have definitely been some moments where I have really thought, "that's not how you should be treating your team". I would make a mental note to avoid doing the same thing myself in a leadership role. 

Outside of hands-on experience, I listen to quite a lot of podcasts and pick up some great tips, again, both right and wrong ways of doing things. I’ve got a few golden nuggets from people like Simon Sinek and Elizabeth Day but I’d say the majority of my learning is on the job.

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?

Mark> I think I always hoped that I might be able to get to a senior position, but I’m not sure I really understood what ‘leadership’ would mean in business terms. I played a lot of sports when I was younger and I saw great moments of leadership in a number of different guises growing up, outside of the professional working world. I think I always gravitated towards working with people, and being part of a team. I saw how I could galvanise people together and get everyone pushing towards the same goal.

I wasn't a particularly shy person when I was young; I was fairly outgoing and I think that helped me. I wasn't afraid to put my hand up, and get stuck into things which I had zero experience in, but I knew that I'd be able to figure it out by asking the right people and problem solving.

I think I really got my first taste of leadership in the working world at one of my old agencies, Iris, (there are a few ex-Iris folk at Pebble). It was such an exciting agency to be part of and you were given so much accountability and autonomy - managing people, big projects and client relationships at really quite a young age and fairly junior position. It was a bit of a sink or swim environment, but I loved it and knew that if I wanted to have success in the industry in my role, then ‘leadership’ would play a significant part in that.

Whilst I feel that some aspects come naturally, there has also been a lot of training and development over the years – it’s a constant learning curve, whether it's tricky projects or clients that come in or employees who've got particularly challenging circumstances that you need to react and adapt to – you're always developing your style and your approach.

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?

Mark> For sure, and probably more than I would like to admit. Thankfully no catastrophic failures that I’m aware of. What does really get to me though, is when I miss signs that colleagues are struggling, be it with work, personal issues or both. There have been occasions that I’ve really kicked myself for not spotting things sooner. Like authenticity, I hold empathy well up there as a vital part of effective leadership – so it hurts when I miss these things.

So it’s definitely something I am trying to keep front of mind more and more, but it’s a constant juggle – if the studio is busy, you're worried about how stacked everyone is, and if you're quiet, then you're worried about how you're going to keep everyone excited, fulfilled and paid! 

Checking in on the team’s welfare regularly has really gone up on my priority list, especially with colleagues who are highly capable but have convincing poker faces. 

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor? Do you mentor any aspiring leaders now?

Mark> I’ve had a few over the years – some more official than others. Some, I’m not even sure would realise that they have been a mentor to me… 

I’ve found it invaluable and a very different thing to having ‘career progression’ conversations with even the most supportive of line managers. Being able to speak to a peer who doesn’t have an invested interest in your career, beyond wanting to see you flourish, opens up conversations and points of view that you might not have thought of. Whether our chats are specifically about me, or just more of a discussion around challenges in the industry, it can be pretty cathartic and rewarding.

The best mentors I’ve had have been ex-colleagues, people who know you, your style and ways of working. People who have perspective from working at numerous different companies, but most importantly, someone you look up to and ultimately admire. 

When I made the move from agency world to production, I reached out to lots of people and the conversations I had really helped me see through the noise, my insecurities and worries and ultimately take the leap. And then again more recently as I moved from a ‘senior’ role to a leadership role – I knew there would be a lot of skills I would need to learn, things I’ve never had to really think about before.

Some of the conversations I’ve had, and still have, really help to focus on the most important aspects of my job and see things from different perspectives.

At Pebble Studios, we work with a company called Good Nugget, who run mentoring schemes for students and people who are breaking into the creative industries. We offer advice and apprenticeships (with us or our collaborators) all to try to help get their foot in the door, while helping them build up their CV, portfolios and interview skills. I’d love to do more one-on-one mentoring in the future.

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

Mark> It’s tough, especially in a small business where you work on a project-by-project basis. You can really feel it when it’s quiet and your back’s against the wall. But equally, you also get to ride the highs when the going’s good.

For me, I think as long as you have a clear direction and overall business goal then this at least helps give the team a bit of a north star – something to shoot towards and get proactive around, even when the market is quiet. I think instilling a mentality of entrepreneurialism in small teams is also key, it readies people to pivot, try new things and not rest on their laurels too much. 

Production is a challenging industry, because there are so many factors that impact us as a studio and are beyond our control. There's a lot of stuff which has a trickle-down effect on us. The best you can do is try and spot challenges early and come up with ways of navigating them - and then really clearly communicate what those approaches are and why you're doing them with your team. 

There’s a balance between not wanting to overburden your team with your worries or concerns, but also making it clear when a change in direction or hustle is required. I think, again, authenticity and empathy in leadership is key to get round this – really believe that what you’re doing or changing is right for the business, recognise the impact this may have on your team and make a clear plan for how they can personally help affect this change within the confines of their strengths and personal objectives.

We set ourselves annual goals, but also quarterly objectives as a business, which help us adapt to changes in the market, but also keep sight of the bigger picture. The quarterly objectives (or, Rocks, as we call them) then trickle down to all employees to make sure we’re all rowing in the same direction. 

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

Mark> It’s intrinsically linked for me. My enjoyment of the job, the quality of the work and happiness of our clients, is all linked to the culture within our company. We’re really lucky that our founders share those values.

We’re seeing clients asking for a lot more for a lot less, so you sometimes find yourself expected to be delivering a lot more in the same amount of time. In these situations, if you don't have a strong culture, it can quite quickly become a fairly toxic environment where you feel like you're an island. 

Gone are the days where having a great culture meant having a ping pong table, a PlayStation and some beanbags. It's a lot more nuanced in terms of what people want now. I personally still get a lot out of good old fashioned Thursday night drinks or a Friday lunch pub trip, but we’re aware that with a diverse team, we need to offer a range of benefits to keep the spirits high.

We do a lot of weekly and ad-hoc socials, but every quarter, we get the company together, more often than not off-site. The directors and I will deliver a big presentation, going through new hires or new engagements, pregnancies, the best work, shining spotlights on particular projects, things like that. After that, there will always be some kind of competitive event, and then dinner and drinks.

Doing these things consistently really helps. And it has been much more challenging since the advent of hybrid and remote working. A lot of people in this industry love being part of a team, getting round a table together – whether it’s for lunch or to brainstorm ideas. It’s just not the same on a Teams call. I think in all honesty, we’re still finessing and learning a lot as we go, but we recognise how key collaboration is to creating great work and building a brilliant company – and we’ll never stop trying to improve.

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

Mark> I listen to a few production and performance podcasts about broadening the creative horizon and motivating yourself and those around you. There are some really interesting little nuggets and psychological nuances that you can take from those, even when they’ve got nothing to do with production or creative.

I actually often find myself taking more away from leadership talks in other industries, it’s interesting to see how people operate within different businesses and how they navigate challenges in their world – there’s always a lot of crossover. 

I’m not an avid reader… I’ve always been more into TV and film. But I was given the book ‘Legacy’ during the pandemic, which is about the All Blacks and what we can learn from them in relation to business and life. There are some amazing insights into leadership, teamwork and culture and it’s now become our company's general playbook, we refer to it a lot. 

But again, for me I think I learn best through first hand experience. And I’m very lucky in this industry as a I get to meet a lot of different leaders and get insights into how they do things, whether it’s CMOs or marketing directors at big brands, founders and owners of start ups looking to make their mark or the many agency heads and creative directors we work with. I take a lot from these different interactions and relationships – essentially stealing the traits I admire most or see the best results from.