Heavy on Fashion Talks to Rhea Kay & Brice Oliver - Co-founder of The Hutchinson House

Hello, all my divas and gurus! I am thrilled to share that I had the opportunity to interview the founders of a premier creative studio, The Hutchinson House. This creative haven is where brands, designers, and visionaries come to have their stories told. Founded by Rhea Kay and Brice Oliver, The Hutchinson House proudly identifies as a Black-owned business, featuring a diverse and dedicated team of exceptional filmmakers, photographers, and stylists. Their offices and studios are situated in the heart of Manhattan, where they capture the essence of their subjects through visuals and sound, bringing concepts to life with clarity, impact, and emotional resonance.

The Hutchinson House elevates brands by producing top-quality images and films for advertising campaigns, commercials, promotional activations, websites, and social media content. As a full-service agency, they provide comprehensive campaigns tailored to clients’ goals, overseeing everything from conceptualization to meticulous planning, set-up to shooting, and post-production to the final approved edit. Their extensive portfolio includes industry leaders in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wellness, home decor, and more. Notable campaigns include work for Amazon MVP, Shop Lens, West Elm Kids, Viv Swivel Chair, Weleda Skin Food, Night Cream, Shea Moi, and others. 

 Creative Vision & Storytelling

How did The Hutchinson House come to be? 

Brice: The Hutchinson House is named after the street where I grew up. As I started booking projects as a working photographer and videographer, I laid the groundwork for the agency. But when I met Rhea for a shoot we were doing on rare vintage cars, our instant connection really put into high gear how we could take our work to the next level. 

Rhea: Together, we knew we could accomplish amazing work and attract serious talent as well as great clients to The Hutchinson House. We started with a small studio. But we decided if we were going to do this right, we had to have our main offices in Manhattan. We now have a top-rate facilities where we are able realize the greatest potential of our imaginations.  

What makes a story worth telling for The Hutchinson House, and how do you balance personal narratives with broader cultural impacts? 

Brice: From the biggest of dreams to the humblest of voices, everyone’s story is worth telling. That’s the point we’re trying to make. What we provide is the way to tell that story so that it can connect to people. Because when the viewer can see themselves in the story, then you know you’re doing your job. 

Rhea: These days, it’s easy to get caught up in the noise of conflicting opinions, so what we try to capture are the universal themes that resonate with everyone, the authentic human experience. Because at the end of the day those are what will make a broader cultural impact.  

Are there recurring themes or narratives that you find yourselves drawn to again and again? 

Brice: We believe our finest work always involve themes around family, personal connections, identity and expression. Those are the narratives that unite all of us. 

Business & Brand Building 

What challenges have you faced as Black entrepreneurs in the production space, and how have those challenges influenced the way you run The Hutchinson House? 

Rhea: We view every challenge as an opportunity. Yes, as black entrepreneurs, we’ve certainly had to try harder to prove we are as capable as other production agencies. But this also makes us inherently special. We have a broader perspective and let’s face it, we are better at presenting a far more accurate social portrait of society as reflected in the diversity of communities we present. 

How do you define success for The Hutchinson House—not just in terms of projects, but also in how your work advances the industry? 

Brice: The most obvious sign of success is that the client is happy with the work. But beyond that we do set artistic standards and socially responsible goals for ourselves. We always strive to create something new, perhaps offer a different perspective over the obvious. And most importantly we want to produce work that encourages people to think and feel and maybe discover themselves. 

Bringing different backgrounds and skill sets to the table, how do you approach creative collaboration as co-founders, and how do you maintain a unified vision while honoring individual perspectives? 

Rhea: Brice and I have our own approaches and perspectives. But again, that’s an opportunity. We each bring something different to the table that allows the other person to see a new way of doing things. And ultimately, it’s our connection and mutual respect that makes it possible to find common ground and that sweet spot where we can blend our ideas together into something greater than either of us could have accomplished on our own. 

Collaboration & Leadership 

What does your creative collaboration look like as co-founders, and how do you maintain a unified vision while leveraging each other's strengths? 

Brice: By now we are familiar with each other’s strengths. Rhea is more attuned to the emotional essence of the subject. I, on the other hand, have a more strategic and detail oriented way of seeing things. So we allow each other to work from those angles so that when we put the pieces together we’ve covered all our bases.  

How do you promote creative freedom within your production team and among collaborators? 

Rhea: We operate from a place of trust. We encourage our collaborators to be true to their talents. That’s why we chose to work with them. We have faith in the capabilities of everyone on our team and know they will only bring the very best of their capabilities to a project. If you spend time and energy second guessing the work of someone on your team you’re only sabotaging your own project. 

Which collaboration stands out to you the most, and why? 

Brice: I honestly don’t think there’s any that stands out. Every collaboration we’ve done has resulted in something special in the ways that can only happen with everyone involved – in front of and behind the camera. Personally, I loved our work on West Elm kids because of how we were able to present different kinds of family units. I know Rhea is proud of our work on the skincare brands for revealing the different kinds of beauty in women.  

Community & Cultural Impact 

In what ways does The Hutchinson House aim to amplify voices, and how intentional are you about mentoring or uplifting others through your work? 

Rhea: We are very intentional in bringing diversity and representation to all our projects – again, in front of and behind the camera. We firmly believe in the importance of giving opportunities to voices that are often overlooked. And hopefully when hope to be able to guide, lead by example, and inspire up and coming talents to find their own voices. 

How does the legacy of Black storytelling—both past and present—inform your production approach today? 

Brice: We’ve made progress. I genuinely believe that. All you have to do is look at how more people of color, of shapes and sizes are now the heroes in their own stories in movies, TV shows, commercials and ads. BUT, not only do we have to keep the momentum but we know we have to work even harder to make sure it’s not taken away from us. That’s why we think agencies like The Hutchinson House has to play a role in fighting the good fight.  

The Hutchinson House stands at the intersection of creativity, culture, and representation. How do your personal experiences as Black creatives shape the stories you choose to tell, and how do you hope your work influences the broader landscape of media and production? 

Rhea: We know that living and working in New York affords us opportunities that may not readily be available to let’s say a person of color growing up in the Midwest. So we are conscious of how our work can serve as an inspiration in different corners of the world if they can be seen in bigger platforms. 

Vision for the Future 

What does success look like to you? Where do you hope The Hutchinson House will be in five years? 

Brice: If you know New York, you know that merely being able to do what we do is already a success story. But we do hope to accomplish bigger and better things. And we’re not waiting five years to do it. We’re always challenging ourselves to do something different, bigger, better. We’re already working on several projects aimed at expanding our reach, artistically and commercially. 

What advice would you give someone starting their own creative production company? What five tools or pieces of equipment would be essential to have? 

Rhea: If you want to start a company – any company – you need to be able to balance your creative impulses with the business side. To that end, you need to invest in things and people and work that will enrich your ability to accomplish more. Be determined and resilient and keep your eye on the prize.

For more information, visit TheHutchinsonH.com or SimplyHutch.com and follow them on Instagram @thehutchinsonhouse.