Hey James

We’re super excited to welcome James to the team as our new Account Director.

We wrote this out a few different ways, but honestly, we couldn’t have said it better than James, so here’s a few words from yours truly…

The basics

What’s your role here?

I see myself as the bridge between the client, our design and technical teams, and the projects team. That means keeping all of those relationships strong on every side, keeping a handle on the budgets and commercials behind each gig, and making sure we’re all pulling in the same direction. At the end of it, the work does the talking, and the goal is simple: the client walks away completely blown away by the result, and so does everyone who helped get them there.

What were you doing before Zeal?

Before Zeal, I worked across touring, corporate events, live events and agency work, a real breadth of experience, but with one thread running through all of it: working alongside brilliant, creative people, often under real pressure, and making sure the show goes on in every sense. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some genuinely amazing artists, creatives and crew throughout, and each of those worlds added something different to how I think about what doing gigs properly actually looks like.

How did you get here?

I’ve known Steve and Woody for a good few years. I still remember the first time I saw one of their desk and control packages freshly prepped in the early days, and thinking, “right, they are going to cause me some trouble.” Turns out that was completely true, just in the best way possible. So when the move came up, it wasn’t a hard yes to give. Every gig they touch looks incredible, but it’s the people behind it that really sealed the deal, one walk through the office, meeting the team responsible for that work, and the talent in the building is genuinely infectious.

The work

What do people come to you for, and how do you like to work with people?

I’ve never really cared how big or small a gig is. The relationship and the delivery matter exactly the same either way. I think that comes from having sat on both sides of the table; I’ve been the supplier, and I’ve been the client commissioning the work, so I’ve got a pretty clear view of what both sides actually expect. And honestly, as a client, I’ve struggled more often than not to find a supplier who gives every job that same level of care, regardless of budget. So that’s what people get from me, someone who isn’t sizing up the scale of a job before deciding how much attention it deserves.

What does a good project look like from where you sit?

For me, a good project is one where everyone’s looking at the same picture from day one, the client, the design team, and the crew on the ground, nobody’s working off a different version of the brief by the time you’re halfway through. Get that right early and you save yourself the headaches nobody wants on the day. Add in people who genuinely care about getting the small stuff right, and that’s basically the recipe. The big moment everyone remembers is always built on a hundred quieter details nobody else clocks, and a good project is one where those get just as much respect as the big finale.

Safe to say we’re pretty happy he’s here.

Look forward to seeing his name and face around more often, and feel free to pop him a message at james@wearezeal.co.