We sat down with Francis Tinney, Creative Manager at BoomBit, and learned how in-house creative operations have empowered them to maximize team efficiency and creative capabilities.
Hey Francis! Great to be chatting with you today. Tell us a bit about yourself, BoomBit, and BoomHits!
I’m a Creative Manager at BoomBit and currently based in London. I have 7 years of experience in creatives, mobile advertising, UA and games development.
BoomBit is one of the world’s largest mobile game developers and publishers, specializing in free-to-play games. As for BoomHits, this is our latest publishing team focusing on hyper-casual titles.
So, how long has it been since you had an internal team for creative production?
I have been working with predominantly internal teams since late 2016.
That’s quite a while. How have your experiences been with outsourcing compared to having an internal team for creative production?
Well, although outsourcing has helped reduce production load in the past, not having a direct report with a full understanding of the mobile industry and the fast-paced environment we work in has led to a mismatch in delivery versus expectations. In other words, projects have taken too long!
Another challenge I faced with outsourcing is cost, especially if you’re looking for more complex and quality-driven executions. Some of the quotes received for one project alone could be spent on a dedicated in-house resource who could be making multiple projects for the same price.
In some instances, the cost continues to increase when you need to make further iterations to the version you receive, which simultaneously delays production time and the testing period.
What about now? How has your creative workflow been?
Very efficient. Since having an in-house creative team, we’ve had better QA, procedures and feedback loops. This has additionally sparked our creativity, enabling us to come up with more ideas than ever.
That’s great! What would you say your biggest takeaway is since bringing the majority of your creative operations in-house?
It has let us create a smoother working environment. This has also significantly improved the quality and speed of our delivery, saving us time, resources and money at the same time.
In addition to this, and arguably more important, fostering a team spirit and being able to advance the training and careers of my team members is a massive advantage as a creative leader.
Makes sense. How do you see creative production evolving for the rest of 2021 and beyond?
Having an in-house team really forces you to figure out which tools you need to help automate your creative workflow, and particularly, for which areas. I think we will see more automation for repetitive tasks allowing creative teams to focus on what they do best…being creative.
I also predict that more studios will design their creatives according to the motivating behaviors of their users and building creatives with higher production values. This will cut through the noise of, and differentiate themselves from, the multitude of similar-looking creatives currently out there.
What’s one key piece of advice you would give to studios that are hesitant about building their creative operations in-house?
Don’t be hesitant and just do it. You will see the value of having your creative operations in-house straight away.
Check out one of the Luna-Powered creatives that BoomBit has built for their title, Shoe Race ?