Most of us have seen some of the excellent John Cleese management training videos produced by Video Arts. This short interview with their Production Manager gives some insights into their success but also a couple of surprises.

“Are we going to see any John Cleese Videos?”   is a question I’m often asked during supervisory/management workshops. Nearly everyone who has developed, delivered or attended such programs have become familiar with the comical yet relevant videos produced by Video Arts in their London studios.

Of course not all Video Arts productions star John Cleese. But almost without exception, all deal with very relevant points, in a humorous format that appeals to adult learners,

I’ve made a couple of training videos, so realize that like most things, it is far more difficult than it looks. I often wondered how Video Arts managed to turn out such a large number of great videos. They also manage to attract world class stars such as Hugh Laurie, the star of the popular television program House; double Emmy winning comedian Ricky Gervais and Oscar nominee Sir Nigel Hawthorne. How do they manage to attract such high profile actors to star in their videos? I also wondered what motivated John Cleese, at a time in his career in which he was spectacularly successful with Fawlty Towers, to pause and start a management training video company.

Last year, I had a day in London between flights, and was fortunate enough to arrange a meeting with Adrian Frederick, the Production Development Manager with Video Arts. During our meeting I was somewhat surprised at the answers to some of my questions, and thought I’d share them with other Video Arts fans in the HR community. Here are five of the five topics we discussed along with a summary of Adrian’s responses.

In Canada, John Cleese is seen as almost synonymous with Video Arts. Did he create your concept of humorous yet meaningful training videos?

No, the concept was developed by Sir Antony Jay. In his days in the British Army he saw many very boring, poorly made officer training films. He saw then the opportunities presented by high quality and humorous film media in management training. Many years later he teamed with John Cleese and several other businessmen to create Video Arts. Sir Antony went on to be an extremely successful comedy writer. Included in his work and viewed by many Canadians are “Yes, Minister”, and “Yes, Prime Minister”. Sir Antony wrote and continues to write many of the best Video Arts productions.

How do you manage to attract such famous actors?

There are several reasons. Many find these productions fun to do. But also Video Arts tends to look for young as yet unknown comedians and actors to play staring roles. Ricky Gervais for example appeared in a production before he co-wrote and starred in The Office. In fact the character he played in the Video Arts production was very similar to the character he developed for The Office.

What steps do you take to ensure that North American audiences can relate to your videos?

No special attention is paid to tailoring the videos for North American audiences. The focus remains the UK and European audience. The largest proportion of revenue comes from UK customers.

I noticed you created a short video that provided tips for employees being appraised in a performance management situation. This is a unique and important perspective and one usually overlooked. Where do your ideas for new videos come from?

Video Arts, is constantly in touch with clients and constantly looking for ideas for videos that will contribute to their clients success. No idea ever goes forward unless it appeals to a significant client base.

My last question, and the biggy! What is your secret? How do you make such great videos time and time again?

There is no secret! If there is one factor more critical than all others it is writing. It all begins and ends with excellent writing. Video Arts have been extraordinarily lucky to have Sir Antony Jay as a writer, as well as other terrific individuals. Few can write good comedy, fewer can incorporate it into a learning message. Video Arts is lucky enough to have writers who can.

For more information contact Bob Power