Eleanor Black, VP of Business Development at Seven Towns, on new roles, values – and listening to clients

Eleanor Black! Thanks for doing this. I can’t believe how long it’s been since we had our first conversation; people can read that here… You’re now at Seven Towns, as VP of Business Development. Here’s my first question: what does a VP of Business Development do on a day-to-day basis?
That is a very, very, very good question. So much so that I wish I had a better answer!

Ha! I’ll be honest, I thought I weeded out the difficult ones!
Ha! No, it’s interesting because sometimes there’s a really bespoke explanation of what a job title covers. But with VP of Business Development, it’s multifaceted, so it can change dramatically from day-to-day. But I’ll try to condense it to its essence.

Go on…
Whenever I tell what I do, I like to use the description of a matchmaker… Because the basic premise is that you might know two friends extraordinarily well, even though they don’t know each other. Then you introduce them – and sparks fly.

I like that! Great!
The same happens with a product that you know extraordinarily well… You know its background, you know who’s invented it, the passion behind why they’ve done it, all the research and reasoning behind it. And then you introduce it to an individual at a company who sees all of the beautiful, wonderful things about that concept. And – again – sparks fly, and a product comes to market.

So, day-to-day, part of your job would be calling people to see which of the people you know might need to see the products you know?
Yes. So you find out what people are looking for, you clock the products they’re bringing out, what’s relevant in the market at the moment. You see what trends are current… And hope they stay around for a couple of years! But it’s not at all binary. You need to know the intricacies behind it… Sometimes a concept might really appeal to somebody, but need the theme tweaking first, or need to be seen through a different lens. So that’s where I see the matchmaking – the unspoken space between things.

I’m hearing that you really need to listen to clients…
Right. And I’m genuinely interested in what makes them tick… And I’m genuinely fascinated in what’s happening in the studio and what the creative team are excited about and interested in. It’s another really good point about being back in the office, actually…

Physically, you mean?
Yes, because during the lockdowns and working from home, when we couldn’t spend time with anybody else, there weren’t those off the cuff conversations which could spark so many different trains of thought in so many different directions. I like the sparks; so many rabbit holes to go down and search – because you never know what you’ll find in those, how far they’ll go, and what trends you might discover.

That’s a fascinating area in its own right, isn’t it? Trend forecasting – is forecasting really the best word? I suppose it is…
Well, nobody knows the future, do they? But you can take on predictions from online resources. But forecasting isn’t an exact science; children are impulsive creatures! They allow themselves countless moments of genuine excitement – but that impulse might very swiftly change.

Oh, yes! And I find what you said about the listening and the tweaking very interesting… Because it fascinates me: an inventor can pitch an idea to one company in one meeting and get completely different feedback from that which they got earlier! Because – even with the best in the business – people are still taking their best guess at what’s going to work for them. But there you are in the middle of all that, trying to match the people that are taking their best guesses to the kind of product they’re looking for.
Exactly!

So that’s what you do. Okay, perfect. We’re done; no other questions!
Ha! Perfect!

No, but remind me: You’ve been here eight months… Is it me? Or does it seem like a lot longer? In a good way, I mean! Ha! In a good way!
Yes. I arrived at the end of February. But yes – in a good way – it’s amazing, isn’t it, how that can be like several years?! For me, it feels like stepping into an environment that just fits; I feel very fortunate.

Brilliant. And Mike Moody was just telling me how Tom Kremer set such a high bar for this company when he founded it. People can read that here… The upshot being that Seven Towns has an extraordinary history and reputation. And that’s a sense the staff seem to carry with them. I’m curious, then: how have you orientated yourself? Having been elsewhere for – what? 20 years?
Yes. I’ve been very lucky to grow up in the toy industry, and see so many of the evolving changes. For example, being able to email a video and present concepts out of Toy Fair season! I recall the days of only being able to share concepts in New York or Nuremberg, of then having to burn DVDs and – prior to that – having to convert all videos to NTSC to send to the States… Via UPS!

I think this conversation is just designed to make me feel old! Ha!
Well… You know what I mean! Because I’ve been able to learn what’s important from the ground up, and I understand how important accuracy is, and the value of keeping really, really good records! That helps you understand what it is that you’re doing – and why. I know you wouldn’t think that, given my first answer! Ha!

Ha! Is that what my face said?! Ha! I was actually thinking – having spent a long time at some companies myself – how difficult it is to make that change…
Yes, it can be… I think if you’ve been in the same water for a long time, so to speak, you get very used to the temperature. You know what you’re doing… You’re familiar with the environment, you’re comfortable. But change is exhilarating. And when you move company, it’s not like you change your personal ethos – you’re still very much you.

Gosh, this has turned very deep, hasn’t it?! So what IS your personal ethos, Eleanor?
It has turned deep! Well… I believe that you should always treat people how you expect them to act. And you can tell a lot about a person based on how they act.

Right. We were talking about this last week; how our personal values pertain to this… We’d started talking about why they don’t teach a values blueprint in senior school – And then I had to go! So what values define you, Eleanor?
Oh gosh, this really is deep! Honesty, loyalty, hopefully dependability… Hmmm… I sound like a Labrador, don’t I?!

Ha!
Parallel to that, I also think it’s important to embrace the spontaneous, the nature of what life is. I lost a parent when I was in my late 20s – it was a quite the perspective shift…

I hear that…
It forces you to remember that life is fleeting. Life is short… You have to enjoy it, you know? If your kid asks you, “Will you play with me?” – say yes. Absolutely, yes.

Oh, that’s lovely. I’m a bit moved… Lovely. You present some interesting contradictions, though Eleanor. I was thinking this earlier because you strike me as quite a creative person but from your responsibilities you’re also – clearly – very organised… Two things that many people struggle to reconcile. Which of these two things is dominant with you?
Depends what day you ask me! Ha! But I hope that’s true. I’ve been described as both left and right brained – which I hope is a good thing.

So tell me: what are you looking to do in the next six months? What’s on the horizon?
It’s exciting! I’d love to continue working with some of the amazing connections I’ve made through my time in the industry so far. I’d also like to make new connections too… Initiate fresh conversations and see what new and brilliant things we can do. The team here is so incredibly creative; it’s just amazing to be part of it. And, of course, I would love to have Seven Towns know they’ve made a good investment in me.

Excellent. Remind me what keeps you busy away from Seven Towns? As I recall, you go to a lot of theatre, do you not?
Yes! Although less so with a 4-year-old in tow. That’s what keeps me busy. Ha! We also have three cats one of whom is named Lieutenant Colombo. My husband named him that… It’s joyful going into the vets; they’ll come out and say, “Lieutenant, we’ll see you now!”

Ha! That’s the most fantastic name for a cat I’ve ever heard! Why that name? Was your husband a huge fan of the show? Or does the cat just keep coming back into the room? Like there’s one more thing he’s forgotten?
He does, actually! Ha! But we didn’t know that at the time we named him. He must’ve figured it out. But my husband’s an actor and a huge fan of Peter Falk. He just thought Columbo would be an amazing name because cats get into everything. That aside, I’ll tell you what I am booked in to see in January…The Inside No.9 stage play. I’m very excited about that!

Oh, wow! Happy day! They did a stage show of that in China originally; apparently, it’s huge out there. Well, this has been lovely Eleanor. We can wrap it up there… If anyone wants to get in touch and renew acquaintances with Seven Towns, though, what’s the best way to do it? Shall I publish your email address?
That would be great! Thank you. It’s [email protected]

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