01
Too late
Production is often brought in after the output, idea or budget has already started to harden.
01 · The big picture
The team doesn’t have a production capability problem. It has an operating model problem.
There is significant capability inside the team. The challenge is creating the conditions that let that capability produce better work, more efficiently and more profitably.
02
Unclear ownership
Projects can sit with Creative, Client Services or Production. Accountability changes job by job.
03
Best with freedom
The strongest work happens with client access, creative freedom and responsibility for solving the problem.
04
Not enough sold
The commercial issue underneath it all: Trunk is simply not selling enough production work.
02 · When the team is at its best
We are at our best when…
Production is involved early.
We speak directly to the client.
We understand the problem, not just the requested output.
The team is trusted to make creative decisions.
Ownership is clear.
Small groups can move quickly.
Specialists lead their discipline.
There is freedom to problem-solve.
People challenge constructively.
There are fewer unnecessary handoffs.
FREEDOM + OWNERSHIP + ACCESS = BETTER WORK
03 · People
There is more capability here than we currently use.
The first people opportunity is not automatically “hire more people”. It is to understand and use the capability already available much more deliberately.
CORE CAPABILITY
Strong production foundations
Production, editing, motion, animation, live production, multicamera, social content, client communication, production planning and technical delivery.
UNDERUSED
More than the job titles suggest
Higher-end motion, creative direction, directing, live/multicam production, photography, social-first production, creator/UGC knowledge, explainers and internal communications.
AMBITION
People want broader ownership
George wants greater creative and on-set leadership. Tom wants to use more motion and creative skill. Matt wants to build live, studio and practical-production capability. Cariad could move further into creators, UGC and platform insight. Liam wants clearer standards and accountability.
CAPABILITY GAP TO RESOLVE
Who joins the content system together?
The team does not currently have one obvious person connecting content strategy, platform understanding, production, distribution thinking and commercial context.
04 · A leadership question
Revenue first. Structure second.
The workshop raised several structural questions, but they cannot be answered properly until leadership first defines the commercial ambition.
1 · Commercial ambition24-month revenue, retained revenue, margin, project mix and target clients.
2 · Capability requiredWhat the business needs to be excellent at to deliver that ambition.
3 · Team structureWhat should be permanent, shared, freelance or partner-led.
4 · InvestmentWhen people, studio or technology become commercially justified.
Ownership: Hannah and Liam. Adam can support the process and develop options, but the final organisational model is a leadership decision.
05 · Process
The process is too dependent on who happens to be involved.
BRIEFING
Output before problem
Some briefs specify “the video” rather than the outcome the client is trying to create.
OWNERSHIP
No consistent owner
The job may be driven by Creative, Client Services or Production depending on the project.
SCOPING
Budget can arrive first
Budgets and deliverables can harden before Production has properly scoped the work.
LEARNING
The loop stops at delivery
Financial wash-ups exist. Effectiveness wash-ups largely do not.
TodayClient / Creative / CS
ThenOutput or idea gets defined
ThenBudget may get discussed
LateProduction receives “please make this”
Principle to developClient problem
EarlyMade by Trunk involved
ThenDefine the right response
ThenScope → make → learn
06 · Process principles to develop
A few simple rules could remove a lot of friction.
01
Two types of brief
Production Brief for clear executional requirements. Concept Brief where Made by Trunk helps define the solution.
02
One clear owner
Every job needs one person accountable from brief through delivery, even when multiple disciplines contribute.
03
Scope before commitment
Production validates deliverables, approach and cost before promises are made externally.
04
Three options
Immediate solution, stronger solution, and a wider long-term answer to the client’s underlying problem.
05
Plan the asset opportunity
Ask what else should intelligently be captured before production begins, not once the hero asset is finished.
06
Learn after delivery
Measure effectiveness as well as profitability, then feed the learning into the next brief.
07 · The missing loop
We know whether the job made money. We often don’t know whether it worked.
At the start, define the intended KPI or outcome. After delivery, automate the prompt to capture performance, client feedback, learnings and the next opportunity.
ObjectiveWhat are we trying to move?
MakeProduce against that outcome.
DeliverGet the work live and in market.
MeasureHow did it perform?
LearnWhat changes next time?
Next briefTurn learning into growth.
08 · Product
Two strong commercial territories emerged.
Premium / distinctive
Make something people notice
For important moments where idea, craft and production quality matter.
- Campaign and brand films
- TVCs and major launches
- Premium animation
- Hero and documentary content
Recurring / useful
Feed the machine
For brands that need a regular supply of useful, relevant, platform-appropriate content.
- Always-on and social video
- Creator / UGC
- Explainers and internal comms
- Shows, live and short-form
09 · Not everything needs to be a product
Make every idea work harder
This currently feels more useful as an operating principle than a standalone offer.
Before production: ask what else this investment should intelligently create, vertical versions, short-form edits, stills, BTS, interviews, creator cuts, audio, cutdowns and alternative hooks.
The workshop also exposed a gap in platform/content strategy capability that needs resolving before this territory can be fully owned.
Build formats people come back to
This fits naturally inside Feed the Machine.
Think branded shows, podcasts, livestreams, recurring interviews, panels and owned content series.
“Podcast production” describes equipment. A format people come back to describes something with commercial value.
10 · Opportunities worth developing
Credible areas to build, package or sell harder.
Strong workshop support
Creator / UGC
Build creator networks, brief contributors around the UK, capture remotely and bring assets back into Trunk for editing, branding and versioning. CreatorAmp strengthens the story.
Existing technical capability
Live + multicam
Portable setups for panels, events, internal broadcasts, branded shows and livestreams. Studio capability can follow proven demand.
Useful, not just “marketing”
Explainers
How-to films, product education, employee content and customer guidance, using film, animation or both.
Existing credibility
Internal comms
Repackage past and current experience into a clearer proposition with recurring relationship potential.
Needs commercial validation
Entry TV / VOD
Explore Sky AdSmart, commission and lower-cost routes to broadcast for clients who assume TV is inaccessible.
Underused in-house skill
Motion + product
Use more of the team’s creative motion capability for visually stronger product-led and motion-led work.
11 · Commercial insight
“It’s not nice being part of a company that doesn’t make profit. I want to feel like I’m contributing and I want to make it profitable.”Workshop participant
The biggest productions are not automatically the best business. Smaller jobs where the team has greater control can move faster, use fewer people, build stronger relationships and deliver better margin.
THE COMMERCIAL MODEL SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON GLAMOUR.
The strongest future may be a dependable base of profitable “bread and butter” production relationships and retainers, supported by a smaller number of standout hero productions.
12 · Made by Trunk within Trunk
How distinct does it need to be to create real accountability?
The workshop exposed a structural question, not a settled answer.
Keep it highly integrated
Potential benefits
- One Trunk team
- Easy access to wider capability
- Less risk of internal silos
Risk
The same ambiguity around ownership, creative decisions and commercial responsibility may continue.
Greater Made by Trunk accountability
Potential benefits
- Clearer project and client ownership
- Dedicated pipeline
- Profitability visibility
- Specialist decision-making
Risk
Needs careful design so it does not create unnecessary “them and us”.
The answer may sit between the two, but leadership needs to define where.
13 · Culture
Stop being too nice to say the thing that needs saying.
The workshop repeatedly touched on people biting their tongue to avoid upsetting colleagues. The principle is not confrontation. It is professional honesty. If something damages the work, client outcome, deadline or margin, say it. Truth kindly told.
14 · 12-month picture
If Made by Trunk is working brilliantly…
More retained production/content relationships
A steady base of profitable smaller work
A few standout hero productions
More predictable workflow
Greater profitability
Better use of existing skills
Clearer ownership
More creative freedom
More client access
Stronger creator / UGC capability
Better live and studio production
Better content/platform thinking
Stronger collaboration with wider Trunk
A genuine effectiveness feedback loop
More control
More consistency
Next: turn these aspirations into measurable commercial and operational targets.
15 · What happens next
All actions in one place.
The workshop has given Trunk the issues and opportunities. The next job is to turn them into an operating business.
Do now
Two briefing templatesProduction Brief + Concept Brief.
Define one job ownerClarify accountability from brief to completion.
Reintroduce three optionsImmediate / stronger / wider long-term solution.
Photography workshopClarify Creative vs Production responsibilities and process.
Sky AdSmart sessionUnderstand entry spend, commission and packaging.
Working-files policyDefine source files, licensing and charges.
Effectiveness wash-upAdd performance learning to the financial wash-up.
Automated KPI follow-upPrompt Client Services to capture results after launch.
CreatorAmpBuild it into the Made by Trunk creator story.
Develop next
UGC / Creator offerProduct session covering sourcing, remote capture, briefing, edit/versioning and Cariad’s role.
Live / multicam offerPackage the portable production capability.
Office studioScope a minimum viable space, invest further only after demand is proven.
Internal commsPackage the existing credibility into a clearer offer.
ExplainersExplore customer education, how-to and employee content.
MotionCommercialise more of the team’s wider motion capability.
Cloud workflowReview editing, review, collaboration and delivery tools.
Freelance networkDocument a trusted specialist bench.
Project categorisationClarify which work Made by Trunk leads and where joint ownership makes sense.
Leadership work
Define 24-month commercial ambitionRevenue, retained revenue, client mix, project mix and profit expectations first. Structure follows.
Work backwardsUse 18 / 12 / 6-month milestones only after the commercial target is agreed.
Define commercial ownershipWho owns pipeline, growth, retainers and commercial performance?
Explore Teiba’s roleAssess whether she could contribute to dedicated client/commercial ownership.
Define content / strategy capabilityOne cross-channel leader or separate strategy and commercial roles?
Define MBT within TrunkAgree the balance between specialist accountability and integrated capability.
Clarify Cariad’s future remitIf creators, UGC and platform insight become material, evolve the role accordingly.
Measure
RevenueOnce commercial ambition is agreed.
Gross marginIncluding margin by project type.
Retained revenueTrack recurring production income.
UtilisationUnderstand how effectively internal capacity is used.
Pipeline + conversionTrack opportunities and win rate.
Average project valueMonitor mix, not just total revenue.
Repeat businessAre one-off projects becoming relationships?
EffectivenessCapture how the work performed against its objective.
Client feedbackBuild qualitative learning into the process.