In Production: Kevin Brown

Following the recent launch of Making, a cross-platform production company running alongside Brothers and Sisters creative agency, shots decided to catch up with managing director Kevin Brown to hear about his slightly unusual route into production and his secret passion for floristry.  

Brown started his working life as a journalist in 1998 during the early days of the internet. He began producing video web chats and short-form video content to accompany the reports he was writing for the tabloids, teaching himself as he went along, and found he had quite a talent for it.

How long have you been in the industry?

I’ve worked in production since I graduated as a journalist. I found myself in newsrooms with various journalists looking confused by the appearance of this thing called the internet. I was told to “look after it” as I was young. Comparatively.

Tell us about an ad campaign you’ve seen recently that stands out for its production quality and standard…

The best thing I’ve seen in a while that really stayed with me was the Coach Lasso Premier League viral spot for NBC. That’s quality writing and comic editing. I wish I’d made it.

Do you feel the role of the producer has/is becoming more prominent and crucial today than in the past?

It’s becoming more demanding. There’s no excuse for not understanding both the world of TV and digital. It’s all about video and putting pictures in different spaces. The media plans we encounter are becoming more digitally centric with mobile and tablet growing exponentially. The role of the producer to understand these worlds is more crucial than ever.

What’s your most valued production tool (tech or otherwise) and why?

The team. Essentially, tech means nothing without creative invention. Otherwise, it’s a case of ‘all the gear and no idea’.

Tell us about a recent risk/investment you’ve made in your career…

An investment is changing the kind of people I’m hiring. The younger graduates coming through are media neutral. They just watch video anywhere they want, predominantly on mobile. Every young producer or developer we’ve hired recently doesn’t even watch TV. They’re digitally literate and see everything as one viewing experience. It’s really refreshing.

How has the industry changed since you started working in it?

The industry’s always changing. I came into it via newspapers, the internet, TV channels and then headlong into advertising. Nothing has remained constant in that time. If I was to identify a time when everything changed, then it’s the launch of YouTube. That was the beginning of the deconstruction of telly as we know it and turned us all into broadcasters and producers – rightly or wrongly.

How do you relieve stress during a shoot?

Prayer and sweets.

What’s your favourite thing to do away from work?

Play the drums and play with my two daughters. I’m planning on combining these two pastimes to launch a drum troupe.

What would you like to see change in the world of production?

More open-mindedness and less snobbery about production technicalities. We should all aim for quality but a great creative experience is far more important than technical adherence (that rhymes!)

Tell us one way your skills at work transfer to your everyday life…

I’m moderately organised at home.

If you weren’t a producer what would you be doing instead?

Florist. Or drummer. Or both. You’ve got to have a dream, eh?