THE PANDEMIC was a time we all wish to forget but it has undoubtedly made everyone realise working remotely ain’t so bad after all. To be able to just roll out of bed to your desktop, is truly a feeling I can’t explain. However, as much as how remote work has brought comfort and convenience to many, it also brought about its own challenges. Employees waking up late and not being as efficient, productive and highly motivated as before. Now that the pandemic is over, is remote work still a good idea?

We sat down with CEO and Creative Director of Kasra Design, Alex Safavinia to see how he managed to build an all-star remote team over the last couple of years. Kasra Design specialises in stunning explainer videos through animation and live action. They have worked with notable brands such as Panasonic, Shell, PepsiCo, VISA, Shell and Audemars Piguet. Let’s see what insights Alex has to give to help you achieve that goal.

1. To start what does, being a Creative Director mean to you?

 I oversee all the creative outputs in the company. I lead each project from client brief to the overall idea and strategy to the final product. Besides heading the creative direction of projects, I also ensure that my team is growing creatively and challenging themselves constantly. I make sure we are technologically advance and up-to-date. I keep an eye on the market changes and the new trends and guide the team to adapt to them.

2. Has this always been your dream job?

When I was younger, I always wanted to be a designer. I guess ever since I was young, being an artist has always been in the cards for me. But to be able to be in this position has been a huge blessing and I’m super thankful as now I not only get to lead teams creatively, but also get involved in the design and animation process as well.

3. What or who inspired you to become a Creative Director?

Growing up, I loved watching Disney animations. I thought it would be great to bring art to life and one way is through animation. I guess that inspired me to have that dream of creating stories through animations.

4. What does a day in the life of a Creative Director look like?

My day to day requires me to focus on a variety of needs. From identifying strategies and narratives for our client’s briefs, to managing designers, copywriters, animators, to even designing deliverables for clients with my team. On most days, work ends late but that’s not news for anyone in this industry. I’m all good if I have my coffee!

5. What did the path into where you are now look like?

It was definitely not easy. When I started Kasra Design back in 2011, the concept of online video productions was still relatively new but it was slowly gaining popularity. With my background and passion in animation and storytelling, I thought it was a good idea to venture into this area. I noticed that more and more businesses were trying to grow their online presence and needed help promoting their services and products. So, I thought that animations would do the trick. Now, explainer videos have been one of the most creative and useful ways to tell stories and create brand identity. I would say all the hard work and sacrifice to get here paid off!

6. Is your organisation functioning remotely right now?

Yes, ever since the pandemic we have moved our business fully online.

7. Remote work vs working in the office. Which do you prefer?

It is hard to pick as they both come with different pros and cons. Working in the office allows me to meet the team face to face and get to know them better. Collaborating and brainstorming ideas in the same room feels different to brainstorming online too. However, working remotely cuts down travel time, saves costs and gives people freedom to manage their time in the comfort of their homes. But if I had to pick, I would say working remotely.

8. What were some challenges you faced from working remotely?

All the work that we do is greatly dependent on the latest hardware and graphic cards. So, we had to transport each individual workstation to our employee’s homes. Initially we took awhile to adjust to collaborating and communicating online but it didn’t take long for us to get into a rhythm. I think one challenge would be that at times timelines, deliverables and ideas can get lost in translation during online meetings as employees might forget to clarify or ask certain questions. But the team makes sure to check in with each other or me if they are unsure of anything and that has helped.

9. How do you ensure communication is always open, clear and concise in a remote working environment?

Back in the office, we were used to instant, real-time responses but remote work can be different as we don’t see what the other person is doing behind the screen. That being said, my team knows my chat is always open and that I respond promptly whenever I can. Most of the time I do. So they can come to me if ever they have uncertainties and I would respond quickly. I also try to do one on one check ins with the team to ensure everyone is okay or if they have any issues that they want to voice out, they can do so then.

10. What is the key to resolving conflicts and creative differences within your team?

I think the best thing you can do is to have face-to-face online meetings and ensure communication is clear. Listen to everyone’s opinion, lay out the objective or goal of the campaign and avoid assumptions or unfair judgments. You would have to be the mediator, figure out what’s best for everyone and make the final call. Most people won’t do this but always remember to follow up after a few days. It makes a difference.

11. How do you ensure that your team is growing and improving continuously?

Setting new goals and objectives for each individual at the start of the year is always important. Listening to what they hope to achieve and ensuring that as a leader, you help them get there. It could be by entrusting them with bigger projects or pushing them to think of bigger ideas. Whenever I come across a good campaign or animation, I tend to share it with the team too as that might inspire them creatively.

12. What is the trick to keeping your team motivated and productive under high pressure and tight deadlines?

Clear, open communication and trust. Be it creative direction, input or feedback, always be clear and concise. Constant communication and feedback is vital. Don’t just give feedback, listen to their feedback as well. Always look at behaviour rather than character because you don’t want your feedback to sound personal. Be supportive, open and try to avoid micromanaging. Your team will feel more motivated if you trust them with tasks and check in often as compared to monitoring their every move. And lastly, they would feel more motivated if they know they are in this together as a team. So just remind them that they are not alone in whatever project they are working on.

13. How do you hire the right team members to operate remotely?

Operating remotely enables to create a diverse pool of talent. We are able to hire people around the world, taking into account their time zones and this makes brainstorming and ideation a lot more fun. When hiring, I would say a candidate’s skill and portfolio is an important thing to take note of but you should also see if they are able to work well with other team members. The last thing you want is conflict within the team.

14. Are there any red flags you can look for that can jeopardise the efficiency of a remote team?

Yes, overworking is one I can think of. When you work from home it can get difficult to separate work and personal life and in the long-run it will lead to employees burning out. Emphasise on no work on weekends and on weekdays, try to encourage them to stop work at the end of a working day. Another one would be loneliness and feeling left out. In the long-run it would cause unmotivation and harm the efficiency and creativity within the team.

15. What are some tools you can recommend to help other business leaders manage their teams better?

We are currently using Google Chat to communicate with each other. Microsoft Teams, Slack and Skype are also great tools for communication. Asana, Trello, Toggl, Notion and G Suite are good apps to track and manage projects, timelines and employee’s productivity.

16. What is one piece of advice you would give business leaders who are struggling to manage their teams remotely?

It really depends on which area you’re struggling in but if there’s one advice I would give it would be that clear communication is the most important. Like how in a long distance relationship communication is vital, it applies to remote work as well. Make sure your expectations of your team, instructions and directions are all clear. Your team would be more efficient and function better when the communication pathway goes both ways.

17. Lastly, if you could tell us one thing you would tell younger you, what would it be?

Mmm that’s a tough question. I think it would be to trust in yourself and your work. In the creative industry it’s easy to doubt yourself and that holds you back from greater. Have confidence and trust in the process, it will take you far.

Final Thoughts

With the right tools and techniques, you’ll be able to run a kickass remote team in no time. It’s not going to be easy but it’s possible. We hope the insights shared by Alex would help you gain a better idea on how to go about managing your team.

Author bio: Alex Safavinia is the CEO and Creative Director of Kasra Design™, an award-winning animation company specializing in 3D animation and explainer video production. He began his career as a motion graphics artist in 2006 and soon converted his passion into a fast-growing animation company by gathering up a team of talented graphic designers and animators.

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsafavinia/