How the British Arrows’ Bolt Award Will Honour Barney Richard’s Memory by Celebrating the Less Obvious
The British Arrows recently announced its first special award. The Bolt Award – presented in honour of Barney Richard – will be awarded to an individual who is introducing new ideas, techniques, or approaches within a piece of moving image advertising content.
Barney, whose death shocked his friends and family in late 2023, founded production company all of Us here and spent 17 years in the business, where he left an indelible mark on the ad industry and the people in it, working at London production companies Jelly, FRIEND, Riff Raff, Rogue Films and Friends Electric in sales and leadership roles.
The Bolt Award winner will challenge, or transform existing moving image genres, while aiming to influence cultural trends through their discussion-provoking work and unexpected ideas.
LBB’s Alex Reeves spoke to Isabella Parish, co-founder of all of Us here, and Koobrik CEO Orlando Wood, who Barney worked with at Rogue Films, to find out how they will be making sure the Bolt Award lives up to the standard for trailblazing that he set.
LBB> For those who weren't lucky enough to have met Barney, can you describe his energy and character?
Isabella> Energy and character are two of the primary qualities I remember about Barney. He had a seemingly endless creative energy. When we had a tribute to him, it was remarkable how much of his time he spent making silly videos, audio recordings, and pictures to share with his friends. He was one of the most consistently creative people I ever met.
He was also so deep and thoughtful. He really was a wonderful friend and a deeply committed partner. If you met him socially, you might not have gotten a true appreciation for how hard he worked or how much he influenced all the ideas he touched. If there were creative directors in production companies, he’d have certainly been one. The difference between a treatment Barney had touched and one he hadn’t was monumental. He was always looking for ways to push the idea into a place that made it truly unique. He had an aversion to cookie-cutter advertising. But he had an optimism that each idea could eschew the obvious for something so much more special. He believed, if you looked at a script just right, it could reveal to you how it could be done in a way nobody would expect.
LBB> How does that translate into the Bolt Award? Why is it the perfect way to honour his contribution to this community and industry?
Isabella & Orlando> Barney was a vocal believer that advertising had a tendency to skew towards the obvious, and it drove him, sometimes, a little bit crazy.
More than anything it was the idea, the passion and a new perspective that lit a fire in Barney. The perfect execution came secondary to the energy of the creators. This community of young filmmakers is the perfect place to celebrate that talent.
LBB> Why was the British Arrows the right home for this award?
Isabella & Orlando> The Young Arrows is built on the premise that we need these creatives more than they need us. They could go into tech or become influencers, but they’ve chosen to bless us with the potential energy of their careers. What a lovely gift they’re giving us.
Barney would love that. And he would be so pleased that the most significant award of the night has, in its DNA, the desire to award that which is truly different. The simple idea that, at their first award show, the greatest award of the night is intended to go to the most risky, exciting, and bold idea of the night – not the most obvious, not the most awarded, not the most successful, but the most truly original – is a wonderful thing that I know would make him so proud!
LBB> How will the Bolt Award be decided and what will you be putting into making sure that it goes to someone that Barney would have loved?
Isabella & Orlando> The winner will be chosen by the jury chairs, myself (Isabella) and the British Arrows board, and will be selected from the director, creative team and student categories.
But if they made something wonderful and special, Barney would have loved them. He had a beautiful and seemingly endless capacity to love creatives and anyone who tried hard. He believed that trying hard was the coolest thing you could do.
LBB> What sort of creatives or directors would you like to see being honoured for years to come through this award?
Isabella & Orlando> True originals. Like Barney.
