Keith Hutchinson, Director - Executive Creative Producer, Founder & CEO of H2 Films
Keith Hutchinson is Director - Executive Creative Producer, Founder and CEO of H2 Films in Dublin, Ireland.
H2 Films specialises in the production of high-end Television and Cinema Commercials and online content for national and international clients both in Ireland and abroad.
Starting as an Art Director in Saatchi & Saatchi Dublin in 1987, Keith spent ten years rising through the ranks of advertising, collecting many coveted awards along the way, before setting out to become a Commercial Film Director.
Since his first foray into the world of commercial production, Keith has founded and operated three production companies and directed hundreds of commercials for multiple, national and international, clients and has filmed across the globe in up to twenty different countries.
When he's not directing, producing or working on other creative projects, Keith can be found either at the cooker, island hopping in West Cork or in his vegetable patch.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your current career/role or areas of focus.
In the dual role of Director - Executive Creative Producer I tend to be part creator, part mentor, part encyclopaedia, part manager, part pragmatist, part dreamer, part publicist, part commentator, part diplomat, part contestant, part judge.
I love the fact that I'm not confined to one thing, and each day never fails to bring new learnings and new experiences. And that's only counting the work stuff.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
Seeking out the light from the shade. Each day doesn't always count. Some days just suck, and that's okay. The inspiration lies in contrast between the ups and the downs.
Wouldn't it just become so ordinary if every single day was a halcyon one? The motivation is to help create and enjoy the sunshine days.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
My Family. Good food. The sea. Vegetable growing.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
Firstly, I don't really accept that you have a life chosen career. I prefer to think of it as a lifetime of possible careers. But central to all of that is one thing - A good idea can come from anywhere and/or anyone.
All you need to do is to be willing to listen, identify it and be prepared for the work required to dig it out.
What are you most proud of in your life?
I've always been told that pride isn't necessarily a virtue, so I'm slow to be proud of things. But I would rephrase the same feeling into being 'chuffed to bits' and say that I'm 'chuffed to bits' any time my kids achieve what they know to be their best. And I'm 'chuffed to bits' to say, it happens regularly.
For myself, I'd downgrade that to 'getting a warm feeling'. Anytime I know that I've created something that connects with an audience or create something that involves a challenge, then my reward is 'getting a warm feeling'.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
Belief in your ability when you're younger tends to be given but not always earned, whereas belief in your ability when you're older has to be earned but is not always given.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
Anybody who's managed to answer a problem with a very simple solution. The kind of solution that makes you think "Jeez! That's so obvious, why didn't I think of that?"
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Every company, brand and/or institution has the potential to 'get it right'. The trick is, can you sustain it? The answer to this, I think, is rooted in the culture of the company, the brand and/or the institution, from the top down.
It doesn't matter if you're a multinational or a one-person operation, knowing who you are and having the courage to stick by that is the route to 'getting it right'.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
To me, good advice tends to be of best use when you're in need of it and receptive to it. But here's the catch, you may not always know when you are in need of it, so you should always remain receptive, on the off chance that you might.
I've had no one piece of advice that has seen me through the whole of my life thus far. Instead, I've had many pieces of advice that tended to be relevant to particular stages of my life.
Some of the more memorable ones would be: "There's nothing stopping you but yourself." "If you've nothing to say, don't be afraid to say nothing." "You can drive the same route every single day and pass things by, thinking you know the route. But the day you walk that route is the day you really see things for the first time." It's a bit of a "stop and smell the roses" notion. And one of my favourites… "Everybody has a story in them."
The one bit of advice I give my own kids is simple - Whatever you do in life, make sure you love it. If you love it, you'll more than likely work hard at it. If you work hard at it, chances are you'll become good at it. If you become good at it, there'll always be somebody willing to pay you for it. But irrespective of that, the main thing is, you're doing something you love.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
Interest.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
How much more self-promotion can we endure. The notion of being recognised for achievement should not come down to who screams the loudest.
I fear social media's success in terms of ease of access is also its potential downfall in terms of credibility.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn, because the posts tend to be more considered and potentially informative.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
Yes, both. Regularly! It never stops. Isn't that what it's all about? Mentoring and being mentored. Teaching and learning.
How do you network? What is your prefered way to network?
In all honesty, I'm not great at networking. I would hate for anybody to feel that I was only at something for the purposes of networking.
I know I should probably make more effort in that regard, but for me, I'd just much rather catch up with my friends and work colleagues in the business for a coffee and a good chat.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
This is not an easy business. a) to get into, and b) to work in. It's a tough business of perception and rejection. But if you're able to deal with that, it can be a great experience.
I remember when I started out, I had a simple mantra - No matter what it was that I was asked to do, and no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the task, I would always try to deliver beyond expectations.
So if they expected 100%, I would try and give 110%. That way, the next task became less small and less insignificant - so on and so forth.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
They don't truly love what they do.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
Hmmm! That's a tricky one… Certainly not by metrics.
I think I'd have to say that achievement is when you realise the full potential of your ability and success is when you surprise yourself by going just beyond that.
The great thing about that notion is that it can be applied equally to trying to grow a cauliflower as it can to directing or producing a big-budget mega commercial.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
I'm a perfectionist, so it (and by 'it' I probably mean 'I') can be demanding.
The reason I say this is because it's not a skill of mine that has helped me, but rather the support and forbearance of my wife and family that have afforded me the time and space to try and seek out that perfection in whatever it is that I'm doing.
Is there anything new that you are working on or involved in that you would like to share?
Over the past few months, we have been working in a challenging environment. The Covid-19 pandemic has re-ordered our worlds. The initial stages of lockdown effectively closed our business overnight, and yet, in that time, I still managed to create something that 'gave me a warm feeling'.
MAY DAY on MAY DAY during MAYDAY was a collaborative project that I conceived, curated and designed on the collective experience of being in lockdown.
Still on the theme of Covid-19, I was also delighted to create a beautiful film for some wonderful clients who were launching their new Airmedica hand sanitising Total (Handshield System).
And just to continue demonstrating how challenges can often be responsible for some great creative work, we also produced a heartfelt, of the moment, Christmas commercial for SuperValu Ireland with our very talented director Sam Huntley. Since its launch, we're delighted to say the film has been receiving enormous positive media and public reaction, both here and abroad.
I'm happy to say that with all three of these projects produced during the pandemic, I got that warm feeling.