Backing Boutique: Why Success as a Small Business Comes Down to “Human Connection”

Based in DUMBO, Brooklyn, in a studio designed with craft and collaboration in mind, Kieran Kaye’s boutique company Full English Post is an audio haven. And, from the very beginning, Kieran has been steadfast in his belief that, “It’s not the size that counts”.

In fact, it’s a sentiment he shared with LBB almost 10 years ago, when he was still based in London, and Full English Post was yet to make its mark. He said, “It’s not the big mixers that make great sounding work, the experience behind the desk becomes much more important than the desk itself. It’s about the talent, not the tools.”

Fast forward to now, and Kieran and his team have established a reputation for delivering stellar audio post production whilst simultaneously believing in ‘Less Fluff’. And, Kieran adds, whilst it might not have the biggest studio in the city, or a team of in-house chefs and baristas to call upon, there’s a number of things that have helped the company carve out its space within the market.

“It all comes down to human connection,” says Kieran. “It's not what you know; it's who you know.”

Whilst this might seem like a given – advertising is a communication-based industry, after all – Kieran emphasises the importance of building a network, putting faces to names, and stepping away from the screen or sound desk to meet people in real life.

Of course, networking is nothing without a catalogue of work to prove that you really know what you’re talking about, you have to practice what you preach after all. If your work is good, “and it should be,” says Kieran, it boils down to cultivating human connection to convince potential clients to take a chance on boutique.

^{Above, at an industry event} 

He continues, “It's almost like those people, the executive creative directors, or the producers or post supervisors – the people that are the decision makers and select what vendors to use – are not really looking to be ‘sold’ to.”

Therefore, Kieran’s found that, to answer the question of ‘How to market to marketers?’, it’s about more than simply sending a reel and hoping the work resonates. Rather it’s about proving your approach and team are the answer companies are looking for.

Bridging the Gap

In some instances, however, proving is easier said than done. Humans are creatures of habit, and convincing them to move away from a trusted vendor towards a new, boutique option takes more than an email.

Sometimes, familiarity wins out. Clients see it as easier, and at times simpler, to go to a post-production partner that they’ve worked with before. “Everyone wants reliable, trustworthy companies to work with,” Kieran explains. “When buying a car, you’ll go with the brands you know, or the brand you’ve always used.”

On the other hand, “sometimes people like a change of scenery,” Kieran continues. “You've got to convince them, ‘look, give us a try, and we'll do a better job, or perhaps the same job for less money. Maybe we're more convenient, because you're [the client] based in Brooklyn, but the go-to vendor is not, so you have to travel to Manhattan or to get the job done’.”

With this in mind, when building Full English Post, Kieran tried to “bridge the gap” by creating and maintaining an open and inviting space for clients, even without the biggest, state-of-the-art mixing desks on the market.

It’s also part of the reason he opted to open shop in DUMBO, too. “It's close enough to Manhattan that it doesn't scare Manhattanites too much to come over the river,” he says. “Sometimes it does and it’s even too far for them, but also, there's a lot of creatives and talent in Brooklyn, specifically around the DUMBO area, which is attractive to people that don't want to go to Manhattan. Since the pandemic, people don’t want to travel so much, and they realise ‘OK, I don't have to go to Manhattan for absolutely everything’.”

This emphasis on human connection and interaction isn’t just an excuse to get people through the doors of Full English Post for the sake of it. Rather, Kieran sees each meeting as a rich and exciting opportunity – something he always looks forward to. “You're going to be greeted by myself, (founder and head of audio), along with a very personalised customer experience. That boutique, cosy vibe really helps with creativity.”

Laser-Focused

There’s a focus on what really matters at Full English Post, "creativity and storytelling”. Without the pressures of external ownership or investors observing every decision, the team can work quickly and fluidly. “Being small means we can shift on a dime and offer fast turnarounds as needed,” Kieran explains.

It also means that clients can expect to meet the whole team working on projects, and that within the studio, there’s a sense of comradery facilitating ideas bouncing back and forth between desks.“I find it very collaborative, rather than one sound designer in a dark room thinking of their own ideas all day,” adds Kieran.

It’s an experience that’s welcomed by clients too. Often, audio post comes at the very end of a project. The work has been watched numerous times by the producers and creative directors, yet for Full English Post, it’s a new and exciting opportunity to flex their creative muscles, “it's our job to make sure that workflow is as smooth and as easy as possible,” adds Kieran.

So, to answer the question of, ‘How to market to marketers?’, it’s by highlighting that quality, collaboration and creativity can lie behind doors they might not have opened yet.