“I’m Still a Producer at Heart”: Barny Wright on Leading with Empathy and Craft

Barny Wright is the CEO and founding partner of No.8, an award-winning creative sound and vision studio in Soho, London. Previously head of production at Big Buoy, Barny co-founded No.8 with creative director Jim Allen in April 2019.

Under Barny's leadership, No.8 has experienced year-on-year growth, recently acquiring JAMVFX to expand into the film and HETV world. Barny actively participates in awards juries and is a member of the APA and other industry forums.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Barny> I was captain of my junior school football team, does that count?

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?

Barny> I believe you should behave in business the way you behave in general life. Work hard, be creative, treat people with respect, have empathy and try to be kind. I think my leadership style is reflective of that. I’m definitely not someone who shouts at people.

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

Barny> I’m a producer at heart, so every job I have ever produced has taught me what it takes to bring a team together; problem solve together and go into battle together when needed. It’s always a team effort; someone just needs to stand at the front.

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?

Barny> I’m the youngest child so wanting to be involved and have a voice started very early. I was a small voice in a large family, so school gave me the opportunity to stand out and be noticed. I have created roles for myself ever since – if a job didn’t exist then I tried to create one, even if it meant creating the company too.

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?

Barny> I think if you start from a place of working as hard as you can, pushing yourself and challenging yourself then others see that and anybody can be a leader. You don’t have to be the loudest, most confident person to inspire those around you. You can definitely learn some of the softer skills though, how to handle tricky situations, etc. It all comes with experience and learning from others.

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

Barny> I find it harder to deal with people if we come from an entirely different viewpoint on the world or how to treat people. If we don’t have the same values around how to behave it can make leading someone challenging. Entitlement and ego are tricky to manage but all part of the job, every single person is different and as a leader you must adapt to the situation.

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?

Barny> All the time! I’m extremely confident in my own abilities but everyone doubts themselves sometimes. And then throw in the ingrained catholic guilt (I went to catholic comprehensive school in Essex my whole life) and I definitely have had times where you question things. I’m very lucky to have people around me who I can lean on and ask for advice.

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?

Barny> My heart always says be as honest as possible, but my brain and commercial experience warns that you have to be cautious with disclosing everything all the time. Often people don’t want to know all the details of things. Ignorance can be bliss and it's my role as a leader to shield people sometimes.

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?

Barny> I have been very lucky to have some great leaders around me since I started work. Too many to name but Mike Woods who was the head of the machine room at Framestore at the time (and is now doing incredible creative things in the US) and Colin, Jon and Jim (Allen – who’s now one of my partners at No.8) at Big Buoy all taught me different things and inspired me.

I also learn a lot from my clients, people like Nicola Doring, Tracey Stokes, Sorcha Shepherd, Natalie Hill and so many more, incredible people that have been leading their own businesses for years and doing it with passion, kindness and empathy. One day I hope to be half as good as any of them.

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

Barny> I’m now over six years sober so I deal with things in a very different way! I run a lot, that helps clear my head and gives me time to think. I also moved to the North Norfolk Coast and everything they say about sea air is true. Epic seas and sky really gives me perspective and clarity to see the big picture and be able to navigate the path through the storm.

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

Barny> There is a massive diversity issue in advertising and in post-production particularly and something we all need to keep working hard on (regardless of what a certain US president might be saying).

I believe it’s about looking for opportunities and seeing what the barriers to entry are and how you can help break them down. That can be promoting talent from within, highlighting the success of underrepresented talent or casting the recruitment net wider.

I didn’t go to private school and I didn’t have a godfather who runs an agency who could give me a job, but I also very much understand my privileged position of being a white male who was lucky enough to grow up with a family who inspired and encouraged me to look at careers that a lot of people I grew up with didn’t know existed.

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?

Barny> It’s vital and something that you must work on all the time. Especially as you are scaling as quickly as we have done. There have been times when my eye has been on other things and it slipped slightly or we have made hires that haven’t quite worked culturally, and it really affects things and the feel of a place.

Now it’s about having a team of people who believe in the same things as you do and can be the culture champions in the business. It’s not easy, and really not when it's busy or stressful or revenue is down, etc., but for me it’s important to try and enjoy the journey as much as possible.

I think culture isn’t just about parties and treats though, it’s about a mutual respect for people and how to treat one another. We believe things are better together. That does mean audio and VFX, or advertising and film, but it also means people. We have a great amount of flexibility with remote working but when the whole team is together, I do like the buzz. I’m also a particular fan of a pub quiz night in my old age!

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

Barny> I read quite a lot of management books about scale, leadership and the importance of team but really it’s about listening and learning from your own mistakes and the mistakes of those around you. I know I don’t know everything, I know I’m flawed but I also know I make decisions that come from a good place and decisions that I truly believe are what is best for the future.