The Value of Expertise: A Senior Leaders’ Breakfast Discussion By Andrew Smith
EVCOM’s Senior Leaders Breakfast was hosted by our long term sponsor – Tysers at their City offices and supported by The Richmond Communication Directors’ Forum on Weds 24th Sept. The session drew a full-capacity group of 35 senior leaders from both film and live disciplines, underlining the appetite for open conversation about the future of the industry.
The conversation was led by Oliver Atkinson, Managing Director, EMEA at Casual Film, and Phil Staines, Chief of Staff at Strata, who offered forthright perspectives on the pressures facing creative businesses today. Central to their discussion was the challenge of articulating and defending the value of creative expertise at a time of shrinking margins, evolving client expectations, and the disruptive influence of artificial intelligence.
Atkinson emphasised the need for agencies to safeguard their intellectual capital, urging leaders not to allow ideas to be given away without recognition or reward. He challenged the long-standing practice of tying pricing too closely to costs, which risks undervaluing the strategic importance of creativity.
Staines complemented this view by exploring how agencies can anchor their work more explicitly to client outcomes. By reframing the conversation to focus on results, he argued, creative companies can step into the role of strategic partners rather than service providers, building longer-term relationships with clients.
The room quickly opened up into discussion, with leaders contributing their own experiences of client negotiations, shifting procurement models, and the growing impact of AI. Despite the clear challenges, the mood was one of collective determination: a recognition that the industry must move towards a coherent and united approach to billing practices.
As a concrete step forward, attendees agreed to form a working group of EVCOM member companies. This group will explore practical ways of aligning on pricing structures and test how value-based approaches could be applied consistently across the sector.
The breakfast closed on a note of momentum and collaboration. By uniting behind shared principles and continuing to support one another through open dialogue, EVCOM’s senior leaders are helping to shape a stronger, more sustainable future for the creative industries.