“Honestly, things are great as they are. But a bit of luck never hurts.” Insights on what a creative director in the gaming industry thinks

How can an HR education benefit a creative director? What's going on in the video game industry? And why is filmmaking hierarchical? We dive into all this and more in the latest episode of Lifesense: Personalities with Barys Zeliankevich, Creative/Art Director at Playsense.

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Are you still on set or back in Berlin?

I'm already back home, returned from the shoot on Sunday.

How did the commercial shoot go?

It went well, really successful, I'd say. But you know, the final edit will tell everything. (Laughs.) Sometimes the shoot goes great, but then the edit reveals otherwise. I love the whole shooting process; I've missed this kind of action over the last three years.

People might think filming is a somewhat chaotic process, but it's not. Everything is strictly organized and planned, even down to who eats at which table. The hierarchy on set is quite strict, not because people love the chain of command, but because the process is very time- and budget-constrained. If the assistant director says we're moving to the next location, then everyone moves. Each day of shooting has a set number of shots to be completed, and if something goes off schedule, it means overtime and big expenses.

You haven't been at Playsense for long. How did you cross paths with the agency?

I was part of the in-house creative agency at Wargaming, so I kept good relationships with a lot of the folks at Playsense.

Before joining Playsense, I moved from Wargaming's Minsk office to their Berlin office. I worked there for a bit, then left advertising for three years to get into game development. I spent the last few years as an art director at a small startup, just six of us making games together. We couldn't secure the next round of investments—it's tough in the industry right now. So, I  took three months to think about what I wanted to do next and I decided to jump back into the ad scene. It's not that I was bored before, but working on one project means things are more predictable. I've always enjoyed switching between interesting topics and different projects.

You moved to Berlin five years ago. Why did you decide to move to another country back then?

I've always been away from Minsk. After university, I lived in Italy for a year.

Which university did you attend and what did you study?

I graduated from the Faculty of Management and Social Technologies at BSU. I'm basically an HR by education. Interestingly, my thesis was about managing creative teams, which is essentially what I do as a creative director. I always say my specialization and education aren’t important in my career, but it turns out they are 🙂

So, after university, I lived in Italy for a year, where my sister also lives. I wanted to see how I'd like it there. But I had a choice to stay and work in construction or return home and work as a designer. I came back and started working as a graphic designer. After a while, I moved to Kyiv. Honestly, I've lost track of all my moves over the years. Even though I love Minsk, it was never the place where I wanted to live permanently. Eventually, I moved to Berlin.

You've worked in both large corporations and small startups. Which do you prefer?

I definitely prefer working in smaller companies. There are no lengthy discussions or long approval chains. In a small team, everything moves faster. But big companies offer big opportunities, like filming a half-million-dollar commercial. These opportunities come with a more bureaucratic vibe, though.

When and how did video games come into your life?

I've been playing games ever since the first consoles came out. I remember a guy in our neighborhood had a Sega Mega Drive 2 with a football game. The whole neighborhood would gather at his place after school and we'd take turns playing. Then came computers and internet cafes.

Did you skip school to hang out at internet cafes like many kids did back then?

Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. Sometimes we'd just hang out there after school. I mainly played sports games. But making games is even more awesome—it's really cool to create new worlds and different realities. I find that process fascinating.

What are you playing now?

When I was working on the game in the startup, I played a lot of Call of Duty: Mobile, at least four hours a day. But I was combining work with pleasure: we were making a shooter too, so I was playing and studying how things worked at the same time.

Games are a great way to socialize. When you're playing in a group of five or six people, all in different countries, it's great. Without the game, we wouldn't just call each other, but playing together and chatting is fun.

How's life in Berlin?

From day one, I've felt that Berlin is my place. I remember the first few years—and even now—when I step outside, I always think how amazing it is here. I've felt at home in Berlin for the entire five years.

My girlfriend is Swedish and sometimes we talk about moving to Sweden someday. But for me, it would be tough. You start to grow attached to a place. Even when I visited home in Belarus and then came back to Berlin, I felt like I was returning home.

Let’s continue talking about work. What exactly does an art director do?

I started my career as a graphic designer and gradually became an art director. I think the title "art director" has two parts for a reason—there's the creative part, where you need to shape a vision of a project and guide the people who bring that vision to life, ensuring the product matches the concept. Then there's the director part, where you have to manage the team.

A creative director doesn't work alone and doesn't come up with concepts solo. They work in a team, organizing creative sessions and figuring out how to merge everyone's ideas into one cohesive concept. Then, you have to sell that concept to the client, which is a big and crucial part of an art director's job.

I remember when I was a creative director at Wargaming, I was constantly doing presentations, one after another. Presentations are the main tool for a creative director. It's important how it looks, what's written and how you present it.

Do you have any tips for pitching a concept to a client or presenting in a way that sells your idea?

I wouldn't say I have any special secrets. Your pitch needs to be coherent and free of gaps. It doesn't necessarily need to be a storytelling masterpiece. The main thing is that your message is logically structured. The key point should be clear.

Visually, there's a difference between the presentations you send to clients and those you present in person. For in-person or online meetings, it's better to have minimal text and lots of visuals. If you're sending it over, you can't add additional comments, so you need to make the concept as clear and complete as possible in writing.

What about advice to smile during your pitch and even use some acting skills?

I think everyone has their own style of pitching. For me, it's hard to keep smiling and acting. You need to adjust your approach, but you should feel comfortable when pitching your idea. The main thing is to understand what you're talking about. I remember early in my career as an art director, I pitched a concept without fully grasping it myself. That's a bad situation. The concept needs to be solid in your mind. If you're not confident in your idea, it'll show. You need to believe 100% in your idea before selling it. To find your style, don't try to imitate someone else. It always looks odd. The client needs to see your confidence and how you show it doesn't matter.

What do you like most about being an art director?

Often, I work on projects both as a creative director and an art director, so these roles blend a bit for me. I have expertise in both areas. Recently at Playsense, we were working on game identity and then shooting a commercial right after, working together on the script, filming and everything. I love the multitasking aspect: each new task reveals something new about you. Of course, there are tasks you enjoy more and those you like less. I enjoy sparking that inner creativity. What drives and fulfills me in my work is the constant change and the opportunity to be creative in different directions.

Now let's talk about your thesis. Just kidding. But let's touch on its topic. You work with creative teams. How do you organize processes to keep everyone comfortable and happy?

I wouldn't separate teams into creative and non-creative. We're all creative; we just have different tools for expressing it.

Building trust within the team is key. When the team members feel that you trust them, everything falls into place. Trust develops when you work together and the team sees you doing cool things too. Of course, there's also the company's work culture, including frameworks, deadlines and clear rules.

Tell us about some cool projects you've worked on in your career.

A project that stands out is one we did when I lived in Kyiv. I was an art director at a creative agency and had a great connection with the owner. We decided to open a barbershop together. There are tons of barbershops now, but back then, they weren't so common. The most important thing was that we created not just a barbershop, but a community around it. We shot a lot of great content and marketed the barbershop in a way that focused on male self-expression rather than just services like beard trimming. The project was successful business-wise and I exited a few years after the launch.

Another memorable project was with the Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon. There was a lot on our plates, but it turned out exactly as we envisioned. It was a standout project.

Also, a browser shooter game we made in Berlin. It's not an outstanding piece of work, but it was a personal victory for me. Being an art director in advertising doesn't guarantee success in game development. Since in this startup, we had a small team, I did the modeling, texturing and level design myself. It was a success in terms of personal growth and acquiring new skills.

What inspires you or whose work do you follow?

Honestly, I don't follow anyone religiously anymore. Sure, there are people whose work I like and follow them on social media. When I started as a designer, I was obsessed with Behance, collecting images. But over time, you want to dive into other areas.

I love architecture. My girlfriend and I do architecture walks around Berlin. We choose a style, like brutalism, and go explore buildings, discussing them. A month ago, we started watching documentaries about talented people like Iggy Pop, David Bowie and the Sex Pistols. Even just listening to their interviews can be indirectly inspiring. In school, I was into graffiti. Berlin is great for that. I always see something interesting—stickers, wall art—when walking around. All of this inspires me.

You've been in the gaming industry for many years. How has it changed over time?

I've never really thought about it. I'd say the industry's processes are driven by simple economics. There was a big investment boom during COVID-19 and now we're in a hangover period. That's normal. I don't think anything has changed drastically. There's always been a lot of game production. There were many games then and there are many now. Some games hit it big once a year. There are powerful franchises like GTA, which people wait for ten years.

What's unchanged is this: no matter how much money you pour into making a game, no matter the production quality, if it's not fun to play, it won't succeed.

How do you unwind after work?

Long walks, about 20 km, help clear my head. Sometimes I do street art, non-commercial stuff, just for fun. But there's always the temptation to just crash on the couch. Any form of socializing is great too, it helps clear the mind. Dancing in Berlin is also fantastic. There are a lot of good places for that here.

Last question: what advice would you give your younger self?

Honestly, things are great as they are. But a bit of luck never hurts.