Behind the Scenes | Digital Genius

• 13 Nov 2020

You've seen his work - now find out what drives Glasgow Warriors very own digital genius, Ciaran Hynd...

This article originally appeared in Issue 5 of Warrior, the official magazine of Glasgow Warriors. Members can view the full magazine for themselves on the Glasgow Warriors Members Hub – to secure your Membership, click here!

“I work
across the whole club, really.”

In an era
where quality of digital and video content is of the utmost importance, it’s no
surprise that Ciaran Hynd’s role sees him involved in a wide variety of Glasgow
Warriors projects. The club’s Content Producer, there’s a vast array of video
projects that come across his desk – and editing screens – over the course of a
calendar year.

“Everything
video-wise from rugby to marketing, from partnership launches to operational
videos, brand-focused content and behind the scenes clips – I work on all of
those video bits and pieces,” explained Hynd.

“I also
support other elements of digital creation, whether that’s graphic design work
or some strategic marketing. It’s a busy old environment!”

Supporters
who follow the official Glasgow Warriors social media channels will be familiar
with Hynd’s work, even if they haven’t been aware of the man behind the work.
Whether it’s filming behind the scenes at training or a piece working alongside
one of the club’s commercial family, it’s an area that the man himself has
thrown himself into since leaving university.

“I was
always geared towards the arts side of things – at school, it was always art
and design that I was more interested in,” said Hynd.

“It wasn’t
until the end of school that I really decided that I didn’t relly want to go
into fine art, painting and sculptures and so on – it was the digital side of
things I really enjoyed. That led me to studying Digital Interaction Design at
university – a lot of interface and app related things – and I loved all of
that.

University of Strathclyde Student Sport Challenge – Round 4⃣

Glasgow Warriors v @SirensNetball
? Nick Grigg v Zanele Vimbela ?
? Cheerleading
? @StrathSport

⚠️ All filming took place prior to the Coronavirus pandemic pic.twitter.com/GQn25Kbkad

— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) October 25, 2020

“It was
while I was at uni that I had my first exposure to producing video, and I loved
it. I went to some film festivals at university, and they kind of inspired me a
bit to be honest.

“I basically
finished university, and I actually briefly started my own business – I quickly
decided it wasn’t for me though! I got a job with Bath Rugby, so I went down
there to work as a Content Producer for them for two years, and then the job
came up here. I came up for an interview, got the job, and it’s all gone from
there really!”

It’s been a
whirlwind spell in the role for Hynd since joining the Warriors in January
2019. A run to the Guinness PRO14 Final at Celtic Park concluded his
half-campaign with the club, before the rollercoaster 2019/20 season brought
about its own set of challenges for all to navigate. Despite those challenges,
however, the club’s standard of video and digital content has remained of the
highest quality throughout, delighting fans across social media.

“There’s
always a balance to strike when producing everything the club needs,” said
Hynd.

“It’s an
incredibly busy environment.

“The real
art is finding ways to marry all of the goals together – if you can produce
something that’s of a high quality and creatively interesting while marrying
everything together, then that’s such a satisfying feeling.”

The move
north also brought about a subtle shift in focus, with different clubs having
different end goals for their digital output.

“There’s a
bit of a difference between here and Bath,” explained Hynd.

“In Bath,
the Rec holds about 14,000 people so the content I was producing there was
always with the goal of selling tickets. Here, we’re lucky that – when we can
have crowds – we usually sell out pretty quickly. There’s less of a focus on
that here, and a bigger focus on delivering value for both fans and commercial
sponsors and partners.

? This boy can definitely play

Re-live some of the best bits so far from @jamie10dobie's debut campaign ? pic.twitter.com/EPkPcpc1aj

— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) April 16, 2020

“Culturally,
too, a lot of our content here reflects the values we have as a club, which is
really important to everyone here.

“They’re two
very different cities, too. You’ve got Glasgow with its big industrial heritage
and the Glasgow people, and then you’ve got Bath as this small World Heritage
site of a city. They’re both really great places, but those differences also
influence the content you create.”

Hynd’s
enthusiasm for both the job and the club is clear throughout the interview. The
key factor? Enjoying every moment of the content’s creation.

“The best
bit about my job has to be the excitement of working in professional, elite
level sport,” he said.

“I’m a
massive rugby fan myself, and to be at the heart of a club like this and
working with elite players is such a cool feeling. It’s one of the most
exciting settings you can possibly work in, and I love it.”