Main training film
Our goal was to create an elevated internal comms tool that could be used to inform and motivate all new staff. Drawing on our journalism backgrounds, we developed questions and interviewed both founders so that their stories and advice drove the narrative. We wanted new hires to genuinely connect with the people who built the business, so an authentic, human storytelling approach was key.
The visual narrative was equally important. We filmed at multiple Open House venues including The Lighterman, Boxcar, The Italian Greyhound and The Broadcaster. Each location has its own character while sharing the same identity, so to highlight this, we framed shots around the architecture and used the founders to guide us through the different spaces. We also captured unscripted moments — the founders tasting dishes and drinks, having meetings, staff interacting with customers — to illustrate the group’s hospitality standards and give the film the feel of a business that's truly people-led.
Speakers from Open House: Ankur Wishart - Co-Founder and Managing Director; Barry Hirst - Co-Founder
Ankur Wishart
Barry and I have known each other for over 30 years. We've been best friends for much of that. And we bring a really complementary relationship for the business.
Barry Hirst
It's a sort of symbiotic relationship where we know what each other's doing. He mainly looks after more the operational side. I'm the one that does the initial design and then sort of keeps my eye on how the ambience is.
Ankur Wishart
He's always looking at how to push the boundaries, how to create, how to build, how to grow. And I have to somehow manage that with how we're actually going to do it. I think that brings a nice focus to how we get things done.
We've been in the industry for just over 20 years. We started with our first pub in Belgravia. We loved pubs. We absolutely loved going for drinks, we loved the community, we loved the DNA of a pub. But the food, the service in particular was completely lacking.
Barry Hirst
At that time the UK was sort of stuck in the old days. Pubs were pies and fish and chips. It was you go to the bar, you order your pint. But we wanted to bring more to it. We wanted to sort of blur the lines between a restaurant and a pub.
Ankur Wishart
And that's where Open House came from, and that was the beginning of the story for The Lighterman and The Broadcaster. They were supposed to be the evolution of the public house. Great food, great drinks, in a modern environment.
Over the last 20 years, we've opened everything from Japanese whisky shops to retail outlets to rooftop bars, bakeries, Italian restaurants.
And if we were to define that perfect experience visiting a venue, the thing that makes it really memorable, the thing that makes it exceptional, is the people.
For me, every time I've ever remembered, like an incredible experience, I would associate that with what I would call like a hyper-friendship, where I feel like when I've left the environment, I've actually made a friend and it's not just a service industry, it's a hospitality industry.
From the moment you walk in, it would be the host greeting you so you feel like you've been welcomed in to the environment. Even if it's to look up from the coffee machine and say, they'll be with you in a second.
Barry Hirst
Good service is if the person treating you like they're a friend of yours, that they want you to be there and it's not a chore for them.
Our motto is 'Our house is your house.' We don't want you to come here to look at gimmicks. We want you to come here and feel comfortable and not want to leave.
Ankur Wishart
I would say that the most important traits to have in our business to succeed would be your attitude and your energy. I think everything else can be taught and I think that energy and enthusiasm is contagious.
Barry Hirst
As a new starter, I would say work with your team, support your team, connect with your guest, eye contact, a little bit of chat, not fake chat, it has to be real.
That's what they've come for. They want to feel special.
Ankur Wishart
I'm very keen on us being able to say 'yes' to the customer as much as possible. 'Have you got a table?' 'No' is a much easier to answer, but saying 'yes' actually challenges yourself, it challenges other people and it gets you to be creative.
And I think that's the sort of solutions-focused mindset that really helps make a business go forward.
Barry Hirst
Being in the hospitality business there’s always something new going on every day. There's different people to meet, there’s new staff members, there’s new guests.
Ankur Wishart
No one day is ever the same for us, right? No matter what job you do, because our business is so people-centric.
Barry Hirst
The thing I enjoy most is going around the different venues and seeing what's going on, catching up on what our new ideas are, what our promotions are, what our plans for the next few months are. Changing of the seasons, I love that.
Ankur Wishart
I get to move around our venues quite a lot, so I get to meet and see a lot of our team constantly. I sign off every single dish, I sign off every single drink, and I always say the best part of the job is actually teaching others for me.
Seeing other people develop in their roles is really important for me, regardless of what position they're in, or which part of their career they're in.
Our industry is fast-paced. We're always changing. We're always trying to adapt. We are always learning. You have to evolve constantly.
If you come to work with a can-do, positive, solutions-focussed attitude, you'll be able to succeed.
Ankur Wishart
I would go into one of the bakeries and be a baker for the day, because I know absolutely nothing about baking.
Barry Hirst
I can indeed.
Ankur Wishart
No.
Decaf, flat white.
Producer
How does Barry take his coffee?
Ankur Wishart
Black Americano.
Barry Hirst
Black.
I have not tried for probably a decade or so.
Ankur Wishart
Yes.
Barry Hirst
I don't.
Ankur Wishart
No.
Yeah.
Barry Hirst
I can pull a pint. Worked in many pubs.
Ankur Wishart
No.
Barry Hirst
Probably can, but it's been probably about five years since I changed a barrel.
Service for me.
Ankur Wishart
Service all day long.
Quick-fire social asset
We built a quick-fire Q&A segment into the end of the film as a content strategy that serves two purposes. It adds personality and warmth to the main film, while also giving Open House a standalone social asset they can use to introduce their leadership to a wider audience.
Speakers from Open House: Ankur Wishart - Co-Founder and Managing Director; Barry Hirst - Co-Founder
Ankur Wishart
I would go into one of the bakeries and be a baker for the day, because I know absolutely nothing about baking.
Barry Hirst
I can indeed.
Ankur Wishart
No.
Decaf, flat white.
Producer
How does Barry take his coffee?
Ankur Wishart
Black Americano.
Barry Hirst
Black.
I have not tried for probably a decade or so.
Ankur Wishart
Yes.
Barry Hirst
I don't.
Ankur Wishart
No.
Yeah.
Barry Hirst
I can pull a pint. Worked in many pubs.
Ankur Wishart
No.
Barry Hirst
Probably can, but it's been probably about five years since I changed a barrel.
Service for me.
Ankur Wishart
Service all day long.
Willow JollyRecruitment ManagerOpen HouseThe team was fantastic to work with. They found creative ways to bring each venue to life, draw out the founders' personalities and capture the culture that makes Open House what it is. Filming across four locations could have been a logistical challenge, but they handled it seamlessly. The care and thought they put into the process gave us a film we're confident will be a valuable resource for years to come.
