Studio Manager - Interactive Media
The role of Studio Manager is to ensure the smooth running of an interactive media studio, managing the team, overseeing the work and liaising with other departments within the company. It may also first involve actually setting up the studio and recruiting staff.
The role can overlap with those of Producer1 and Project Manager2, and sometimes also with senior Designers3. Studio Managers are almost always employed in full–time permanent positions.
What is the job?
The Studio Manager runs the interactive media studio, typically as a department within a larger company or agency. Broadly, it is the Studio Manager's job to ensure the studio has adequate resources to carry out its work and, conversely, that the work it takes on is realistic and manageable within the available resources. He or she must manage and oversee people, equipment, workflow and quality assurance.
Studio Managers are often partly responsible for recruiting staff and freelancers and providing any induction they may need. They must ensure that roles, skills and procedures are optimised and used to best effect, to maximise the efficiency of the studio and the quality of its services. They must also make sure the technical infrastructure works correctly, and arrange for maintenance, upgrades, repairs and replacement of consumables etc. as necessary. As well as having overall responsibility for the studio, Studio Managers will often be involved with individual projects, typically alongside a Project Manager. At the outset, they may need to help estimate project costs, and validate requirements and timescales. During the project, they monitor the work to ensure it meets the requirements and is delivered on time, within budget and at the required quality. In some contexts, the Studio Manager may take a more hands–on role and may be involved with art direction and design decisions.
When an interactive media studio is being set up for the first time, the Studio Manager will need to work out exactly what people and equipment will be needed, and then source them. They must identify roles and skills and be responsible for recruiting a suitably qualified team. They must specify hardware, software and other equipment and arrange for its purchase and installation. The Studio Manager will also be responsible for devising processes and procedures, such as workflow, version control, back up and archiving, brand guidelines and technical or quality standards.
Studio Managers are key to the smooth flow of projects through the interactive department or agency. They must ensure individuals' workloads are reasonable and achievable. Measurement and monitoring of the current workload of the studio is integral to delivering projects on time, on budget and to an agreed quality level.
Typical career routes
There are no typical career routes, but interactive media Studio Managers will usually have gained several years of production experience within the interactive media industry, for example in a Designer or Developer4 role. They are also likely to have worked their way up to Producer level before moving into management. Some may enter the role directly from other industries in which they have gained management experience, or they may come from similar roles in traditional media, such as advertising, graphic or print design, or television. However, an understanding of the interactive media production process is essential, so those entering the industry from elsewhere may find they need training to adapt and apply their existing skills.
Essential knowledge and skills
Studio Managers must possess a combination of creative and technical skills, as well as management and people skills. They need a strong understanding of interactive media production processes, delivery technologies and capabilities, so that they can judge when it is appropriate to use particular approaches, and so that they can liaise with specialists. An ability to empathise with creative, technical and business needs, and balance these against considerations of time and cost, is essential. Team management, getting the best out of individual staff members, and resolving problems or performance issues are all vital skills. Studio Managers need to be confident, outgoing, diligent, and hard working, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, often to tight deadlines.
Key Skills include:
Training and qualifications
Specific qualifications aren't necessarily required for the role, though many Studio Managers are likely to have at least a Bachelor's Degree. Previous experience of management is desirable, and a demonstrable track record of at least two years in interactive media production is usually expected.
Where to go for more information
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council for the audio visual industries. The first sources of information for all jobs in the industry are the National Occupational Standards. Browse Skillset's website for links to our network of training partners, information about training and access to the comprehensive Skillset/BFI course database. Finally, Skillset Careers is the UK's only specialist media careers advice service; for detailed media careers information and advice, visit www.skillset.org/careers
Websites
– British Interactive Media Association (BIMA)
– New Media Knowledge
– Design:TalkBoard
Publications
– New Media Age
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Studio Manager - Interactive Media
1 The Producer role is about ensuring the overall business vision and creative direction for the product are identified and maintained. This role may also be called Project Director, Project Leader, Creative Director etc. and is often merged with Project Manager.
2 The Project Manager role is about allocating resources to the project, devising and maintaining the schedule and ensuring that key stages and milestones are met on time – in other words, the mechanics of running the project.
3 The Designer role is about designing the overall look and feel of the product – at it's simplest this is a case of visually 'skinning' a wire-frame design produced by the Information Architect; in more senior roles, or in smaller teams, the Designer is more likely to be involved with devising interactivity and information flow, hence the roles often overlap or are merged.
4 The Developer role is about building the product, typically using authoring tools (e.g. Director, Flash etc.) and/or scripting or mark-up languages (e.g. JavaScript, ActionScript, Lingo, HTML, CSS etc.); by contrast, the Programmer role tends to be more concerned with higher-level coding.
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