When Paramount’s CEO went live to the whole world, their own gallery was booked. Funny Hands brought everything.

The studio complex in Camden has been home to some of the UK’s most recognisable media brands. Long before it became Paramount, Funny Hands was working there — directing original productions, getting to know the team, building a reputation inside the building.

The head of the studio operation knew Funny Hands through that work. When the question came up of who should produce the internal town halls, he already had the answer. That first town hall led to another. And another. The relationship grew because the work was good, the crew were reliable, and the team inside Paramount knew that when Funny Hands turned up, everything would be handled.

Most people think of a town hall as one event. In production terms, it’s two.

At Paramount, the format is straightforward: staff gather in the atrium, the CEO or head of department delivers their messages live. At the same time, that same event is being live streamed to every employee who isn’t in the building. The people in the room and the people watching online are having different experiences — and both need to be good.

One of the most common pitfalls in corporate broadcasting is what the industry calls “death by PowerPoint” — cutting to a slide and sitting on it. The room is fine; they can read it on the big screen and listen at the same time. But for the remote viewer, it’s immediately disengaging. They’re staring at a static image while someone talks over it.

Funny Hands directs town halls like live television: show the slide, give the remote viewer time to read it, cut back to the speaker on a close-up. Tight. Present. Human. Then back to the slide if the moment calls for it. The person in the room doesn’t see this — they’re watching the atrium screen. But the person at home is getting a directed show, not a slide deck. That distinction is the difference between a live stream employees watch and one they leave running in the background.

The biggest moment in the Paramount relationship came when the President and CEO of the global group decided to fly to London to address the organisation. A live broadcast — internal, but global in reach — known internally as Bob Live.

There was one problem. The date the CEO wanted coincided with another committed production. The gallery wasn’t available. So Funny Hands brought everything.

Every piece of kit. Every crew member. Funny Hands worked with equipment partners to spec exactly what was needed, sourced it, brought it into the building, set it up, tested it and rehearsed with the team before going live.

The autocue operators took their positions. The director and vision mixer were in place. The live streaming operator managed the outgoing feed. And the CEO of one of the world’s largest media companies walked on camera.

The PA, the head of studios, the head of communications — all watching. All anxious. None of them wanting anything to go wrong. About halfway through, the room started to breathe differently. People relaxed as they realised it was all going to plan — because of course it was. This is what Funny Hands does. This is the standard Funny Hands brings to every job.

Since Bob Live, Funny Hands has been back to Paramount an average of four times a year — sometimes more. Town halls, all-hands events, internal communications broadcasts of every kind.

The relationship runs itself. Funny Hands knows the team. The team knows Funny Hands. Scripts, VTs and slide decks arrive when they’re supposed to, because that’s the working rhythm that’s been built. When assets are late, it’s managed without panic.

The simplest measure of how the relationship works: when the Funny Hands crew arrive at the building, the senior leadership visibly relax. They see the team, they know the show is in good hands, and they get on with their day.