Nick Haynes is executive producer at New York City’s The Artery, a creative studio working in all aspects of content creation — from ideation through sound design. The studio is home to a roster of directors, VFX artists, colorists, VR experts, editors and sound designers from around the globe working across advertising, film, TV, music videos and gaming.
Formerly EP at Carbon NY and at MPC prior to that, Haynes has focused on building facilities, growing and managing teams, and producing jobs for brands including Johnson & Johnson, Guinness, Converse and more. His most notable work includes the Guinness Basketball and Empty Chair spots for director Noam Murro, the Tiffany & Co. Believe in Dreams spot for The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence, the Shadow of War game spot for director Neil Huxley, and most recently a spot for Samsung with director Henry Hobson titled Open up Your World.
Skyworth
Let’s find out more from Haynes…
What does being an executive producer entail?
At a company like The Artery, it can mean many things, many hats, which I love. We’re a smaller team punching well above its weight, but that means we all have to participate in the heavy lifting. The job is about client management, sales and overseeing the creative output of the team as well as managing project budgets, but in reality there’s also recruitment, management of internal protocols, participation in discussions shaping the direction of the company… the list is endless.
What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title at The Artery?
We work as much in features and episodics as commercials, so I get to look into and work with a new area of the industry that I’ve not encountered previously. However, beyond that, The Artery gets approached with a diverse array of projects, not necessarily all associated with VFX, and our capabilities run deep.
Last year we delivered work for Bad Meds, an initiative out of the LA County Sheriff’s Department. We came up with the creative, produced it, provided everything post — edit, color VFX, etc. — and delivered it along with a full-blown media buy, all handled at The Artery.
David Yurman
Additionally, we see all sorts of projects with some visual component, but that’s not necessarily the main thrust of the work. For example, prior to my joining the studio, The Artery was awarded Best Original Music by the AICP for the Johnnie Walker spot Black Magick. That’s one example of our creative reach.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
The breadth of work we get to see, as I touched upon above. It means no day is ever the same, and there are always new challenges and opportunities that we’ve not met before. A lot of this has to do with the pace at which new tech is emerging. The creative limits lie basically at the extent of the creators imagination.
And here at The Artery, everyone is invited to share their creative input. There’s deep-founded structure, where everyone is invited to use their voice, and sometimes that’s where the nuggets of gold are found. We recently had a companywide exploration of Midjourney, for example, and the best results weren’t necessarily found with the usual suspects.
What is your least favorite?
Not necessarily the least favorite but possibly the most challenging aspect is trying to marry the creative ask from the client with the budget they propose to accomplish it.
How has your section of the industry changed since COVID? The good and the bad?
It’s changed enormously and now that we seem to be out of the worst of the medical aspects of it, I’d say overall it’s changed for the better. We’re more aware of what everyone has to deal with on a day-to-day basis, professionally and personally, and I feel that the industry is far more accommodating as a result.
David Yurman
The hybrid/remote thing appears to be here to stay, and there’s no apparent loss in quality because of it — possibly the opposite. That said, I do appreciate the time I spend in the office more now, not just from a cultural perspective but also because as we continue to expand, I know that new recruits will benefit from being able to work shoulder-to-shoulder with their peers when necessary. This is invaluable, especially for those just embarking on their careers.
Do you see some of these workflow changes remaining with us going forward?
Yes, totally. We’ve become even more adept at passing data around due to COVID. And clients are well-versed in remote shoots and sessions. As people have dispersed, the logistics of a return to the norm as we viewed it in the early days of the pandemic have all but disappeared. We’ve once again shown how adaptable we are as humans.
If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I’d like to have trained as a photographer.
How early on did you know this would be your path?
My dad was involved in production, and I loved going on location with him and to his edit sessions. It was all fascinating to me, and I noted very early on the benefits of being able to collaborate with everyone involved in an open way. There is a hierarchy, but everyone has their role and expertise, and it’s a culmination of collective knowledge that ensures a successful outcome. I love that collaboration.
Can you name some recent projects you have worked on?
Currently we are working on a series of spots for a German luxury car manufacturer.
Name three pieces of technology you can’t live without.
Pretty standard, I imagine: phone, laptop and ear buds.
Do you listen to music while you work? Care to share your favorite music to work to?
Personally, I have long since given up on trying to enjoy music of my choice — my kids saw to that a while ago. As for work, we pipe music throughout the studio, and I’m not even sure who controls the playlist.
What do you do to de-stress from it all?
There are many options, but I’m not particularly consistent with any of them. I try to be outside as much as possible… running, hiking, going to the beach and playing tennis. When the weather doesn’t permit that, I try to resume a meditation habit, but that’s my least successful outlet. I wish I could finish a book.
Finally, any tips for others who are just starting out?
Keep asking questions, people usually enjoy sharing their wisdom and accrued knowledge. It took me a little while to learn that. I would change that if I got another go.
