Here at Bistro we believe in the power of ideas. Ideas that disrupt. Only these types of ideas can make strong impressions. This is a peek into the creative minds of Bistro Agency.
František Procházka is the type of guy you want on your team. His passion paired with his amazing work ethic and positivity makes him the type of guy you can spend the day with grinding away on new crazy technology project. Or, share a few beers with. For the time I have worked at Bistro, I have never once seen this dude lose his cool. Always positive. Always smiling. When it comes to technology, he knows all. And trust me, I have asked just about every question. He’s like a younger less ambiguous version of “The Architect” from the Matrix, his hands shaping the core of Bistro’s most important development projects.
This attitude has contributed to his success as Technical Director at Bistro. He’s built an impressive resumé of clients, working with brands like Google UK, ŠKODA AUTO, Vodafone, Česká spořitelna, and Heureka.
His history with Bistro goes back to the early days, now becoming one of the pilots controlling the rapid trajectory of the company. Fana is highly knowledgeable, precise and a hell of a basketball player. (He’s shown me up on the basketball court plenty of times) Since I am always bothering him with technical questions, it only makes sense to sit down with him and ask a few questions about his roles and inspirations at Bistro.
T: So, welcome Mr. Fana. Thank you for taking time out of your hectic schedule to sit down with me. I wanted to start our interview with your role here at Bistro. I want to give people more insight on what you do and how important it is to the Bistro ecosystem.
FP: I’m what you call the technical guy at Bistro; the architect of our IT and digital projects. Whether we are working on a client campaign or an internal project… my goal is to take my expertise and push things further: make things more innovative…. precise and even creative, from a technology standpoint. I connect our imaginative creative team to reality. Because of their hard working personalities, sometimes our guys get a little tooooo... creative. I try to bring them down from space... to earth, to ensure whatever ideas they have are doable.
T: So on some levels, you are like a creative liaison?
FP: Exactly. I try to bridge the gap between creative aspirations and what is realistically possible.
T: From what I have observed, you have your hand in just about everything technical going on at the agency, whether it be the coding or general IT matters.
haha. I should. All the guys in the development department are fantastic at what they do. Each have taken the time and energy to properly refine their skills. I am there, streamlining projects to our coders ensuring that expectations are consistently met and exceeded, when the opportunity presents itself. It’s a constant battle of balance. Whether I have a short period of time and we need to deliver a project that's on point, precise, and mind blowing ….or we have a lot of extra time and so we try to innovate and go above and beyond the project’s set parameters.
T: Building off of that. One thing I respect and admire about you is that you are very knowledgeable. You know just about everything about well... everything. Whether I am asking you a silly question about my computer or asking you how to put together a complex campaign, you always know what's up. Where does this come from?
FP: I am constantly learning and trying to teach myself new things. Whether I am trying to better improve my english or pick up on the latest technical jargon. But really this all started around 7th or 8th grade during grammar school. My friend and I were constantly competing against each other. I would spend a day creating a GIF and my friend would see it… and would be like “you son of a bitch” and proceed to go out a create something like my code or something even better. A friendly rivalry.
T: That’s cool that you guys had this early age rivalry, because this in itself pushes you to become good at what you do… eventually great.
FP: Exactly… and over time more and more guys became part of our little crew of coders. We were always competing against each other, sharing knowledge and building off of each other. I would see a friend build websites simply in Notepad when everybody else was using the legendary MS FrontPage. And things like this really pushed me to hone my craft. So when I came to Prague, around High School… and I was ready to make a little money for the important things, food, clothes and... beer. Why not make money doing what I love? So I met up with a friend, Tomas Klenha, who was looking for a coder at the agency Nydrle. And the rest is sort of history. This is where I had my professional start. I have been working with Tom since then.
T: Tomas has shared a couple a stories about Nydrle with me. So you guys have been together for over 10 years?
FP:Tom was actually my neighbor since I was born. We are from the same home town. We go waaaaay back. And it's funny now, because we are both living in the same area in Prague...so we are neighbors again. This friendship that we have developed over the years has grown into a brotherly bond. That's why I am working here, because I trust him absolutely. You will never have a boss like this.
T: So you've been here since the beginning of Bistro?
FP: I was there in the beginning helping with small projects and about 4 years ago they brought me on, full time for Vodafone projects.
T: Moving outside of work, what things inspire you?
FP: Outside of work one of my biggest sense of joys is my fiancee. She is a creative, inspiring individual who is constantly working to make things better. She may even be more creative than me. Not to mention a fantastic cook. The joy and excitement of coming home to her is simply great. It doesn't get better than that. She really makes things much... much more better.
And of course since I am a kid from Krkonoše, so I am always playing some sports. Cycling, squash, tennis and my personal favorite basketball… especially during the summer.
The summer is a great time to take a load off and go cycling, take a trip to the countryside. Being outdoors and throughout nature.
And I am always buying new technology or new creative advertising magazines. I love analyzing the creative ads… how they are executed and what they are trying to communicate.
T: Congratulations on the engagement! Back to Bistro. What things are you excited about in 2016?
FP: There is so much going on at this point. I feel 2016 is going to be a big year for Bistro. We are the biggest we have been…. almost 40 people at the agency. We’ve done so much at the agency, with soo little, I can’t wait to see what we do next with all these creative minds under one roof.
In the studio again! We ensure that each individual soundbite plays an important role in sonically shaping our client’s story and echoing our client's values. Check out our pictures below.
At the 2016 New Media Inspiration conference, speakers will offer their personal insights on the state of the modern landscape of advertising. Managing Director, Tomáš Fuk Kleňha, will have the opportunity to speak at New Media, tackling a topic he’s gotten to know well, company culture. For those of you hungry for new insights be sure to purchase your tickets ASAP!
Happy 2016! We are starting a fresh new year with fresh new faces. The Bistronian family has welcomed a new group of heroes to the agency:
Sanja Čežek - Fashion influencer, and toy aficionado. Sanja’s multidisciplinary skills will make her a deadly Bistronian. She will be using her high-caliber aesthetic to deliver first class work for our clients.
Michaela Rašovská - With her art school experience and passion for cooking up remarkable things in and out of the kitchen, Michaela is the perfect fit for the Bistro family. Miss Rašovská will be one of our hardworking account liaisons between our clients and our team.
Agentura představí nový koncept kampaně, který nahradí dosavadní od Leagas Delaney.
Další velké vítězství pro Bistro! Agentura Bistro nedávno vyhrála výběrové řízení na realizaci dlouhodobé náborové kampaně Škoda Auto. Kampaň se objeví v různých mediálních formátech, agentura zajistí realizaci klíčových vizuálů, online videí, materiálů pro veletrhy, displejovou komunikaci i microsite. Kampaň, ve které se představují technika a inovace ze světa automobilového průmyslu v netradičním uměleckém pojetí, je zaměřena na mladé profesionály a absolventy technických oborů. Více najdete zde.
Are you familiar with the North Star? No not the shoe company, the actual star. Considered one of the brightest stars in the night sky, this bright light has echoed through legends, folklore, and myth. The North Star has always had a special place in the hearts of travellers, and explorers. Shining radiantly on a clear night, the North Star acts as a compass, pointing brave adventurers in the right direction. A reminder that your intended goal is not too far away. A romantic idea? Yes. But this allegory has parallels that tie into our everyday life.
A common phrase is “what is your North Star?” Growing up you are told everyone should have a North Star. Something that drives you through your everyday challenges and obstacles of this forest of a life. An absolute goal that shines brightly above, that motivates, pushes you inch by inch towards accomplishing it. People with North Stars dedicate their days, nights and free time toward the goal they have laid out before them; extremely driven individuals. These people make great workers, leaders, and ferocious competitors.
Bistro’s own Account Director, Tomáš Preněk is one of these driven individuals. Humble and personable, Tomáš is a far cry from your average leader. He is one of the most driven individuals I have come across. Almost like a marvel superhero, Tomáš uses every moment and opportunity to knockout the challenges in front of him. A true Bistronian.
Curious and intrigued, I wanted to get insight on what drives Mr. Preněk. His personal drive, precision, and selflessness has put him at the heart of the agency and has played an integral role into shaping the agency into what it is today. These traits have put him at the center of Bistro as he’s managed all major accounts, tackled new business opportunities, developed new strategies and recently, welcomed someone new to his family.
So Mr. Preněk, let’s start from the beginning, how do you prepare for the day each morning?
Well, I get up bright and early, around 6:45 AM. I use the mornings to get a jump on my days right before I hit the daily “rush hour”. Whether I am playing sports or tidying up any details from the previous work day, the early morning has become somewhat of my prequel for the day. If the Prague weather chooses to be cooperative, I grab my bike and knock out 20 km. Getting the heart pumping is the perfect pre meditation for the coming day. It helps me put everything in balance. Balance is important to me. Balance is the ultimate aspirational goal and is crucial in an industry like this. The thing you should know about me is that I like to keep myself active both physically and mentally. Even on the commute, I am constantly working, writing and preparing for the day.
Keeping a life balance is one of the most important lessons I've learned. What are your responsibilities at Bistro?
My daily activities range from new business development and financial management, to agency operations and strategy. Most of the tasks are executed in close cooperation with Tomáš Kleňha, the Managing Director. And to be honest, I am very lucky to work with this guy. He is a real business professional and because we are both very different, we make such a great team. I am fundamentally, a very precise, organized, and open minded marketing expert that strives to surpass the expectations of my bosses and clients. Tomáš Kleňha is a pragmatic visionary, with a great eye for business and people. Together we are like Starsky and Hutch or Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh…Biggie and Puff Daddy... two different personalities with lethal drive and experience.
Watching you two work together is definitely a treat. What are some of your favorite client moments?
The client pitch and winning the client over. This is where my real passion is ignited. It helps me burn through whatever daily challenges are presented to me. For every new client there is some level of surprise with each pitch. At Bistro, we love going above and beyond client expectations. The natural chemistry amongst our team members opens the gates for us to dominate every single presentation... bringing a certain tier of creativity. And my role in this process? I am the liaison between what Bistro intends to create and the client expectations. I am used to pushing projects and people forward... showing them the right direction; sometimes acting a devil’s advocate. One of the most important parts of winning any pitch is the way we sell the ideas. When our clients are happy with what we deliver... well… it doesn't get much better than that!
What are some of the most common issues, or opportunities you deal with on a daily basis?
One of the best things about work in an agency is that you never know, what the next day may bring. Everyday, I am hit with a new challenge and a new adventure. Well, to be honest, you can plan about 50 % of your daily schedule. Another 50 % can be anything. And by anything I mean solving unexpected issues, business meetings, collaborating with people in the creative department and on the account management team… Advertising is a very turbulent environment that keeps you on your toes. You have to be able to react to situations as they come... both effectively and efficiently.
What inspires you and what are your internal drivers?
It is definitely the people working here. I already mentioned Tomáš, who is the first 33 % of why I am working here at Bistro. The other 33 % is Pavel Flégl. He is a great friend and is the heart of the Bistro family, making sure Bistro beats to the right pace. The ease with which he brings new ideas and sees graphics is unbelievable. Last, but not least, he is also a great mentor that is leading the creative guys to a better performance. The last 33 % belong to the rest of people working here. Though there are already 35 people at Bistro and over 80 people in tAdy group (including Bistrosocial, BistroX, Adexpres and Mobile Internet), we are one big family sharing one big vision.
What has been your biggest challenge at Bistro so far?
One of the toughest challenges has recently started. My beautiful wife brought to life our first son. Having a family with somebody you love is really fulfilling and I hope everyone to gets to this stage of life. Whether you want or not, having a newborn is a huge thing that changes you personally, but also business life, from top to bottom. If you know the agency life, you probably know how much (or better say how little) time is left for things outside the agency. Therefore I consider the biggest challenge is combining the best working performance with my personal life during the next years. Well, I think the right thing to say is... challenge accepted!
Are you a PHP master? Check it out! Bistro is looking to hire a new PHP expert for their development team. Knowledge of the Laravel framework and the overlap of the front-end is an advantage but not a requirement. Working in a creative environment is guaranteed!
Become part of the Bistronian team and you will get the opportunity to participate on campaigns for some of our biggest Czech and foreign clients. Being a part of the “Bistronian” team, you will get the opportunity to step up to the plate on major client campaigns, build on your skills and have an abundant access to Red Bull.
Eager to jump into these shoes? Send your CV directly to [email protected]. Peak into our world at www.bistroagency.cz
A full branding experience from head to toe. Something fresh, inspired by an old timeless tradition. Our latest Winter work for Kolonial has begun. Jump into the images below!
From insight to the big screen.Our most recent work for Sunar showcases a mother's return to work after her maternity leave but always being there for her "little boss". A story a lot of mothers can connect with. Jump into the video and behind the scenes images below.
It's cold outside, but it's heating up in the studio. The Bistronian team has a new digital campaign in the mix that needs our precise sonic touch. Stay tuned for more work from our Bistro team.
It's cold outside, but it's heating up in the studio. The Bistronian team has a new digital campaign in the mix that needs our precise sonic touch. Stay tuned for more work from our Bistro team.
Seen at Bistro. To celebrate the spirit of Prague Fashion Week, we captured our always stylish and fashionable Bistronians. Who says you can't be fashionable while you work?
Coordinated chaos. The atmosphere is hectic to say the least. The agency air is populated, with creative new ideas, raw insights, hints of cigarette smoke, boisterous laughter, and the occasional Czech curse word. This is Bistro. All the Bistronians are buzzing with excitement, moving at a superhero like pace to hit their set targets for the week. Tomas once told me that in the agency world, you either have too little work or too much. Today was the latter. The Bistro plate was filled with pivotal presentations, and huge approaching creative deadlines. Pure fanatical excitement. An excitement that originates from the unprecedented hot streak the team has maintained over the months: wooing clients left and right, with their creatively ambitious proposals. It’s impressive to watch and is tough not to get caught up in the contagious atmosphere. The super team is a mixture between the notorious Mad Men of the 50’s and the legendary Wu Tang rap group of the 90’s.
At the centre of all of this attention is Tomas Klenha. Remember that boy on the island? Well, he’s chilling on the island right now, 33 deep, with a new client win/loss record that would make the 96 Bulls jealous. Through all the agency chaos, he’s carefully and strategically putting into play the next big business opportunities for Bistro.
A lot has happened since I last spoke with Tomas Klenha. New clients. New faces. Personally, Tomas Klenha has experienced a huge change in his own life, with the birth of his first son. Still warm from the celebration of his first born, I sat down with TK to continue our discussion on his role at Bistro and dive deeper into his own personal story.
Thank you for joining us again. A lot is going on here at the agency and in your life. Before, we even discuss the agency, let’s talk about your story. What things in your past led up to making you the man that we all know today?
TK: Hahaha I really don’t like talking about myself but, you know that already.
I would like to say school played an integral role in shaping me into who I am today… but maybe that’s a little too clichéd. There are a wide range of stories that could be told (and probably shouldn't) that explain who I am. My experiences as a young adult in the U.S. are what started moulding me into who I am now. At 16, my parents shipped me off to the states. This experience obviously gave me my basic language skills and toughened me up. There were various aspects of the American mentality and culture that were merged with my Czech humility/integrity, traits that have followed me through my life.
I guess I could also mention my experiences as a bartender. That was… umm interesting to say the least. It’s far from what I do now, but this gave me basic communication skills and taught me a bit of responsibility… and of course the ability to make cocktails, which is (was) a great skill to have with the ladies. And in this industry you may never know when someone needs a drink. Fast forward, a couple years later and I am 21 years old in London. What turned out to be a trip for 6 months turned into a 5 year adventure. To cut the story short, I stayed there as a home contractor. A few cabinets later and I was managing the entire business. Although this was again far from what I do now, it helped me develop the greatest ability for my career. The ability to lead (manage) any kind of project. From this experience, I began to understand and appreciate the importance of integrity, having a good team... that the task at hand or ideals set in place won’t mean sh*t, if you don’t have a great team to execute it. I carried these lessons with me to the digital world.
How did you transition into the digital world?
TK: I got into the digital world kind of by…… accident. I had a classmate who founded a major agency here in Prague and was looking for someone to come in and kick ass... a drill sergeant if you will. I needed a job and was hungry for a new challenge, so I said f*ck it, and signed up for the opportunity. I didn't know squat about the digital business or even the terminology, but I learned quickly. I had to. Nevertheless, my skills were put to the test within a month of me being at the agency. My colleague and I were scheduled to deliver a huge presentation for one of the largest corporations in the world. As fate would have it, he couldn't make it and I was put in the driver seat. I wish I could say I killed it and had a Donald Draper moment… but that didn't happen. I fumbled to find my words as I presented 150 slides to a room full of women. Yet, after a hour of free-styling, by some miracle I was able to sell and win a substantial chunk of business for the agency. I was immediately addicted and the rest is… history.
That would make a great movie. What personal obstacles have you overcome while being at Bistro?
TK: I don't think there were any major obstacles, but as with every career, you need to sacrifice to move forward. No guts. No glory. When you want to excel you need to be willing to give up certain aspects of your personal life. So yeah, I grew some grey hair, missed a few parties, gained a few kilos and had some difficult times with my wife. But it was worth it.
Right now, I am slowly cutting down the work hours. You have to, otherwise you just burn out. So at the moment, I am trying to work a maximum of 10 hours a day. I am not saying I do achieve this everyday, but I am working towards it. But do me a favour and never ask my wife this question :).
Hahaha agreed. You have been leading Bistro for a while now. What separates a good leader from a great one? Where do you place yourself?
TK: To give you at least partly the answer you are looking for, every good leader has to lead his company to success (which can be of course measured in various different ways) and achieve it no matter what, without empathy to the world that surrounds him. But a GREAT leader can achieve the same or … even more with an empathic approach and by that, I mean keeping the colleagues and employees that surround him happy.
Hiring the right people is also crucial as a leader. This is where leaders can fall short. Sadly, leaders avoid hiring people they could learn from. They are afraid to hire people smarter than them… or they hire people who don’t play well with others. People who don’t bond well with the team. It’s important to mention, I wouldn't be where I am now without the team I built with Pavel Flegl.
And do me a favour and don’t ask me where I put myself...
Well said. In the first part of your interview you discussed the value and importance of working with the right people, building the right team. What makes a good/ productive team?
TK: It’s some kind of environmental super mixture and there are no “rules” you could follow, it’s more of a Hlava 22. You know... to get great clients with great jobs, you need a great team to handle that. Ironically, how can you get the great team without the great jobs? Building a great team from scratch is tough, especially from the beginning… and it doesn't matter what type of business you are running...
So how do we do it at Bistro? Its a combination of creating a great environment, attractive jobs, very good salaries, education opportunities, and of course the team and its spirit. I call this “pracovni pohodicka” and it's always a priority. These factors create an amazing formula for a productive, fun, and an occasionally a crazy work environment. It’s the Bistronian way.
And finally... Congratulations on your new baby boy! How has that experience changed your life? Has it been difficult?
TK: Man... the past couple months have been one hell of a ride. The birth of my son has been a huge blessing for me and my wife. He looks just like me. With the work at the agency, and after hour business meetings, things can be tight, but I make sure I make tons of time to play with my little boy. Like any new parents, there are some struggles in the beginning, but everything has been sailing smoothly. I can truly say the birth of my son has been one of the greatest moments of life. Life is good. With everything going on at home and at work, I can’t wait see what happens in the near future.
