We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roshi Givechi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Roshi, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Great prompt! What comes to mind seemed unconventional at the time – a creative risk I took in 2020 to get my first short documentary film to the finish line. What did I do? I applied a methodology and mindset from design innovation called Design Sprint to filmmaking – and reframed it as a Film Sprint. I set out to hire a seasoned film editor, motion designer, and composer that would be willing to take my 80%-complete audio cut of my film’s narrative and work with me to finish my fully-fledged short documentary film. I intended to submit the short film to a revered film festival ONE WEEK after their hire date! For those less familiar with Design Sprints, the basic premise is to analyze, envision, build and prototype an idea in about 5 days with a small team to see if a concept resonates with an audience. Essentially, it’s a way to test out an idea without dilly dallying with time. At this point I had spent over 20 years helping companies define a future product, service or experience using this process, so I was really comfortable with “knowing” that something will transpire at the end, and was as comfortable with the “not-knowing” exactly what will take shape. Having a more concrete outcome sooner – one that I could build on later – felt best.
To go from audio-only to a finished short film in a week though?! I told my new collaborators that “I want to see if the spaghetti sticks” (on the wall without slipping off). Basically, I needed to find out if my story had merit. Would people connect to it emotionally? (It didn’t have to be perfect in one week.) My experienced film crew thought I was nuts or naive – or perhaps a healthy combination of both!! They weren’t wrong in their speculation, but I had to believe that this proven process in the design industry could work in film too. And it did!
To be clear, I wasn’t starting from scratch. I had filmed and logged bits and bits of footage over the years – shot on my iPhone 6s!! We didn’t need to shoot more. Yet because of life, months would pass before I’d touch my documentary at all. Yet I had recently dusted off the footage and was getting lost in the visuals again when I decided to restructure the narrative arc using only audio. Constraints for the win! It was at this 80% audio-done point when 2 of my friends that heard the hook challenged me to do whatever it took to submit my film to a big festival just two weeks away. OK then! To develop so much in that little time, I could see no other way than to apply what I knew from design processes to film production.
During my Film Sprint week, I mapped out our daily drumbeats, tuned into their advice, shut out the world and rolled up my sleeves working alongside them (remotely of course – it was Covid’s debut at that time too). I also facilitated random moments to connect us as people across our respective cities since we had never worked together. Connections fuel us after all.
A few things stacked together and confirmed that my initial instinct to apply a design process to filmmaking in a one-week sprint made sense:
– We all worked on what really mattered because of the time constraints – basically contributing our best driven by instinct.
– I was able to hire really talented people because it was a short commitment. (And sure, they were less busy during 2020).
– I used the first week before they joined to get hyper-organized for the sprint itself, making it easier for them to jump in.
– Reminding the crew that the festival said we would have time later to fine-tune an aspect of the first cut (after submitting the film) helped diffuse extra stress. (I sent out a feedback form after this first cut to people who didn’t even know me to get an unbiased view on the first cut.) – While we did more than work 40 hours that week, we submitted the first cut on time to that first festival! (It didn’t get selected then, but there’s a good ending!)
– I loved witnessing the imprints my editor, motion designer, composer – and later producer all had on different parts of my film. All while maintaining my own voice in there too. Better together.
The tell tale signs that this Film Sprint led to truly good outcomes?
- Everyone I hired for this personal project opted to be a part of the film credits. No distancing happened when the “job” was done.
- A friend – someone who is a successful independent filmmaker/director/all-around creative and had been on my personal board a couple years prior – reached out when his schedule opened up. He offered to be my producer to help refine and sweeten my first cut. His belief in my story filled me up for sure!
- I hired him and the same crew across 3 more weeks, and got my first short doc – MY FAMILY TREES – to its final polish. That first deadline helped open the gates to 25 moments of recognition — ranging from official selections to awards like “Grand Prize Winner,” “Best Short Documentary” and “Best Film Debut.” And I got to see my film on the big screen. I think the spaghetti stuck!
I couldn’t have made this film as it stands without this crew who guided me where I needed it. And I believe they couldn’t have done the Film Sprint without me and my dogged optimism.
Why does this all matter? Reflecting on this experience reminds me to continue applying a process or idea from one area or industry to another — even if — or especially if it’s not the norm. It’s the industry cross-over, coupled with an openness among the people involved to try new ways, that energizes all of us to refresh our outlook and our outcomes.
Roshi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
At my core, I’m a designer and problem solver at heart. I’m endlessly fascinated by the differences and similarities in people and culture, with a hearty appreciation for the many ways we tell stories and how we compose things through a message, an image or film. Unpacking and synthesizing inputs on one end, and reconfiguring them in new digestible ways as “outputs” on the other end never gets old to me.
Not surprisingly, different things in my early days seeded these facets of my career.
ROOTS
I moved a lot as a kid to different cities and countries – which also meant different schools with different norms among people. While I didn’t realize it then, I was honing my observational skills, spotting patterns and anomalies and finding ways to integrate. I got conditioned to notice the world around me – aesthetically and otherwise. I was given my first camera in 3rd grade and the habit of documenting how I saw things launched from then on…
MY EDUCATION (AND THE UNEXPECTED THINGS I REALIZED)
I was also highly influenced by my 1st and 2nd grade teacher in Tehran – an American teacher who read us books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in magical ways. Without linking it to her till years later, when I was living in La Jolla, CA in 3rd grade, I’d record myself reading books out loud, listen to the recordings, and then adjust the rhythm or cadence in my next reading. I’ve thanked my teacher (now in Connecticut) for piquing my interest in storytelling — and my clients have thanked me for the ways I help shape the stories they’re trying to tell.
When I was trying to figure out what to study — I was torn between psychology and design. I chose design… got my B.S. in Design from the University of California, Davis, with a year abroad at Il Bisonte International School of Graphic Arts in Florence, Italy. Italy was great, but the lessons I learned were hard. I didn’t have the skill to translate ideas in my head to paper using a tiny pointed etching tool. I had a whole year to solidify that I was not an illustrator!! Yet give me a camera or computer — and an external need (ie: consumer / audience to design for) — and I was in my creative element! Craving more depth and practice in commercial design work, I pursued my M.F.A. in Graphic Design / New Media from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena before starting my professional career in earnest.
MY CAREER
I was lucky enough to land long term gigs soon after with MSNBC and Microsoft in Seattle doing interface design and art directing kids’ interactive (digital) books. And I got a taste for what it was like to design in-house. Since I never grew up in the same house through my childhood, staying in one place for my job at that time felt less natural. The nature of consulting suited me best since I was conditioned for change.
Cut to the next scene and I started out as the 4th interaction designer at the global design firm IDEO offices in Palo Alto, thinking I’d move on in 2 years. What I realized only after starting to work at IDEO, however, was that it felt like home – bridging my fascination with design, human behavior, and a belief that there’s always a way to make something better if we approach the work thoughtfully with others.
Like many of my colleagues, I raised my hand for projects and roles that intrigued me over the years.
A project that put me on the map for my 15-minutes a while back was helping Bank of America with a product they launched called Keep the Change. What I loved about one of our research insights that informed the design is that we took something that can feel hard to do – save money – and piggy backed it on what seems a lot easier to do for many people – spend money. So every time you swipe that debit card to buy something, a certain amount on top of it would transfer from your own account to a different savings account. And bit by bit, your savings would grow over time. A good friend of mine not connected to this work told me a couple years later that she met an older American woman traveling who happened to mention she finally saved for a dream trip to Paris because Bank of America’s Keep the Change made it possible for her to save for it effortlessly.
Any moment we can help people feel better or experience something with more ease, delight or grace is a plus in my book.
On the stats level, my journey at IDEO lasted 19 years, offered me different hats (even “top hats” like Partner and Executive Design Director) and gave me the opportunity to move from San Francisco to a year-long role across Asia and then to New York City. In reflection, my favorite projects involved an array of experts and perspectives – and/or many different parts that had to come together to make a greater whole – like parts in a complex system that beckoned for good choreography. If we needed to create a short film in the mix to share with our clients – to help them see something in a new way – even more enjoyable for me. After leaving IDEO I finally gave myself space across a long creative sabbatical to hone more skills in documentary filmmaking.
When possible, I highly recommend making time to immerse in whatever you want to learn more about. Even when I was in a hiring position, I’d be weary if prospects were only going to have one weekend between a major job change. I realize finances drive such decisions, but resting, recharging and getting re-inspired is so critical to our ability to be in service to others.
CONSULTING
These days, I provide design consulting services to large businesses, individual startup entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations to enhance mindsets, crystalize experiences and amplify outcomes. That might mean shaping content, helping founders articulate their offer, and programming workshops with others to unlock individual and collective impact as I often do for an organization named HATCH. I love that my consulting work has ranged from informing strategies to better life for on-line creators to creating conditions for people to have a better life off-line. In one extreme with HATCH, I helped program the inaugural Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit on a ship for 160 stakeholders across the plastics supply chain – people meeting and collaborating for the first time. The tough conversations and group work led to 4 ongoing initiatives, as well as the development of ongoing Global Treaty Dialogues (online convenings to accelerate progress towards a “Paris Agreement for Plastics” in partnership with WWF and Greenpeace).
FILMMAKING
On another front, finishing my first short documentary My Family Trees opened a path I’m thrilled about. Imaginary Forces in Los Angeles formally hired me as a story developer and interviewer, for a documentary about regenerating forests they were creating for Pacific Forest Trust and VanEck called Beyond The Trees. (The similarity in these 2 film names is not lost on me!)
KNOWLEDGE-SHARING
I’ve taught design and design thinking methodologies at the California College of Arts in San Francisco and at the Stanford in New York program. I’ve also had my conversation techniques written about in Daniel Coyle’s book –The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups – where I’m forever sandwiched between inspiration from the Navy Seals and Pixar. Being in this book has been the gift that keeps on giving, as readers reach out via LinkedIn which has led to interesting conversations.
BOARDS
I’m definitely a “roll-up-my-sleeves” type of contributor even when serving as a board member or in a temporary advisory role for more social impact-focused organizations, such as Clever Girl Finance, A Better Life Foundation USA, D&AD Impact, or Onward.
MY STYLE
While not stereotypically “leader-ly” to say this, I see myself as an informed and inspired “in-betweener” — connecting dots, connecting people, designing for transitions, translating, and ultimately helping leaders with a compelling vision take things from point A to point B in creative ways. Though I am a leader, it’s not really about what my vision is that drives me. I get energized helping other leaders realize theirs.
CONTINUED LEARNING
Most recently, to inform my ongoing interest in designing for “a-ha” moments more thoughtfully, I’ve been investing in Real LIFE Facilitation training to learn more ways to help people navigate conflict and develop as adults. With all the global pressures affecting society, I hope to increase people’s introspection and capacity for change – in themselves or via action their organizations might take.
MY LOCATION
And for anyone curious, this 3rd culture kid has continued to feel right at home stationed in New York City for over a decade now.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
There are 2 related things that drive my creative journey: 1. To move people. 2. To be in service to people. The first hits more on the emotional side, and the second goal tends to have more pragmatism to it as well If what I’m investing my heart and soul in doesn’t resonate with others on an emotional level, if it doesn’t improve something, or doesn’t enhance an experience that benefits people or the planet, then what’s the point? There’s already so much heaviness in the world. As a designer, I strive to design things that hopefully take the edge off everyday challenges. I work to help people see things differently – even in themselves – so they may tap into their own potential to affect change even more. In June 2024, I posted a short motion piece on LinkedIn and Instagram that I generated with 2 incredible collaborators under our handle “The Be Side.” I love playing with ways to shift perspective.
I don’t expect each and everything I create to be “big” per se. If I am in a position to help make a basic interaction more delightful or make working through systems more easeful, then I will. If I can shape compelling ways for people to connect, to work together so they can address a challenge they’re trying to solve for, and dream together more effectively, then I am in support of propelling their goals in those ways.
To be in service of individual people or people in an organization – to aim to move people – motivates me whether I’m thinking through strategy, facilitating a room full of strangers, or shaping the structure of the narrative in a film. If there’s an opportunity to help people shift perspective, shift behavior – or just feel something differently – and I can play with the ways to achieve those shifts for different audiences – then I’m in full flow!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative person is trusting that there is always a way to design better experiences for people and improve our world – to be truly in service to people in both conventional and unconventional ways. It feels good to believe that possibility is everywhere!
To me, to be creative is to be open – open to challenges, open to other’s ideas, open to new directions, open to serendipity, open to dreaming. It doesn’t mean the creative process doesn’t require discipline and compromise and rigor. It does. Yet I confess: I am a full-fledged optimist. Not in a pollyanna way per se. I just don’t take for granted that as artists and designers, we’re in this phenomenal position to play with and shape how people might relate to things or how they might interact with something – be it politics, platforms or other people. We can design for more ease in a system, provoke thought by showing something in an unexpected way, or create delight in an experience to counteract – even momentarily – all the heaviness people feel at the state of the world. At my best, I hope what I create speaks to the heart, not just the head.
Everyone has creative capabilities. For those of us that call ourselves artists, creatives or designers and link that identity to how we attract income – it feels like such a gift! With that, I feel even more responsible to put my bit of talent to good use.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oshiray/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roshi.givechi/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roshigivechi/
- Twitter: https://x.com/oshiray
- Other: https://www.myfamilytreesfilm.com/
Image Credits
Portrait of Roshi (headshot in flowered blouse) by Benjamin Von Wong.
Ocean Plastics photo (of boat and ship) by Yarrow Kraner.