Meet the Creative Leads: GARY DAVIES, Senior CREATIVE Lead
We caught up with Gary Davies to discuss his love of animation, working at Cartoon Network and turning Pokémon cards into real-life shoots...
No one at BLACKLIST does great work alone. Every project is shaped by the people behind it, bringing different perspectives, ideas and expertise to the table.
The ‘Meet the Blacklisters’ Q&A series shines a light on the team behind the work, who they are, how they think, and what they bring to the studio. This month, we’re catching up with Gary Davies, Senior Creative Lead.
Q: Hello GARY, thanks for talking to us. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us about your role as senior creative lead at Blacklist?
Hey, it’s a pleasure. My name is Gary Davies, senior creative lead. I’m across all things AV, Concept and Narrative here at BLACKLIST. My day-to-day life sees me writing, editing, brainstorming, pitching, and working with my small creative army across London and Amsterdam, overseeing their work on promos, social content, B2B reels… you name it. It’s a lot of variety and loads of fun.
Q: How did you get into this industry? What has been your journey so far, and have you always wanted to work in this industry?
To be honest, when I first got into this industry, I didn't even know it existed. I started out in performance both on the stage and on the page, studying both performing arts and animation. It was my love of animation that led me to a creative trainee role at Cartoon Network, Central and Eastern Europe. I didn't really understand what a creative trainee was, but it felt like something I could do. It was a lot of working with cartoons, I love cartoons, so why the hell not?
That role introduced me to this world, and how vastly creative this industry could be. I was cutting on-air promos, making puppet shows, animating pancakes, it really felt like nothing was off the table. Doing that in eight languages taught me to develop ideas that can really travel.
After figuring out that this was what I wanted to do, I joined BLACKLIST, where I thought this desire to create could go even further, and thankfully they did too. I was given opportunities with more responsibility and more ownership over the creative work, empowering me to grow to where I am today. Thanks guys!
Q: As a SENIOR creative lead, how do you get the best out of the people around you without imposing your own way of thinking?
Well, it's funny you should ask that, because literally the only way I get the best creativity out of them is by imposing my will. I'm joking. Maybe.
Often, I use the 'yes, and' improv rule. We don't knock ideas down, we keep building on them until we're happy. Everyone is capable of being creative, and it's my job to help them get there. I try to be more open and encouraging in brainstorms, and more authoritative and direct in feedback. Finding the right tone at the right time isn't always easy.
But then again, is that still imposing my thinking on them? Am I imposing my will on you by answering this question? We may never know.
Q: How do you handle it when a client doesn't connect with an idea that you and the team really believe in?
If and when it happens, it's really important that you understand why. It's horrible to say this in writing, but really, it's not the client's responsibility to like, or connect, with your idea. If a client doesn't like your idea, your edit, your concept, you've failed at selling them your idea. So, we dissect and go again.
We’ve managed to get some incredible ideas made over the years, turning Pokémon cards into real-life shoots was a big one! And lost some too, RIP to my world-record-breaking whoopee cushion pitch, you were gone too soon. We can’t get it perfect every time, but we can’t get stuck on, 'hey, we think it's good' when it needs to be, 'this is a real, tangible thing that is going to be amazing, that's going to make us all loads of money, and will go down in history as the coolest whoopee-cushion ever made.’
If anyone is reading this… please... Make my whoopee dreams a reality. My inbox is open.
Q: What role does instinct play in your job? Are there times when you just know an idea is going to work before you can fully explain why?
Sometimes you just know. Instinct plays a huge role in our lives, what's beautiful about our line of work is we have the opportunity to chase that instinct and hone it into real things people can experience. But translating that feeling, I think that's probably one of the biggest challenges. Turning an abstract feeling into a tangible outcome requires real effort, but worth it!
Q: Is there something you learned early on in your career that's always stuck with you?
Yes, it was in my early animation days. ‘Being able to let go of work.’ Being able to put down the pen and start again. Recognising when something isn't working and just saying, "You know what? I've spent two and a half weeks drawing this scene and it's not working. Chuck it in the bin." And that's okay. Sometimes things don't work and you need to start fresh and take a new stab.
That's really helped me build a healthy relationship with feedback. I was even hungry for it at one point, just before I started at BLACKLIST I remember listening in on an intense conversation about a Looney Tunes promo they were making. I'd never heard someone be so vigilant about how Looney Tunes should be presented in 30 seconds. I was very inspired, and promptly made that decision to sign up.
As I was saying, don't be afraid of feedback. It's not personal. Don't worry about it.
Q: Looking back at your time at Blacklist, which project are you most proud of - and what made it such a memorable one?
I'm grateful to have so many projects to choose from. I'd say managing my teams would be one, but calling them a project might be a bit strange, so maybe one of my early moments: directing the series 'Extraordinary Me' for Nickelodeon. I'm proud of it because it was one of my first times in the director's seat, and the first project of that scale I was entrusted with. Getting to work with the most disgustingly talented kids you'll ever meet in your life? A lot of fun from start to finish. Collaborating with an amazing cast and crew: humbling, educational, exciting. It had it all!
And if people say they don't like working with kids, they're probably really weird.
Q: Half of your team is based in Amsterdam while the other half is in London. How do you bring the creatives together when they are based in different locations?
Outside of our usual catch-ups, I always encourage the team to speak not only to me but with each other and amongst themselves. That togetherness can’t be fabricated, it’s gotta come from them. So the more they lean on each other the more that togetherness feeling will thrive. I do my best to treat each member of our team equally so we hopefully avoid a ‘satellite’ team and a ‘core’ team in our environment. I’d keep them all in my basement if I could, but I’d also need them to build me a basement.
Q: Every creative has their influences. What's inspiring you right now - whether design, film, music, architecture, gaming, fashion, or something completely unexpected?
Everyone's talking about Obsession, and rightfully so, but what's happening and what's inspiring is going beyond that. It's a "what can we do with what we have?" feeling, there's a passion project renaissance happening and I’m here for it.
Look at GTA 6, and then how other triple-A titles aren't finding that success, or a success like they once did. It's brought older developers out of the woodwork talking about where the gems of the past came from - when devs didn't have six billion pounds to make a single title, they had eight people in a room who were so passionate about something they'd do anything to see it come to life. I feel like that mindset is creeping back in.
We're moving away from this ultra-comfortable way of thinking, ‘just a job’ mindset, and toward something more raw. There's always a way of finding that amazing story in everything we do, no matter the scale.
Q: Technology and tools are evolving faster than ever. How has your craft changed over the last few years and what's exciting or challenging you most about where things are heading?
We’re now able to solve a lot more problems ourselves than we used to, even creating a small offline post-production toolkit for our teams to embed in their workflow. It’s quite strange what we’re able to do really. Just really got to be careful how hard you're leaning into these technologies. There's a term I use all the time: you need to keep the blade sharp. Don't let the ease of use blunt your knife, so we make sure these new technologies amplify our work rather than deprive us of our skills.
Also, let's bring back the em-dash - I’ve never wanted to use them as much as I do now that they’re banned - dramatic pauses are more than a comma I say - huzzah!
Q: What's one piece of advice you'd give to the next generation of creatives looking to build a career in this industry?
It can get crazy out there, but stay true to yourself and don't take it too seriously, chill out. It's a fun industry. It's a crazy industry. No one's going to die over a deadline. Don't let it get you down. I've had moments where I needed a good scream out a window to get through some days, but try to have fun with it!
Q: And finally… how do you eat your chocolate digestive biscuit?
I simply pick it up and put it in my mouth. If I thought too hard about it, I probably wouldn't end up eating it.
