In recent years, Bristol Media’s Chair Chris Thurling has led a very successful delegation to SXSW, the world’s largest interactive festival in Austin, Texas. For five days in March, it’s the only place to be to hear from the world’s leading creative and tech companies about forthcoming trends in our sector.
We’re now starting to think about SXSW 2020. With tickets going on sale on 1st August, we’re trying to gauge how many of our members may like to be part of the Bristol Media delegation next year? The interactive festival will run from 13-17th March (flying from Heathrow on 12th and returning on 18th). The flights are considerably cheaper at the moment (£473 economy & £827 premium economy) so if you’re thinking about going, you might be wise to book your flights now whilst the prices are so low! To give you an idea, the cost of the flights, accommodation and SXSW pass is in the region of £2,750 (travelling economy) – £3,050 (premium economy) plus subsistence.
Email [email protected] asap to register your interest for next year’s trip.
Bristol Media’s Visualiser programme is underway, supporting the lovely people at A Productions in their search for a Production Management Apprentice.
Our Partners Babassa and Ujima Radio have promoted the opportunity, which is delivered through Cirencester College with the support of the WORKS team at Bristol City Council.
We’ve also opened up a Facebook page @Visualiserbristol to enable talented young people to develop their portfolio and get noticed. We’ll keep them up to date with opportunities, so if you know young people who have talent, especially from the BAME community, then encourage them to get involved and upload a film and a profile.
For more info on the Visualiser programme click here.
Social Media Week – a global conference held in over 25 cities worldwide – returned to Bristol in June for the third year running. Our content apprentice, Izzy, had an access-all-areas pass as part of the digital squad to capture content from the week. It was a packed schedule of over 40 sessions, and Izzy has listed the four highlight events from her week…
1. Social Media Trends 2020
“To kick off day 1 of Social Media Week, I attended the sold-out ‘Social Media Trends 2020’ with Drew Benvie from Battenhall. What I found particularly interesting about this talk was trend 2, ‘Insta reality’.
Insta reality is when Instagram users step away from the fake, idealised, seemingly perfect post and instead show a more real and authentic perspective; for example, a ‘woke-up-like-this’ selfie with yesterday’s makeup and bed hair. I for one am exhausted of cherry picking through my camera roll, so I’m excited to see if Insta reality will really take off.
2. Sketchnoting for social
One my favourite events from the conference was Liam Williams’ workshop. I’m a huge fan of doodling, so learning that it’s actually a more effective way of making notes than plain words was great news to me.
In the session, Liam talked us through the different aspects of sketchnoting: shapes, lines, text, icons and faces. At the end we were put the test to create our own sketchnote, and while I’m not an expert just yet, it did teach me that it’s not about drawing ability, it’s about listening and that we should all ditch the lined paper! Look out for some Vision keynote sketchnotes in the coming months…
3. Harnessing the Power of Play
A more niche event, Fat Media’s ‘Harnessing the power of play’ was all about gamification. I was quite shocked to learn that using game-based content creates much more engagement than standard images and videos as users can stay for 30 seconds plus on a game but might spend just a second on a photo. It definitely got me thinking about some ways Bristol Media could implement gamification into our marketing operations.
4. The Social Detail – Closing Party
At the closing party on Thursday night, SMW Bristol ambassadors talked through their highlights. Almost all of them made the connection that the most engaging events were the ones that inspired change. Joyann Boyce from The Social Detail gave an amazing talk about inclusive marketing and then went on to talk on the ‘Activism in the social and digital age’ panel alongside Pussy Riot last minute!
There was so much to take away from both these sessions, but the one key thing is this: ‘Being inclusive in your content should be standard. Being representative of the people around us and the community we live in should be the norm’ – Joyann Boyce.
While I’m glad I won’t be running from venue to venue in the rain again anytime soon, I am so grateful to have been part of the experience. I’ve taken away new skills and knowledge that I can put into practise moving forward in my career. I’ll definitely be signing up to take part again next year and would 100% recommend that everyone in our industry get involved in some way, shape or form as a speaker, sponsor, digital squad member, or just attendee. Bring on Social Media Week Bristol 2020!”
The outsider’s time has come! In a society that is stuck in loops of common sense where we have an unhealthy attachment to expertise and logical, linear thinking, something counter-intuitive is needed. It is time for a creative revolution. One in which the outsider sits at the table alongside the experts. Where the passionately inexpert play a vital role in unsticking stuckness. All that you need to bring is your own unique and beautiful wonkiness.
Bristol Media are delighted to be joined by Steve Chapman, artist, philosopher, TEDx speaker, and all-round supporter of the weird and wonky, for this keynote on creativity and the human condition. Steve’s talk is all about nurturing what makes us uniquely weird so that it becomes our creative super power, the role of the ‘outsider’ versus the ‘expert’, and also touches on imposter syndrome, the pointlessness of labelling and the importance of counter culture.
Join us and Steve for this keynote on Tuesday 16 July (12.30-14.15) at the new event space of Origin Workspace, 40 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1HU. Tickets include a light buffet lunch and are £25+VAT for Bristol Media members, £35+VAT for non-members.
About Steve Chapman
A former Vision speaker, Steve is an artist, philosopher and writer who is interested in creativity and the human condition.
He specialises in working in creative and counter-intuitive ways to help people free themselves from stuck loops of common-sense where creativity, novelty and change are rather difficult. He is the founder of Can Scorpions Smoke? and creator of Sound of Silence, the world’s first silent podcast featuring special guests. As an artist he’s exhibited alongside the likes of David Shrigley and Pablo Picasso and has sold pieces in the UK, US, South Africa and Russia.
He is at his best when he doesn’t quite know what he is doing.
Twitter: @stevexoh
Instagram: @stevexoh
Bristol Media Board Director, Paul Appleby, has been appointed an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, announced on 8 June. The award is for services to the Creative Industries in Bristol & Bath.
A BAFTA award winning producer, Paul worked at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol for 30 years and has spent the last decade promoting the wider creative industries that Bristol and the surrounding area has to offer.
Paul is a founding member of Bristol Media and has been on the Board since 2005, where he took up the role as Chair in April 2009 for several years.
Commenting on the award, Paul says: “It’s amazing to receive a national honour like this. But although it’s a personal award, I can’t do anything on my own, so it’s also a recognition of the strength of the creativity of the region.
“Our place alongside London and Manchester is testament to the concentration of brilliant people in a relatively small region. It’s great that Nick Sturge, who runs Engine Shed, also has the MBE – we’ve been on the journey together for the last decade, developing “CreaTech” as the region’s USP.”
Paul spearheads a number of projects at Bristol Media, including Visualiser, an apprenticeship programme designed to build connections between the best creative talent from our community and Bristol Media member companies.
As part of Bristol’s UNESCO’s City of Film project, Paul also leads ‘Our City’, an annual short film competition for young people to celebrate Bristol by making short films about life in the city.
Chairman of Bristol Media, Chris Thurling, says, “I’m delighted for Paul, he works tirelessly behind the scenes to celebrate the creative industries, raising the profile of the region and spreading the word about the achievements, both in and outside of Bristol. An MBE is truly deserved.”
Paul was heavily involved in the launch of Digital Bristol (now Digital Cities), an initiative now run by the BBC Academy. He is also chair of the creative industries sector group of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
“We’ve still got a lot to do in developing the Industrial Strategy,” Paul adds, “I’m looking forward to what the future holds and continuing to celebrate and recognise our region.”
Paul will receive his MBE at a later date to be announced.
(Image: Paul Appleby talking at Vision Bristol)
We’d like to introduce our new ‘Featured Member’ series – a monthly article where we showcase the amazing businesses and individuals within our member community by sharing their stories and experiences.
To kick it off, we caught up with the team behind Social Media Week Bristol, AMBITOUS PR, to find out a little more about who they are and what they’re up to…
Hi AMBITIOUS! So, tell us, what do you do?
We’re a PR agency delivering integrated strategic communications. Our focus is corporate and business-to-business. This is our strength; it’s what we do best.
Our clients include global private healthcare providers, education institutions, property companies, tech platforms and workwear. We work nationally and internationally from our office based in Bristol. And, our services include strategy & planning, reputation management, content creation, media relations, influencer engagement, social media management, events – online, offline and everywhere in between.
For us it’s about the thinking. It’s about the execution and it’s about the commitment to never being boring. Like our manifesto ‘If it’s boring it’s not AMBITIOUS’ our aim is always to slice through the white noise and deliver stand out work.
Who’s in the team?
Our fab team of 12 is led by three hands-on directors and includes PR consultants, digital and social media experts, copywriters, event manager, former journalists and a junior content apprentice.
When did you join Bristol Media?
Over six years ago…
What’s your favourite place in Bristol?
We’re a social bunch, so regular team lunches are always favourite places. Our office is just off Whiteladies Road, so we’re spoilt for choice. Bosco, Souk Kitchen, River Cottage and the Lido tend to get the votes.
What are you most proud of as a business?
For the second year running AMBITIOUS have been awarded Best PR Agency of the Year at The Drum’s RAR Awards. Last year was the first time we entered and so were thrilled to pick up the top national award. It’s the only award that is 100% client rated, so real testament to the clients we work with and how they value what we do for them.
We’re a big fan of gadgets, what’s your favourite office gadget?
Definitely our Alexa! We have our apprentice Izzy to thank for bringing that joy into our daily lives.
What exciting plans have you got coming up this year?
We had our busiest year last year and 2019 is looking to top that. We’re investing in growing the team this year so excited to welcome new additions to AMBITIOUS.
As the organisers behind Social Media Week Bristol we’re gearing up for a packed schedule of over 40 events next week. And, we’re finalists in a few awards (The Drum & PRCA) so some fun nights out too.
Whose work do you admire and why?
We’re loving what the guys at Tiny Giant are all about. Creative AI, voice & bots – it’s an exciting space and they’re right here in Bristol. They’re set on combining ideas with technology including a recent project creating the world’s first AI-created cupcakes!
What’s the best tip/trick you’ve learnt as a business?
We’ve reflected much of what we’ve learnt as a business into our values as they best reflect what’s important to us.
One of those is ‘People Matter Most’ and so we put being human at the top of our priorities. We’re talking empathy, understanding and kindness. To everyone. It’s about creating a culture that values opinions, nurtures talent and listens. Ultimately all work is about relationships. And, when you get it right, it can lead to great things.
If you could sum up Bristol in 3 words, what would they be?
Spirited, community, interesting
To find out more about AMBITIOUS or to contact them to discuss opportunities, visit their member profile.
Keep your eyes peeled for our next Featured Member, they’ll be talking about AI and bots, can you guess who it will be?
There’s still time to grab the last few tickets to SMW Bristol. With 40 events to choose from, the sessions cover everything from social media for small businesses, blogging and influencers, B2B social strategies and social trends to look out for. Plus, we’re founding event partners, so Bristol Media members benefit from 25% off keynote sessions at The Everyman when using the code: BRISTOLMEDIASMW.
Tuesday 16 July 2019, 12.30 – 14.15: Origin Workspace, 40 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1HU.
For our July keynote we’ll be joined by Steve Chapman with his new talk ‘You’re Beautiful Wonkiness: The rise of the outsider and the revolution towards non-sense.’ If you’re a fan of the weird, wonderful and downright wonky, this one’s for you.
Steve will talk about the role of the outsider, imposter syndrome, the pointlessness of labelling and the importance of counter culture. Keep your eyes peeled for his #FREEART which he’s letting loose into the Bristol community – and let us know on twitter if you find any.
TICKETS: £25+VAT for Bristol Media members // £35+VAT for non-members (includes a buffet lunch).
Don’t forget, Bristol Media members can take advantage of exclusive discounts on venue hire, weekend cocktails, waterfront suppers, and much more! Take a look at the member benefits or click here if you’d like to find out more about joining.
To access member benefits you’ll need to prove you’re a member, find out how to set up your mobile membership card here.
Pop in for a cuppa and claim 10% off at Caffe Clifton, an independent café set in the heart of Clifton. Find out more.
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More InformationWe caught up with Marissa Lewis-Peart, winner of the Bristol Media Ben Martin Apprentice Award, two months after her trip to SXSW in Austin, Texas to find out more about her experiences of the festival. Read on to hear Marissa’s story and how she ended up at the world’s largest annual celebration of the interactive industries.
“During Easter 2018 I attended a two-week placement at Epoch Design, after presenting a leave behind in the form of a personalised water bottle label to the CEO at a 3rd year university talk. Later that year, one of the managers told me about the Ben Martin Apprentice Award opportunity and encouraged me to apply for it. I was asked to submit a short video and/or 500 word paragraph about my design strengths. After speaking with studio staff from Epoch, one of them asked me what my ‘why’ was which prompted me to spend the next couple of weeks filming and editing a 40 second video about why I wake up every morning excited to design. One face-to-face interview and a few weeks later, I was announced as the 2019 Ben Martin Apprentice Winner! As part of the opportunity I was able to attend the world’s largest Tech, Media, Music and Film conference festival: SXSW 2019 in Austin, Texas.
My first day at SXSW was International Women’s Day and so it was only right to begin the day with a women’s led panel talk about how adaptive design is transforming brands. The physical ability and racially diverse panel of four women spoke about how brands are becoming more inclusive to cater to all audiences and the possible downsides such as diversity being a ‘trend’ rather than a genuine brand value. I attended 4 more conferences throughout my first day ranging from a Black Women in Tech conference through to a talk by author Laura Otting about Becoming Limitless – How to Live Your Best Life.
That evening I attended the IPA welcome drinks at a local hotel with Chris Thurling, Chair of Bristol Media and my mentor, and a couple of others where I had the chance to network with many people who are established in their industries. By the end of the day, I was shattered!
I attended many more talks over the course of the next few days however one that stood out to me was ‘An Ad Guy and a Psychologist Walk Into an Ad Agency’ where an ad guy and a psychologist deconstructed a few of the most iconic TV advertisements and explained why they were so successful through behaviour economics. I found it really interesting to see how psychology can have a real impact on how an audience engages with creative media and how I can introduce some of the tactics in my own work. Later that day, Chris introduced me to Ann Hiatt who worked in executive positions for both Amazon and Google for 15 years at her talk; Grit, Reinvention & Pivoting for Success, which was inspiring as she spoke about how she grew to end up in her executive positions. On the final evening at SXSW, Ann hosted an open invite dinner where attendees who work in the tech, media, music or film industries could network and build connections, which was interesting as everyone had such diverse experiences.
There were a few pop up buildings scattered around the local area from brands such as Amazon, Sony, Samsung, LG, Snapchat and Twitter, where I could get interactive with their latest tech prototypes like robots and sensory gaming as well as network or listen to smaller talks. As a graphic design student I’m aware of how artificial intelligence and augmented reality are changing how brands communicate with consumers however, before this trip I was feeling confused as to how I can harness this new technology and take my work to the next level. Having the chance to play around with new tech helped to open my eyes to the possibilities and I ended up including augmented reality in a D&AD submission back at university.
Aside from the overall SXSW experience and opportunities to network being huge highlights within themselves, a smaller highlight of SXSW19 was seeing one of my favourite rappers, A$AP Rocky, talking about ‘Using Design Differently to Make a Difference’ with the Chief Design Officer of Mercedes Benz. As A$AP Rocky is an artist and general creative that I’ve loved for both his music and style for years, it was exciting to see him on stage and for once not rapping but talking about something that I’m also passionate about; design.
Thank you to the companies and organisations that came together to give me this opportunity, I’ve learnt so much and now have a clearer vision of the direction I would like to take my career in. As I’m currently completing my final months at university, having this experience and the support has really helped me to feel more confident in getting ready to start my career.”
Tickets for SXSW2020 go on sale 1st August 2019. If you’d like to find out more about joining Chris Thurling and the Bristol & Bath delegation at next year’s event, please email: [email protected]
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More InformationOur City is Bristol Media’s annual short film competition for Bristol’s young people that captures just what makes our city the most creative, rebellious, diverse and pioneering place to live and work. The project is supported by Royal Television Society West, as part of Bristol’s UNESCO City of Film project.
Supported by the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, Our City is sponsored by the city’s major production companies, including Aardman, Doghouse, Drummer TV, Films@59 and Icon Films – who also judge the entries. The winning films will be used by the Mayor and international broadcasters to show the world what a creative force we are.
Marvin Rees says: “This is a great opportunity for aspiring young filmmakers from a diverse range of backgrounds to break into Bristol’s media industry and show us what they’ve got to offer. I want to unlock this talent and showcase what makes Bristol so special. I’m grateful to the city’s cultural sector for supporting this initiative and I want to wish everyone the best of luck with their submissions. I look forward to seeing new and innovative interpretations of the city and its character.”
David Sproxton, Executive Chair, Aardman Animations, adds: “Aardman is very pleased to be part of the initiativ to help develop the potential of young film directors from the City’s very diverse population. It’s an exciting project with the aim to make a short film encapsulating the spirit of Bristol and we are keen to support the winning entry in whatever way we can.”
Laura Marshall, Managing Director, Icon Films, says: “Icon Films is proud to support Our City. Bristol is our home and we need to nurture young, creative talent. We look forward to opening our doors to four of the winners; offering work placements which cover various stages of development, pre-production, production, post-production and the marketing of our projects. Icon Films is diverse, energetic and ambitious and we hope that their time with us informs, inspires and helps them on their journey into the creative industry”.
As well as a £1000 cash prize for the winner, the partner companies will work directly with all short-listed finalists to build their skills and experience. They’ll be supported by community media organisations including Calling the Shots, Creative Youth Network, Knowle West Media Centre, Rife, Sharpshotz and Ujima Radio. This is a great opportunity to show individual talent and work with professionals which could lead to the first step into the industry.
So if you are a film-maker, work with creative young people or want to increase the engagement of your creative company, this competition is for you!
Produce a 90 second film, animation or motion video suitable for use on social media that captures your view of what makes Bristol THE place to be – creativity, culture, people, music, technology, action, collaboration, lifestyle – through story or performance.
The competition is open for entries and closes on 30 November, with results announced in December.
“We are proud to be involved in this exciting initiative and hope to have even more young film makers take up the opportunity this year and are looking forward to nurturing more new and emerging talent from the City” said Rachel Drummond-Hay, MD, Drummer TV.
Julian Barton Hill, CEO Doghouse Post-Production: “As an independent company, Doghouse thrives on pursuing and nurturing young local talent, Our City is the perfect platform for that first introduction to the industry for any budding film maker. Bristol’s creative sector is bubbling with talent and the exciting opportunities that are created by this competition benefits employers and the individuals waiting for their first step onto the career ladder. We’re proud to be sponsoring again and look forward to this year’s entries.”
Gina Fucci, MD, Films@59, adds: “Films at 59 is very excited to be a part of the Our City competition. Following on from everyone else’s comments, we can’t wait to see the results. This initiative is about discovering and nurturing creative potential and we know Bristol will inspire all the competitors to do great things!”
See the winners of the Our City 2018 film competition and watch their entries here.
Agents of Change: Think, Create, Play in partnership with UWE Bristol Equity – making its debut right here in Bristol – represents new and unheard voices. Join influencers from different disciplines who are making moves as agents of change to spark inspiration, debate and share best practice.
Keynote speaker Jide Adetunji, co-founder of GUAP MAG, followed by a panel discussion on curating your brand and creative practice, networking opportunities, and new artists showcase.
GUAP is the UKs first video magazine, allowing you to watch all the amazing content rather than read it. The aim is to ‘Inspire’ and ‘Entertain’ young people across the nation by delivering rich and quality video articles each month. The inspirational articles are designed to open young people’s eyes to the opportunities that exist within society and show them individuals who are living out their dreams in the hopes that they will learn and be inspired to greater things in life.
Abbi Bayliss, Adibah Iqbal, Parys Gardener
Panelists discuss their own creative journeys, developing their brands and creating opportunities.
Sponsored by UWE Equity, University of Bristol Student Union and Get Set for Growth
13:00 – 13:10 – Introduction video by Mayor Marvin Reeves
13:10 – 14:00 – Keynote address: Jide Adetunji (Co-Founder GUAP MAG)
14:00 – 15:00 – Panel Discussion
15:00 – 16:00 – Networking and Artist Exhibitors
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