A conversation with Hook’s business directors

In the third installment of our interview series, we chatted with our business directors about their approach to nurturing our multi-year client partnerships and ensuring project intent is maintained throughout the production lifecycle.

Let’s start with introductions. If you could describe your department in just a couple of words, what would you say?

Erika Fiebiger, Business Director: We’re the planners and organizers who keep projects running smoothly and clients feeling confident. From timelines to the tiniest details, we bring structure to the process so creativity can thrive and our teams can focus on doing their best work.

Annie Kelly, Business Director: Producers are jacks of all trades. At Hook, they wear both production and account management hats - it’s a major balancing act!

Dawn Prudden, Business Director: Trusted partners. Our team is built upon the foundation of meticulous organization and strong communication, but extends much farther than traditional project management. While we have some killer production processes in place for capturing project information and planning, what really sets us apart is our dedication to true partnership. We dive in with our clients from day one, not just managing the work, but learning, iterating, and proactively planning with them through every single step.

Alex Blake, Business Director: Multifaceted. We wear three hats—Producer, Account Manager, and Business Affairs.

Beyond the immediate deliverable, what systems do you use to capture client feedback and translate those insights into future creative wins?

Erika: The account I help manage thrives on institutional knowledge and connection. Our team serves as the thread that ties together multiple client partners, ensuring continuity, context, and alignment across everything we deliver. That consistency helps the work stay sharp and the partnership stay strong.

Annie: Getting to know our clients on a deeper level is important for the growth of our creative successes. I encourage producers to understand clients’ larger goals and build trust, outside of the day-to-day projects at hand. Our ultimate hope is for clients to look to us as strategic partners.

Dawn: We write it all down, seriously! We treat every client interaction as an opportunity to learn far beyond the current project's scope. We want to understand what's truly driving their brand, products, and audience so we can be proactive collaborators rather than reactive vendors. We formalize these insights, communicate them across internal departments, and constantly bring them back to the team to ideate on new creative approaches for future projects. Every conversation informs our future strategy!.

Alex: Project post-mortems provide the team an opportunity to reflect on what worked v. what didn’t, in an effort to identify efficiencies moving forward. Also, performance data, which we don’t get as often as we’d like, but when we do get that intel, it can be incredibly telling for how we approach future creative.

How do you ensure the strategic intent of a project is maintained and even elevated as it moves from concept to final creative execution, or through extensions across additional assets?.

Dawn: Consistency, communication, and partnership. Hook producers don’t just manage projects, we lead accounts, relationships, and teams. We partner closely with clients to become genuine brand experts alongside them. We are their constant checkpoint, making sure every creative execution not only maintains the core strategic intent but, whenever possible, exceeds expectations and unlocks new opportunities for growth.

As an extension of a brand’s creative team, how do you build and nurture strong, multi-year partnerships with their in-house team?

Erika: Strong partnerships come from open communication and mutual respect. We make a conscious effort to stay connected with in-house teams, not just when projects kick off, but throughout. It’s about telling one cohesive brand story, not dividing the work. Getting face time, problem-solving together, and celebrating shared wins have helped us build trusted, multi-year relationships that often extend into new areas of the business.

Alex: With any new partnership, building a positive rapport (based on trust, mutual respect, finding common ground) is important. Then once that bond is formed, maintaining consistent and transparent communication (via regular check-ins to stay in the forefront). Understanding their business goals and challenges so we can tailor solutions and anticipate future needs, and proactively seeking feedback are also all part of being a valuable partner.

What do most people not know or understand about your role in the creative process? Any common misconceptions?

Erika: There’s a common misconception that production is just project management, but at Hook, it’s so much more. We’re project managers, account partners, and an extra pair of creative eyes. We advocate for our clients’ goals while also empowering our teams to deliver the most exciting, high-quality work possible. We’re the team cheerleaders, the problem-solvers, and sometimes the sounding board that helps keep everything moving forward.

Annie: Although producers aren’t expected to give creative feedback, they’re still valuable contributors in these conversations. Chances are, they’ve spent more time with the clients and grasped small pieces of context that internal teams may not be privy to. We’re lucky to have built trusting relationships between our producers and creative teams.

Dawn: The biggest misconception is that we just produce. We do so much more! At Hook, we don't work in separate lanes. We're deeply integrated into the creative journey, from initial ideation through execution. Our close partnership with clients gives us a unique point of view, which we bring back to our internal teams. We're consistently pushing to elevate the creative and all of our learnings at every turn. We don't just follow a plan, we help shape it.

How do you balance the pressure to deliver a project on time and budget with the need to maintain a positive and sustainable work environment for your team?

Alex: It comes down to setting expectations at the start of a project and maintaining clear and consistent communication throughout the duration of the project to ensure folks are aligned at all times and feel supported. I know that my energy, my attitude also directly impacts my team around me, so it’s my job to keep calm and maintain motivation among the chaos.

Annie: Keeping our internal teams motivated and clients happy can sometimes be a lot to juggle! I empower producers to lean on their creative leads as much as possible, in order to make group decisions rather than carrying the pressure solo.

Dawn: This is the essence of what our production team aims to do, and we believe it all comes down to partnership. By fully integrating ourselves into the process—from client intake to creative execution—we gain a deeper understanding of the project's goals and potential roadblocks. This enhanced visibility means we can proactively manage future obstacles that may pop up. The ultimate goal is no surprises. Just consistent communication and planning, ensuring our team and our clients feel supported as partners throughout the entire journey.

Erika: Honesty and communication go a long way in this role. Things don’t always go perfectly, sometimes a project runs over budget or a deadline needs to shift, but if those decisions are made to create truly great work and build client trust, it’s worth it. Being proactive instead of reactive, keeping clients informed, and working transparently with the team helps us balance pressure with a positive, sustainable environment.

Catch up on our previous interview featuring our creative, design, and motion directors here.