Sony Interactive Entertainment has released a series of recruitment videos for its Santa Monica, California studio that manages to inspire both potential recruits and video game fans alike. The four-part video series titled, Santa Monica Studio Creatives takes viewers behind the scenes with the message, “Quality is everything, and creativity rules.”
[a]listdaily spoke with Santa Monica Studio head, Shannon Studstill about how creating a recruitment video became a passion project that hopes to inspire confidence in both potential job applicants and fans looking forward to the next game. To make the latest PlayStation 4 project a reality, Santa Monica Studio is “hiring in a major way.”
“Looking for the best talent can be a bit daunting,” said Studstill. “That’s why we wanted to do something profound to cut through the noise. A job and salary on paper may attract someone, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the people. We believe it’s the company culture that will win the day. That’s how Santa Monica Studio Creatives was born.”
Each of the four videos focuses on a member of the team from art to programming to management, detailing the journey of how they came to work at the game studio. “Raf, Bart, Rich and Shannon all unearthed incredible stories about what this studio means to them,” added Studstill, “It’s our hope these stories connect with people who want to join our team.”
Although promoting company culture is important to any recruiting effort, Santa Monica Studio Creatives highlights the company’s diversity—from personality to country of origin.
“When we started exploring ideas for the series,” Studstill explained, “We wanted to shine a light on the fact that all of our team members have an interesting story to tell. As a studio, we greatly value different perspectives, so we tried to convey that through the team members’ stories, which include their individual life experiences, different upbringings and motivations for their career paths. We are constantly looking for ways to celebrate our differences, and we encourage the sharing of ideas at every level. Our diversity is one of the things that makes our creative culture so special.”
While Shannon Studstill calls their marketing campaign “a resounding success thus far,” she was delighted to learn that their efforts touched viewers at a more personal level. “The response to the series thus far has been heartwarming and uplifting,” she told us. “It has allowed us to connect with our various audiences.”
Those audiences range from game development hopefuls to YouTube users demanding God of War 4. We asked Studstill what kind of message they want to convey to everyone who watches the videos. “We hope that anyone who watches the series comes away with a true sense of the studio and our philosophy: Quality is everything, and creativity rules. In short, we like to have fun creating fun!”
“The player experience is what matters most and, as developers, we are constantly faced with creative decisions that impact our fans. There is something to be said for how carefully we select only the most passionate, talented and inspiring people to make those decisions. We hope that builds confidence in our products and, ultimately, in our brand.” – Shannon Studstill
As for marketing Sony’s brand within the company, Studstill hopes that their video series will have a similar, positive impact on existing development teams.
“While the themes of the videos (imagination, connection and teamwork) won’t come as a surprise to anyone in our group,” she told us, “There is a clear message that we all bring something unique to the table. Hopefully, this also reminds our team that inspiration has a ripple effect. In watching these stories about the people they collaborate with on a daily basis, it might make them reflect on their own strengths, their approach to work and their ability to inspire others. There is definitely a sense of pride here. Watching the PlayStation Santa Monica Studio Creatives series is a reminder that we are all part of the same family and working toward a common goal.”
To learn more about PlayStation’s Santa Monica Studio, please visit their site at sms.playstation.com.
