The studio.
What it does.
What the studio does, how it prices work and how to brief it. For Account Management, Media Planning, Ad Operations, Strategy, Leadership and New Business.
What the studio is
The TravelDesk Creative Studio is the in-house production arm of TravelDesk. It produces campaign assets, internal brand materials and client-facing production work to a professional standard: on time, correctly formatted and aligned with both TravelDesk's brand and each client's.
The studio operates as a production unit, not a full-service creative agency. Where the wider business handles brand strategy, campaign ideation and full-service creative direction, the studio handles production execution: taking briefs, building assets, managing quality and delivering to specification.
Where the opportunity arises, particularly on new business or internal projects, the studio may also propose design direction, concept and messaging from scratch. It is not the primary function, but it is not off-limits either.
The team
The studio is a small unit supported by a network of trusted specialists and specialist agencies that let it execute at scale. All work passes through the studio lead for quality control and delivery oversight.
Director of Creative and Commercial Production. All briefs in and out. Quality sign-off, client liaison on production, delivery management and brand stewardship.
nmatos@traveldeskglobal.comHTML5 developers, DCO specialists and motion designers, brought in based on what each brief requires. Managed entirely by the studio.
Escalation, if the studio lead is unavailable
This path exists for genuine emergencies, meaning a go-live inside 48 hours or a live campaign issue. It is not the route for standard briefing or starting new projects.
Urgent production decisions, client-facing questions on cost or timeline and contact with the specialist network. Has the technical understanding to engage the network appropriately.
eozen@traveldeskglobal.comIf Emre is also unavailable, or where the question is commercial rather than technical.
pkelly@traveldeskglobal.comNew project briefs still go to studio@traveldeskglobal.com and are actioned on the studio lead's return. Hold the request and allow additional lead time rather than routing around the process.
Can I contact the specialist network directly?
No. Emre Ozen and Peter Kelly have access for emergencies. For everything else, hold until the studio lead returns and allow extra time. The technical context of each project sits with the studio, and a direct brief without that context creates more problems than it solves.
What the studio produces
These are the deliverables the studio can produce. If a request falls outside this list, talk to the studio before committing to anything.
Campaign assets, paid media
Internal and new business production
All creative assets produced by the studio remain the property of TravelDesk, including the underlying build files: GWD source files, feed structures and Studio configurations. If a client wishes to transfer assets to a third party or another vendor, that must be discussed with TravelDesk in advance and additional charges may apply.
What the studio does not produce
This list matters. These are things that get requested but sit outside the studio's current scope. If any of them come up, flag it to the studio rather than agreeing to it.
How the studio works commercially
When you go out for dinner, you do not pay the chef's hourly rate. You pay the restaurant's price for the meal. Nobody walks in and asks what the chef charges and whether they can just pay that directly. The studio works the same way – the client pays the studio price, not the specialist's rate.
How work is priced
All production work is quoted per project, based on scope. Quotes are produced by the studio following brief review, and are based on creative complexity, number of formats and sizes, market variants, timeline requirements, QA and studio management time.
Specialist costs are never the client price
Internal costs, including specialist fees, are never passed through directly to clients. They are factored into the studio quote as a cost of delivery. The client price is the studio price. How the work is resourced internally is not the client's concern and must never be communicated to them.
Scoping is work
When the studio reviews previous campaign builds, assesses feasibility or develops a production approach to produce a quote, that is real work and it has value. Scoping is part of the time investment and is always included in the project quote. It is not a separate charge to the client. It is one of the reasons the studio quote is not a simple pass-through of specialist cost.
The creative catalogue carries a "from" price for each format so you can frame a conversation before a brief exists. Those figures start the discussion. They are not a quote, and the final number always comes from a scoped brief.
Before the proposal goes out
The studio needs to be in the conversation before a format is committed to a client, not after. This applies to both routes into the studio: internal work for the US media team, and external new business and RFPs.
If a document going to a client names a production format, the studio sees it first.
That means anything with a build behind it: dynamic, rich media, CTV and HTML5. It does not mean native, Spotify or YouTube, those sit with AdOps. A proposal, an RFP response, a media plan, a capabilities slide – if it commits to a production format, send it over before it goes out.
Why this matters more than the quote
The common pattern is an RFP that names dynamic advertising, a client who says yes to it and only then a conversation with the studio about cost. By that point a series of decisions have been made by people who could not have known the trade-offs, and the only remaining options are to deliver something compromised or to go back to the client.
Coming in early is not about getting a number sooner. At proposal stage the useful question is not "what does this cost", it is "which format wins this". That is a different question and the studio can only answer it before the answer is fixed.
Send it to studio@traveldeskglobal.com with whatever exists: the RFP, the draft response, the media plan, or just a sentence about what is being pitched. Earlier and rougher is more useful than later and finished.
How the studio works, start to finish
Every project, whatever the size, needs a written brief before work begins. Verbal requests do not get actioned. This protects the campaign manager, the client and the studio. Pricing is not confirmed until a brief is received.
Email the studio
Client name, campaign name, formats required, estimated go-live, the media plan if one exists and anything else already known. To studio@traveldeskglobal.com. In parallel and invisibly to you, the studio approaches the specialist network for quote and timeline.
Studio returns a proposal or quote
Scope, cost and timeline, based on what the work actually needs. Nothing is produced until the client has signed this off.
Client approves, studio is looped in
Once approved, add the studio to the client thread or set up a kickoff call. From this point the studio is part of the conversation rather than behind it.
Studio keeps everyone informed
Two documents from the same source, so the client and the specialist are always working from the same information. The production brief is client-facing, lives in Google Drive and is shareable with anyone. It carries a delivery plan – the key part – along with the preview links and, once complete, the handover notes for AdOps. Whatever the format, this is the studio's single working document for that project.
Production brief goes to the client
Sent by email so the client can confirm the detail is right and agree the delivery plan before anything is built. The studio confirms the same with the specialist at the same time.
Production runs through the studio
The specialist emails the studio, the studio emails the client, the client replies to the studio, the studio relays to the specialist. Every loop passes through the studio, in both directions. It may involve calls, it will involve a lot of email, and that continues until production is complete.
Sign-off and handover
Once signed off, the files are handed over, with the handover tab in the production brief carrying what AdOps needs. Handover is where the studio's involvement ends. Trafficking and go-live sit with AdOps.
Internal and new business work
Email studio@traveldeskglobal.com with a clear description of what is needed, who needs it and when. The studio responds within one working day with a timeline or a request for clarification. Do not assume something will be picked up without a formal request.
"Hello, we have a new campaign for client X. We will need dynamic display banners. Go-live is estimated for 14 April." That is enough to open the project. The detail follows in the production brief.
Production work requested by the sales or account team for new business purposes is considered internal and is not charged back. What the studio will need from you at each stage is set out in working with us.
Timelines
Minimum lead time is the fastest the work can be done well. Typical lead time is what to quote a client unless you have already spoken to the studio.
| Format | Minimum | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static display, all sizes | 3 days | 5 to 7 days | From a client-approved design. Scale and QA included. |
| HTML5 animated display | 7 days | 10 to 14 days | Includes animation, QA and Google Studio upload. From an approved design. |
| DCO setup, scaling existing | 7 days | 10 to 14 days | Client provides the master design in one size. Studio scales, sets up the feed and configures variants. |
| DCO from scratch | 14 days | 21 days | Studio designs the master, client approves, then DCO setup begins. |
| CTV creative adaptation | 7 days | 10 days | Client provides the source video. Studio adapts to spec and does not produce original footage. |
| DOOH creative | 5 days | 7 to 10 days | From an approved design. Multiple screen specs included. |
| New business pitch mockup | 3 days | 5 days | Discussion with the studio required before start. Scope confirmed in writing. |
| Deck and document design | 3 days | 5 to 7 days | Depends on volume and complexity. Email brief required. |
Actual timelines depend on what else is already on the studio's plate when your brief lands. Treat the table above as what to expect in normal circumstances, and check with the studio directly if a date matters.
Brand stewardship
One of the studio's standing responsibilities is making sure everything carrying the TravelDesk name looks and sounds like TravelDesk. That applies to material produced by any team member, not just campaign assets.
Which materials need studio review before they go out, and which do not, is set out in the sign-off matrix in the brand guidelines. That table is the single source for it.
Templates, logo pack, fonts, icons and the map pattern all download from the assets page. That is now the source. Older SharePoint links may still work but are no longer maintained.
Contact and comms
All requests go to studio@traveldeskglobal.com. It reaches the studio lead directly, so every request is logged and tracked.
| All-team call | The studio uses the all-hands update to flag active projects, upcoming deadlines and blockers. |
| Urgent, under 48 hours | Message the studio lead directly, then follow up with an email to the studio address so it is on record. |
| Studio lead unavailable | Emre Ozen first, Peter Kelly second, for live campaign issues and urgent cost questions only. |
| US colleagues | Same process regardless of location. Allow extra time for the timezone. Rush requests should reach the studio by 10am US time at the latest for a same-day UK response. |
This document is written in British English because it is maintained from the London studio. That differs from the client-facing default set out in the brand guidelines, where American English is the default and British English is used for EMEA work.
Common situations
Scenarios that come up regularly. Worth a look before you reply to a client on anything production-related.
The client is asking about production cost and the studio lead is not online. What do I say?
Say: "I will confirm that with our studio and come back to you."
It keeps the door open without committing to anything. Then send a brief.
Can I just use the same price as last time? Same client, similar campaign.
No. Every project is scoped and priced individually. Creative volume, geo complexity, number of variants, timeline pressure and asset quality all affect the cost.
What was charged six months ago for a different brief is not a reliable basis for quoting today.
The specialist charged us a certain amount last time. Can I quote that to the client?
No. What a specialist charges TravelDesk is an internal cost. The client is never quoted a specialist rate.
The studio sets the price based on the full scope, which includes production, scoping and management time, QA and delivery. These are two entirely separate numbers.
It is just a small change. Does it still need a brief?
Yes. "Small" is subjective. A one-image swap on a live dynamic campaign can involve feed updates, re-QA across multiple sizes, new previews, re-upload to Google Studio and AdOps coordination.
Email the studio, describe what is needed, and let the scope be confirmed before anything is communicated to the client.
Can I tell the client we use specialists to get the work done?
No. How the studio is resourced internally is not client-facing information.
The client's relationship is with the TravelDesk Creative Studio, not with any individual. Sharing internal resourcing undermines confidence and is not relevant to the brief. The studio delivers the work. That is all the client needs to know.
The client says they have no budget for production. What do we do?
That is a commercial conversation involving the studio lead and Peter Kelly. Do not agree to absorb production costs or suggest the work can be done for free.
Flag it so the options can be assessed. There may be a scaled-down scope that works, or the production line may need to be built into the media plan.
Someone on the team already told the client a price and it is wrong. What now?
Tell the studio. It happens. The way to handle it is transparently and quickly, not by compounding it.
Can we not just pass the specialist cost to the client and add a small markup?
No. The specialist cost is one input into the studio price, not the starting point for it.
A quote built from "specialist cost plus a bit" ignores the studio's scoping and management time, its overhead, the risk of availability changing, and the value of a single accountable point of delivery. The studio price is set by scope and value, not by what a third party charged us for their part of the job.
Production is already in the media plan at a fixed number. Does the studio have to deliver at that price?
Not automatically. If a production cost has been committed to a client without the studio being consulted, that is a process failure and needs flagging to the studio lead and Peter Kelly.
The studio will always try to find a way to deliver, but it cannot be held to numbers it never agreed to. This is exactly why the brief process exists.
Glossary
Process and production terms used in this document and in studio conversations. You do not need to know how to build these things. You do need to know what they are, so you can have an informed conversation.
| Brief | The written record of what is being produced, for whom, in what formats and by when. Nothing is actioned without one. |
| Production brief | The single working document for a campaign, once a brief has been approved. Carries the delivery plan, content matrix, previews and handover notes as tabs in one sheet. |
| Stage 0 | Getting the studio into a proposal or RFP before a format is committed to the client, not after. Covered in full under "before the proposal". |
| Specialist network | The freelancers and specialist agencies the studio engages per project for HTML5, DCO and motion work. Managed entirely by the studio, never briefed directly by anyone else. |
| Lead time vs turnaround | Lead time is how long a build takes once the studio has everything it needs. Turnaround is often used loosely to mean the same thing, but can also mean how fast the studio replies to a request – worth checking which one is meant. |
| Sign-off | Studio approval before something goes out. What needs it and what does not is set out in the brand guidelines’ sign-off matrix. |
| QA | Quality assurance. Checking finished builds before they go live: every size renders, every dynamic variant works, links and tracking are in place, and the creative meets both the brief and the client brand guidelines. |
| GWD | Google Web Designer. The software the studio uses to build HTML5 and DCO ad units. You will see it in production notes and file names. |
| Google Studio | Google's platform for building and hosting DCO campaigns. Not the same as Campaign Manager. The studio builds DCO templates here and connects them to the feeds that power the variants. |
| Feed | In a DCO campaign, the spreadsheet or database that tells the ad what to show for each audience or variant. Destination names, images, prices, dates or audience-specific copy. |
| Master design | The approved design in one size that everything else is scaled from. Without it, production cannot start. |
| Rounds of amends | Standard campaign builds include two. Further rounds are assessed against the timeline and may move the delivery date. |
| PSD, AI, EPS, SVG | Source design file formats. PSD is layered Photoshop, AI and EPS are vector from Illustrator, SVG is vector for web and ad platforms. A flattened JPG or PNG is not a source file and cannot be edited properly. |
| MOV and MP4 | Video formats. MOV is the higher-quality source, MP4 the compressed delivery format. For CTV adaptation, supply MOV at 1080p minimum. |
HTML5, DCO, rich media, CTV, DOOH and the IAB standard sizes are all defined format by format in the creative catalogue, alongside what each one is good for and what it costs.