10 Years of LeadDev
The LeadDev conference is a well-known event series aimed at engineering leaders, such as tech leads, engineering managers, VPs of Engineering, and CTOs. It focuses on the human side of engineering leadership, offering talks and workshops on topics like team management, scaling teams, career development, and effective communication.
Origins:
• Founded in 2015, the first LeadDev conference took place in London, created by White October Events, a company known for producing high-quality tech conferences.
• The idea was to create a space specifically for people leading engineering teams — a demographic often underserved in traditional developer conferences.
• The goal is to support leaders in becoming better managers, communicators, and technical decision-makers.
1. Capturing the Conversation: Talk Recording & Editing
We’ve always shot LeadDev on at least 2 cameras whilst also recording the slides independently. This gives us all the flexibility needed in the edit to show all thats happening in the show. From audience responses to a speaker dashing across stage. And when theres that extra small code in the slides we’re able to go full screen so viewers can truly follow along.
Ticket holders are able to watch all the content back within 5 days of the event, delivered through the LeadDev website.
We are a fully fledged creative team. From shooting and live streaming the event, we also take care of the edits and bespoke motion graphics, such as lower thirds for all speakers!
Over the past ten years, we’ve developed our own custom toolkit to make everything as streamlined as possible. Leaving more time for us to focus on the important things. With those tools as well, it’s incredibly easy for us to make amends on the go, without the viewer noticing.
For each video, we make bespoke motion graphics. From lower thirds to epic titles and PIP (Picture in Picture) for all the talks. This gives each video a cohesive look and feel, and has helped the LeadDev to become as iconic as it is today.
2. Going Global: Live Streaming the Event
As LeadDev’s reach expanded, so did the need to bring the experience to a global audience — and AOTV has been there every step of the way. We’ve delivered seamless live streams from venues around the world, ensuring that every talk, panel, and moment is accessible to those who can’t be in the room.
In recent years, our work has also included LeadDev’s sub-brands — StaffPlus and LeadingEng — often running multiple conference streams simultaneously from the same venue. Our team built a robust live production pipeline to manage this complexity, giving each track the same polish and reliability LeadDev is known for.
During the pandemic, when in-person events weren’t possible, we helped LeadDev pivot to fully virtual conferences — a crucial move to keep the community engaged during a challenging time. Using our custom-built virtual events platform, call.aotv.co.uk, we managed everything from remote speaker contributions to live control of slides, audio, and video. Our producers worked directly with each speaker to make sure they looked and sounded their best, preserving the high production standards the audience expects.
Whether it’s in-person, hybrid, or fully virtual, our mission has always been the same: to deliver a live experience that feels effortless, high-quality, and human — wherever you’re watching from.
3. The Power of Same-Day Highlights
Capturing content and then playing it back to 1500 people within 24 hours always gets a great reaction from the audience. A shared experience catalogued and summarised for those in the room and then released online for those that couldn’t attend. It also serves as a great advert, those that attended share the content, adding their own reflections.
Featuring a mixture of talks, B Roll and audience vox pops, the wrangling of all this footage really isn’t something for a novice. We work hard each year to plan each needed shot and snippet of dialogue, then when it gets to our onsite editor, everything is meticulously catalogued.
4. Voices from the Crowd: Audience Vox Pops
Capturing vox pops at an event like LeadDev brings the audience’s voice to the forefront, offering authentic, in-the-moment reflections that showcase the energy and impact of the day. They give the community a face — turning attendees into storytellers — and help create a real sense of connection and shared experience. Played out during the conference, they keep the momentum alive and give everyone a chance to see themselves as part of something bigger.
We also packaged the vox pops into a quick mid roll advert for talks that are released to the public post event. Snappy and consumable, these adverts remind you that the content you’re watching is available in-person, ticketed and could be surrounded by like minded attendees; a perfect networking opportunity.
5. Capturing the Vibe: Event Photography
Across San Francisco, Berlin, London and New York, photography has helped capture the unique character of each LeadDev event. From speakers mid-flow with bold branding behind them to moments of focus and connection in the audience, these images tell the story in a way words can’t.
Whether shot by AOTV or in collaboration with other talented teams, the goal is always the same — to reflect the energy in the room and give people something to remember, share, and come back to.
6. On the Mic: Podcast Production
In 2024, we added another layer to our work with LeadDev — capturing their podcast series on video. While the talks focus on what happens on stage, the podcast gives space for deeper, more personal conversations with some of the biggest voices in engineering leadership.
At the London event, we filmed an entire series on site, taking advantage of having so many speakers already in one place. In New York, the LeadDev team handled the filming themselves, and we picked things up in post — editing the content, adding graphics, and shaping it into a polished final product.
We produced a full suite of deliverables for the series, including short, bite-sized clips designed for social platforms and full-length videos that now live on LeadDev’s YouTube channel, free for anyone to watch. It’s a great extension of the event — and one more way the LeadDev community keeps the conversation going long after the lights go down.
7. Setting the Stage for the Next One: Promotional Content
Once the event wraps, we shift straight into promo mode — taking everything we’ve captured and turning it into sharp, versatile content that helps drive the next one.
We produce assets in multiple formats and ratios, built specifically for platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, landing pages and paid ads. Whether it’s a fast-paced highlights reel, a punchy quote card, or a teaser trailer with voiceover, every piece is designed to grab attention and speak directly to the LeadDev audience.
It’s not just about filling a feed. It’s about building anticipation, keeping the momentum going, and showing people why they don’t want to miss what’s coming next.
Conclusion: A Partnership in Growth
Over the past decade, we’ve built up a huge archive of LeadDev moments — from full-length talks and behind-the-scenes interviews to audience vox pops, podcast recordings, and testimonials. It’s been a real privilege to help shape how this community sees itself and shares its ideas with the world.
Whether it’s been in-person, online, or somewhere in between, our goal has always been the same: to make LeadDev feel as good as it is — clear, confident, human.
If you want to see it all for yourself, the next event is LDX3, happening in London. You can grab tickets and find out more at leaddev.com.
See you there.