Exploring Life & Business with Barbara Marshall of Paper Hill Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Marshall.

Hi Barbara, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My career has gone somewhat full circle – I started off studying for a Bachelors in Rural Environmental Studies at University of London in the UK, but after my first year, switched to the Agricultural Economics degree. After four years as a commodity analyst and trader, I figured there was more to life and took a year out to travel the world and find my passion. I thoroughly enjoyed the former but didn’t succeed in finding the latter. However, on my return, I opened the job page of the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper and saw a large ad from the BBC titled ‘This could be the change of scene you’re looking for’!! This definitely resonated and, after a multi-stage recruitment process that took three months, I was hired. This was the start of a 34-year career at the intersection of media and technology – taking me from London to Montreal, then Colorado and LA, where I split my time. I have worked for major tech companies – Autodesk and most recently HP – as well as Broadcast Magazine, communication agency ING Media, media tech start-ups plus my own consultancies. I was with HP Inc for almost nine years, as their Global Industry Lead for Media & Entertainment, and in recent years, I was able to combine HP’s commitment to sustainability with my own interest in the environment, sparked all those years ago. It was while at HP that I was introduced to Greg Reitman and the Blue Water Film Festival. Although I ‘retired’ from HP earlier this year, I have continued my involvement with the Festival and Blue Water Institute, serving as Board Secretary for a second year and helping with strategy and development plans. In addition, I consult for HP and started Paper Hill Studios to develop creative projects as well as provide advisory services. Maybe ‘retirement’ is the wrong term – as a friend put it, I’m in ‘preferment’ i.e. I’m doing what I prefer!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
That’s a good question because, although there were occasions that felt pretty miserable at the time, when I look back, it seems like a pretty smooth road, albeit a bit winding. I was laid off twice – and although that can sting, it is a wonderful opportunity to be paid to go do something else! One challenge that I faced head on was that of public speaking – I knew when I took the role at HP that I’d be the face of the company in the Media & Entertainment industry and would need to get over my nerves about presenting, hosting panels and being interviewed. What I learned was, the more you do it, the more comfortable you become – even to the point where I’d say I actually enjoy it. I still get nervous in advance, but once I’m on stage, I relax and go with the flow. That’s a huge achievement for me. I think the most depressing times were when I felt under-utilized and under-valued. On one occasion, I was rescued by somebody who saw my potential and, on another occasion, I quit. I’m not afraid of change and I think that has served me well – after all, as the saying goes, ‘change is as good as a rest’!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Paper Hill Studios?
Drawing on my industry knowledge, network, and business strategy skills, I provide advisory, production and development services to a variety of organizations, plus I’m developing some personal projects. As a board director of the Blue Water Institute, which runs the Blue Water Film Festival, I use my strategy, marketing and organizational skills, plus I participate in the festival by hosting panels and interviews. Held in San Diego in March each year, the festival is dedicated to the preservation of the planet and its waters, with a mission to promote environmental storytelling and support the next generation of environmental filmmakers worldwide. I provide advisory and coaching services to HP and am also working with an exciting new animation company (Immersive Enterprise Laboratories) that is transforming the way animation is created with its real-time, live broadcast animation pipeline, powered by HP Z workstations. Everything is interconnected!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Keeping the environmental theme, I won a school competition when I was seven years old to design a logo to encourage people to pick up their litter. As I recall, my design was remarkably similar to that used nationwide in the UK’s ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ campaign – but while I can neither claim with certainty plagiarism, nor authorship, what I can say is I still have the book that was my prize: ‘Woozy’ written by Margaret Stuart Barry and illustrated by John Castle!

Contact Info:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaramarshall24

Image Credits
1, 2 and 3 – Michael Legato
5 – IBC Accelerators