Creative Heart Series: Harv Broadhurst

Our Creative Heart Series brings together direct perspectives from those at the heart of their sectors on the role of emotion in storytelling.

Harv Broadhurst is Digital Content Manager at Arqit. He previously ideated and created exciting content for the UK space sector as part of the Airbus marketing team.

In his interview he shares why emotion helps audiences connect with complex ideas, the role emotional intelligence plays in his work, and the storytellers who have influenced his career the most.

1. Why does storytelling need emotion?

I don't think storytelling exists without emotion. Otherwise it's just documentation, or a list of things.

I remember hearing once about James Lind, who discovered in the 1700s that citrus could treat scurvy. His findings were buried within a large, impenetrably boring book, and subsequently it wasn't until decades later that the Royal Navy began stocking their ships with citrus fruits.

I've always thought that was a great example of how important information can fail to land. If you want people to receive your message, you have to package it properly. You have to give them something they actually want to spend time and connect with.

2. Why is emotional intelligence important in your work?

I think most people have a visceral reaction to being overtly advertised to, especially now, when we're exposed to more advertising than ever. Ultimately, I'm a marketer and my role is to advertise the company I work for, but I think we should do that in an emotionally intelligent way.

It's about understanding what your audience actually cares about, rather than simply what you want to tell them. That way, you can make something that's genuinely interesting or useful to them.

3. Which storyteller has influenced your career the most and why?

For me, it's documentary journalists like Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux. I really enjoy the way they approach difficult subjects by immersing themselves in the culture and adopting what they call a "faux-naïf" role.

Video is my preferred medium for marketing content, and I think there's something really effective about approaching a subject from the same level of understanding as your audience. Rather than presenting yourself as the expert, you can ask the questions they would ask and bring them along with you as you find the answers.

4. What was distinctive about working with Obstacle Studios?

I love working with Obstacle. The team are incredibly collaborative and full of great suggestions for how you can take a good idea and run with it. I'm always happy to trust their creative instincts and give them the freedom to push things further. And everything they produce looks beautiful.

Harv Broadhurst