Rachael works as a Production Director in our Hutch London office, occasionally assisted by her sidekick, Pan the Pomeranian! To celebrate her promotion from Senior Producer to Production Director, we asked Rachael to share her career journey and top tips on getting into games production. So, it's over to Rachael!

Tell us a bit about your role?

I'm a Production Director at Hutch. What I love about my job is that it changes every day, one day I am deep into schedules for the following year and the next I'm chatting with our design team on amusing puns for our Halloween update. I get to work with my friends every day and try my best to help make their lives easier while also helping our business grow.

RACHAEL'S CAREER JOURNEY

What did you do before Hutch?

I actually didn’t study anything gaming-related before starting work – I did English Lit at university! And I think really it was my flatmates post-uni that got me interested in gaming as a career. I lived with some people who worked on Guitar Hero at Freestyle Games and noticed how much they loved their jobs. I was working in a job that I didn't enjoy and basically decided that I wanted to love my job too.

I started out in QA, working my way up from junior to senior, but along the way I realised that I really enjoyed the people side of the job the most. And when I also found that I had a talent for being organised, I started chatting with the lead producer to see if there were any odd jobs I could do to help out. I started running scrums for the team and got the chance to run a release on my own when the producer wasn't available. Essentially, I was quite proactive and did a lot of reading up on scrum and production work!

What made you want to apply for a job at Hutch?

I had heard great things about Hutch on the grapevine and wanted to work for a company who put their staff first and had a great culture. I started out as a Producer and recently got promoted to Production Director, which I'm really excited about.

When I first started out I only worked with men and then as I got further in my career all my peers were men. I now see lots of young girls in junior positions and I want to be the mentor for them that I never saw/had while starting out. Not to say my male bosses weren't great. I just wanted to see a version of myself in a leadership role.

Any particular skills, experience, characteristics that you think were instrumental in getting your job?

Quality of anecdotes, witty remarks and top notch banter… and by that I mean communication skills :)

What do you like most about working at Hutch?

The People, the Pets and the Passion.

What’s the best bit about your job? And what’s the hardest part / the bit you wished someone had given you a heads up on!

The best bit has been getting to know different disciplines and make friends with lots of different minded people. And the hardest part is probably realising how much my job would sometimes challenge me as a person and make me stay stronger within my moral compass.

RACHAEL'S TIPS

Did anything hold you back and how did you overcome any blockers?

My own confidence for a long time... and staying true to my real personality (i.e. my quirks and silliness). I didn't want to feel like I had to be that classic serious woman who only gets a promotion if she acts like one of the boys. I wanted to be unapologetically me, including everything that comes with that - my empathy, my craziness, my bad jokes.

What career advice would you give to the next generation of games industry professionals?

I come from a single parent household with very little money and my school really only expected low salary roles from their students. So, working in games wasn't even something I realised was an option. I used to play games with my older brother as a kid so I have a very nostalgic view on them. And because of my background, I now feel very passionate about spreading the news to kids in single parent households that they can have a career in games even if they haven't had the greatest start in life.

What are the best 3 tips you would give someone looking to get into a similar field?

Get a LinkedIn account, look for people in roles you want to one day get... and message them .

The industry is constantly changing and we always need to adapt to new ideas. Sometimes industry best practices are not always the best way to proceed. Don't be afraid to suggest new ways of doing things.

Be confident within yourself and lean into your quirks.

If you're looking to start a new chapter in your career, check out our current vacancies here: hutch.io/careers. We'd love to hear from you!