Bossing It: Taking the Plunge into Leadership with Tom Webb

Tom Webb is the managing director of creative production studio Park Village, home to London's premiere production and event space, and an award-winning roster of directors. With 25+ years of experience in the media and film industry, Tom has been leading Park Village since 2008, and has since overseen the studio's growth from commercial work to incorporate branded entertainment and documentary filmmaking. 

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Tom> I think all of us who have been producers have a tendency to lead, it’s about being able to guide a team at any level. But it was in 2008 when the then MD of Park Village departed fairly abruptly that I was properly thrown into leadership myself.

It was a difficult time for the company, and it became apparent that there was a need for an interim leader, so the most obvious candidate (despite being entirely under prepared) was me. I had to take the plunge with very little time to think about it, but it was ultimately the best way to begin and I never looked back.

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?

Tom> Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was for me at the start, some people have a natural inclination to lead a company, but it had never occurred to me before that. But I was keen to find a leadership style that worked for me, and in turn would work for the team. Initially there was perhaps a tendency to ‘adopt’ leadership styles from other people or from the latest business book, trying to understand what makes a good leader.

Before I worked for Park Village I had worked at a few companies that were ruled by fear, and whilst back then I could actually see how that worked on some level, I can’t be that confrontational with the team I’m responsible for. There has to be trust and a sense of being ‘in it together’, so I was more interested in developing the company culture, focusing on nurturing and supporting.

Hopefully it’s been like that ever since and it’s one of the things I’m proudest of, making Park Village an enjoyable place to work for so many different types of people. It’s important to empower the team you want to work with, often by hiring people who are smarter or have different experiences to yourself.

I think all decent leaders look for strengths and characteristics that complement their own, and there’s a talent in selecting the right people to make up a team, which I’ve certainly developed over the years. Once the right people are in place it’s then just about putting trust in them, and giving the support and encouragement they need to thrive, whilst letting them know that I’m here to fall back should they need it.

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

Tom> One month before I took over as MD in 2008, there was a combination of a market crash and a loss of some big clients. There was no warning and it was a very frightening time, with many sleepless nights. There was an obvious and real sense of anxiety running through the company!

After the initial unease and panic I realised two things; firstly and most importantly, I needed to reassure everyone that depended on the company that things were going to be ok and that we could get through this. Whilst I believed it, it’s not always easy to convince everyone when they are very aware of the situation but my strong belief was able to give them the security and reassurance that galvanised everyone to come together and face everything head on with a real team spirit. 

Secondly, I could only concentrate on what was in my control and do my absolute best to let go of anything else. This may sound obvious but it was very hard. With a lot of hard work and some luck we were able to navigate our way back to stability. It’s easy to look back with hindsight and forget how difficult it was but it certainly taught me a lesson in the importance of leading a team through such difficult times.

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? 

Tom> Initially I didn’t have any intention to lead the company, that always felt like my dad’s role! But one of the obvious pros of being part of a creative family legacy is that there is a likely path to leadership, whether you recognise it or not.

So whilst I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity it took me a while to realise that there is no ‘correct way’ to lead a production company, so I had to find my own style and be comfortable with it.

I’ve discovered it requires honesty as to what your strengths and weaknesses are, and a great eye for spotting talent, both in staff and in rostered talent. Which is still one of the areas I love most about this business, discovering and nurturing a new talent, whether that’s a phenomenal young director or photographer, or just meeting a great new producer you can guide through the ranks.

It’s a privilege to be in a position of enabling talent wherever you find it, and it’s part of the DNA my father built at Park Village.

LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned? 

Tom> There are definitely natural leaders out there who have a gift for rallying the troops, you can see it in the football world, people like Jurgen Klopp, Sabrina Wiegman, Alex Ferguson, they might have completely different styles but they undoubtedly all motivate a team to believe in their vision and execute it.

Personally, I think that motivating through inspiration and encouragement is the best route, and that comes as much from the team I’ve built as from me. Because when your team sees other people at Park Village creating  amazing work, it inspires them to aim for the same.

So fostering production teams and a studio team that challenge each other to do better, to strive to create more impressive films and shoots, or events or just providing an exceptional service for clients, that’s really where the magic of leadership is distilled.

Select the right people and the company will benefit from their creative chemistry and the ambition they instil in each other. 

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

Tom> The joys of maintaining a company culture certainly go hand in hand with the challenges, and managing different personalities is always a balancing act. You need to make a real effort to get out of your comfort zone and learn how to support and nurture many different personality types.

For me this is about regularly checking in with people, it doesn’t always have to be a big meeting but just a constant attempt to know what’s going on for someone.

Quite often it can be something you never even considered, but it’s about them knowing that they can talk to you no matter what.

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? 

Tom> Of course, failures come to all of us and although it’s a cliché, it’s undoubtedly true that I have learned more from my failures than my successes. We’ve made director signings that didn’t work out, staff hires that turned out to be the wrong fit, and lost clients that we really could have prevented.

With every bad decision though, there’s a learning that goes with it which better prepares you for the future.

The key is to not dwell on it, learn from it, analyse it, and use the experience to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Even those decisions that initially led to failure can end up opening doors of opportunity. It’s good to fail, it means you’re trying new things and striving for progress.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered? 

Tom> I think some people are very open by nature and some are more protective, perhaps I fall into the latter, so I’m always very aware of myself and keen to work on open communication with the team, as it’s undoubtedly the key to success.

I like to think I’m careful and considered when it comes to judgements, and sometimes that means taking advice, but sometimes it’s a decision that lies with me and that approach has definitely weathered a few storms.

I think it’s all part of a leader’s decision making process, when to share and when to quietly suffer the burden, but I would say I trust the team at Park Village to both shape my decisions and make judgements I’d approve of, so we speak regularly and I make a point of driving company gatherings and socials, it’s important to me that we spend time with talent and staff outside of each project, as that’s when some of the strongest relationships are formed, and ideas and opportunities arise.

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? 

Tom> I can’t say I’ve ever had a definitive mentor as such, but my father and his ethos for Park Village was certainly a guiding light in the early years. He didn’t want to be too hands on, but I knew that there was support there if I needed it and his advice was always spot on. So I absolutely see the value in having a mentor and it’s something I hope to offer to others as we develop the next generation of the production industry.

LBB> And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?

Tom> I got involved with the Creative Mentorship Programme last year and mentored a very talented and ambitious young producer. It was a really rewarding experience (hopefully for both of us) and it’s something I’m keen to build on. We have several members of the team at Park Village who have great potential to step up to further leadership roles and I’d hope that there’s a reciprocal mentoring approach from me to them, which rolls onward from them to others coming up through the ranks.

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

Tom> For me it’s about trying to give the team a sense of confidence in the fact the company has been around a long time and there’s plenty of shared experience to navigate difficult times.

In a turbulent market there are also plenty of opportunities, so we are continually looking at how we can evolve and make our model relevant to the changes. I take that responsibility seriously. 

This company supports people’s families and wellbeing so I make sure I have the right support around me to ensure the best for the company.

We have to take care of ourselves mentally and physically to do our best for the team, for me that has come in the form of having regular acupuncture and I actually find this so useful, I decided to study it myself so I can treat others in my spare time. That’s another story, but if anyone is interested in talking more about it please get in touch.

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

Tom> This is an ongoing commitment that we are always trying to improve. We are doing well in terms of balancing our staff, but as we help studio assistants to move up and move on, we’re constantly reviewing our targets.

We are also trying to make sure we have a better representation across our rosters and allowing that diversity to feed into the type of work we do and the partners we align with. It’s important that we have a variety of voices in our talent pool and that definitely informs the work.

We also offer the studios here for free to help support under represented talent through initiatives like Shiny and Matchbox film awards, and we try to be industry leaders in hosting events like the APA/BECTU diversity action plan launch and partnering with the London Film Academy, giving students access to practical film and photography experience.

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? 

Tom> I think it’s incredibly important and it’s something we are continually working on. We are lucky in that we have such an amazing space that we work in each day, the building has a life of its own when it’s occupied by creatives and I think everyone feels that and so enjoy coming in.

It’s steeped in creative history and the constant flow of people, both creatives and clients, give it an energy that means it’s enjoyable to be here. So in that sense we haven’t really struggled with the hybrid scenario. We naturally get more out of being together in the same place, but we also see the value in having time where there aren't distractions, so we’re flexible with the team’s time, and generally staff chose to work from home just 1 day per week.

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

Tom> Genuinely, I think the best resource an MD can have is a great team around them. Personally, I joined an executive leadership group a few years ago called Vistage. It allows for business leaders from a variety of different sectors to come together and share knowledge, discuss problems and generally support each other.

I also find it useful to talk to other business owners. I have a few friends who run production companies and it’s super useful to catch up with them regularly. I think collaborative relationships always prove to be the most important resource to me, it’s all about working with the right people.