Values

1 - Human-first

In an era where more and more of the interactions and content we consume are technology-first, we must prioritize life’s most important ingredient: the human touch. We offer this to clients with real conversation and facetime. We defend this in our process and output with a hand-made approach where AI and other creative technologies are merely tools supporting the work of human artists. And we foster this as a team with regular in-person work and play. We proclaim that human art and thinking will always be superior to something a computer generates. By providing clear leadership, we’ll stay more personal, professional and profitable. Read our AI philosophy here.

2 - Work to live

Work is only one part of life, and it should be a good part. Research shows that well-rested people with meaningful personal lives are the happiest, healthiest and most productive. That’s our ultimate goal. Long hours, late nights and ‘hustle culture’ don’t impress us. Occasional demands may create a temporary shift of the ideal workload, but we diligently manage our schedules, bandwidth and deadlines to keep things under control for a healthy balance of hard work and regular time-off, too.

3 - Make it nice

Clients come back to Heck because we care. We bring a sense of investment and attention to each video, never treating it like another paycheck or settling for average. When every artist on a project cares to make it nice, they are thoughtful and go the extra mile. Adding that extra bit of polish to a finished sequence. Including a personal note when shipping a hard drive. Proofreading twice. Pixar calls this plussing. The extra 10% effort that pushes our work beyond satisfactory is worth more than the 90% effort that came before it.

4 - Over-communicate

Most of our day-to-day work is simply communication, and the more proactive and honest we are, the stronger the project will be. Each team member should frequently broadcast their goals and needs, and next steps – then recap their progress. When we set the right expectations, everyone’s happy. Producers should send proactive frequent updates. If there’s no change in status, that’s an important status update. If they ask for the status, we’ve failed. Over-communicating shows our control of the process, it gives a sense of security. The only bad news is late news.

5 - Fast wins

Quick turnaround makes every client happy, every time. Rather than slowly and carefully building to a finished product, sprint to a robust MVP that not only helps us be wrong as fast as possible, but gives us a headstart that will probably wrap us sooner, too. We race to clarity at the start of a project, when paper is cheap and decisions are easy to modify. Then we can guide the team through the process as the work becomes more permanent. Few things are better slower.

6 - Creative Bravery

While we appreciate our client’s desire to make the creative process feel low-risk, behind-the-scenes but we must make bold creative gambles on every project. Rewrite the script. Switch up the genre. Forget the way things are done. Invent new solutions. Being a team of ambitious, curious people is much more valuable than simply being a team of talent. We constantly push for new possibilities and fresh visuals. Many people claim to be artists but few are brave enough to truly experiment with their work. Creativity is curiosity with ambition.

7 - Find a way

People want to work with problem-solvers. Despite our best-laid plans, our work will always involve troubleshooting and adaptation. We strive for a can-do attitude that finds fair solutions and keeps the machine running. It takes some savvy to lead clients and artists through it, but they’ll value this leadership deeply. It’s an optimism and positive belief that we’ll figure it out. There’s always a way.

8 - Create Responsibly

The content we make spreads real ideas to real people, so we have a duty to consider our impact on our audiences. The world does not need more noise, more addictions, or more darkness. While we don’t expect to change the world, we certainly don’t need to perpetuate the worst bits. If we had a motto here, “Export no Evil” would serve us well. Heck is picky about putting our name on just any project. We follow our compass one job at a time.

9 - Perfect the process

Even though each project looks a little different around here, we’re driven to find the best universal creative process. It’s on us to streamline the experience: plan and test workflows, map red flags, educate clients, fix the weak spots, and apply it all to the next one. There’s always curveballs, but a clear process will make projects run easy, with the client getting exactly what they hoped for, or better.

10 - Be kinder than necessary

Basic manners go a long way, but true customer service goes beyond that. Simple acts of professional grace can instantly erase friction or drama. It costs nothing to apologize and make things right. After even the clumsiest experiences, what sticks is how everyone felt working together, and ending the project on a good note. Use candor and kindness to generate as much goodwill as possible. Keep doors open, bridges up, and leave a positive wake.

Ambitious projects like ours have health and safety risks, but crews that prepare for worst-case scenarios rarely see them. We approach each project with these best practices in mind:

Mental Health

Heck has signed the Room Here™ pledge to make office mental health a priority. Producers and supervisors should actively monitor their crew’s wellbeing and adjust as needed. The biggest engine of this is what type of clients and deadlines we commit to, so we’re picky about avoiding those that would lead to a negative experience.

Sleep

Long hours are not a badge of honor here, but instead are a sign of a broken process. Working overtime for extended periods indicates a fundamental failure in planning or communication. Our crews should manage their time to ensure a healthy sleep and break schedule, especially during production where we require a minimum 12-hour turnaround.

Sickness

Sicknesses spread by bacteria and viruses can have a big impact on our crew and projects, so health and hygiene need to be a top priority.

Machinery

Only trained and insured crew should rent or operate machines, vehicles or tools, with safety procedures in place.

Stunts

Actors should feel safe on set and reassured that stunts and pryo will be performed by professionals.

Firearms

Firearms are forbidden on our sets, crew spaces and offices. Prop weapons and digital alternatives will be carefully monitored by the 1st Assistant Director and property master. When working with firearm clients, an expert will ensure on-set safety.

Film production is notoriously wasteful, and post isn’t exactly green either. It’s our responsibility to minimize the impact of our projects on the Earth.

Carbon emissions

Minimize our carbon footprint by using public transit, carpooling, electric transportation, and reducing air miles whenever possible. Crews should consolidate to the fewest number of trips and vehicles.

Paper

Some things have to be printed, but most don’t. Go as digital as possible.

Single-use plastics

Food and catering should avoid single-use plastics and opt for no packaging or recyclable packaging.

Water bottles

Disposable bottles are an offensive concept from any metric and should be avoided at all costs. Crews should bring labeled reusable bottles, and Heck should provide refilling stations and backup bottles.

Re-use and recycling

Recycling bins should be provided on set. When wrapping a project, department heads should minimize waste on set by selling or donating props, costumes and set pieces, or returning or recycling them.

Electricity usage

Power-efficient and LED devices should be favored, and they should be powered-down when not in use.

Chemicals

Fire, snow, smoke, and other chemical processes should be biodegradable and eco-friendly. Favor digital alternatives.