JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, went stateside with their content last week, featuring on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Last month they captured the session performances of three tracks – CRAWL!, CAR CRASH and THE NEW SENSATION – at The Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow.

The subsequent edit of CRAWL! was picked up by The Late Show ahead of IDLES’ appearance at Coachella, part of their US-wide tour, with notice and the recording delivered to CBS the day of the broadcast.

“Our portfolio of work across music has developed somewhat alongside the commanding ascent of IDLES” said Rob French, Senior Creative at JonesMillbank.

“We have collaborated with them for a few years now and have established a relationship built on trust and integrity – key when an artist has a distinctive ownership of their brand.”

“The band brought such a beautiful energy to these sessions, bearing in mind it was mid-tour and in the middle of three sold out shows at The Barrowland Ballroom. We could barely communicate or see the stage, the light and sound was so intense but it was such a privilege to capture such raw energy so intimately.”

You can watch the feature and the session at https://jonesmillbank.com/work/idles/barrowland-sessions, with the releases of CAR CRASH and THE NEW SENSATION coming in the following weeks.

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JonesMillbank are a passionate full-service video production company

They work exclusively in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, all the while telling authentic stories long before it was cool for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, Battersea, The Royal Mint, IDLES and randstad.

jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
hello@jonesmillbank.com

We’re delighted to announce that Armadillo CEO, James Ray, has been appointed one of the three agency heads boosting the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) leadership team and will be joined by OMD’s chief operating officer, Christian Byron and Republic of Media’s head of client services, Gill Jarvie.

James’ role will be as City Head for Bristol, Cardiff and the South West. He’ll serve as a figurehead and champion for the Industry in the region. He’ll engage with, and represent, the outstanding talent in the community, and provide a voice for IPA members in the areas.

Paul Bainsfair, director general, IPA comments “I’m delighted to welcome Christian, Gill and James into their new positions. I know they will provide valuable guidance and expertise to our wider agency community as we continue to recover from the pandemic. 

James says: “It’s a great privilege to have been appointed as your new City Head for Bristol, Cardiff and the South West, not least as I have some big shoes to fill. I wanted to start by thanking Mike Leeson for his superb stewardship over the last few years, and I hope I can step up to his high standard.

I’m really excited to be taking on the role. With the uncertainty and disruption of the last few years driving a shift towards a more hybrid and even more accessible mix of benefits and support, there’s never been a better time to be an IPA member – especially for those of us outside of the capital”.

Armadillo joined the IPA in March 2020. We were incredibly pleased to join an organisation that, with over 266 agency members, who are responsible for over 85% of all UK advertising spend, supports and celebrates the best in the industry. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with them over the past two years and are incredibly excited to continue to develop this relationship further as the advertising industry continues to innovate and grow.

B Corp Month (in the year we became a B Corp)

Last month was B Corp month — a time to appreciate what it means to be a B Corp. The B Corporation is a global movement of businesses rethinking what it means to be successful, focusing on regenerative, inclusive, and equitable practices that benefit everybody, not just the people at the top.

B Corp businesses not only listen to the demands of the climate crisis — they’re often leading the way. It’s a huge psychological shift taking place in the business sphere, happening across continents. There’s now over 4,600 B Corps in 78 countries around the world, covering 155 industries. We’re chuffed by how far this movement has grown. Tusko is also growing, and we’d like purpose driven creatives to join us.

We built our agency on the idea that private enterprises have a vital role to play when it comes to climate change, social injustice, and every unbalanced axis that tilts our world away from what’s good for all.

We’ve always wanted to be a part of the wave making a positive difference in the world. Because with the pressures of climate change just getting more intense by the year, we can’t just carry on with business as usual.

Not when the IPCC is warning about the catastrophic effects we will see in our lifetime. Or when freak weather events are starting to make the lives of people around the world more hazardous and uncertain.

With the comprehensive, measurable framework outlined by B Corp practices and value systems — businesses like ours have a defined, guided pathway to becoming a part of the solutions the world needs.

The road to B Corp

In our increasingly socially conscious economic sphere, being B Corp verified is a huge credibility boost for any business. As you may have heard from other companies on their B Corp journey, it’s no small undertaking!

But then again, it shouldn’t be simple.

Our entire economic world is built on a model that has directly resulted in the catastrophic environmental effects we’re beginning to witness all around us, and will have to adapt to over the coming years. So for businesses to become a part of the change we need to see, they need to be solidly accountable for doing things in a better way.

Luckily, it is completely possible to balance profit, and purpose. And as Mark Carney warns, can businesses afford not to adapt, and create those urgently needed solutions?

The journey to B Corp certification has given us an incredible framework to grow with, and we’ve had to ask occasionally awkward questions of our suppliers and our customers.

Our practices as an agency now include…

  1. asking if our associates have a ‘Code of Ethics’ in their business.

  2. enquiring if they have relationships with ‘Sin industries’): Tobacco, Alcohol, Gambiling, Weapons, Pornography, Unfair Trade Practices, Fossil Fuels, Diamonds and precious gems, fast fashion, Pharmaceuticals, and businesses with their workforce in 3rd world countries.

  3. asking if they would be happy to fill in our ‘Sustainability Survey’, to assess performance in this area.

But while we’ve had to make some hard decisions as a result of shifting our business to align with our ethics, we’ve also attracted some exceptional clients along the way too.

We’ve been working closely with a Bristol-based law firm NRG to create their new digital identity, and support an exciting rebrand project. They’re also on the journey to B Corp certification, and as we understand it one of the main reasons NRG wanted to work with us was because we are B Corp certified.

It’s highly rewarding to be able to work together with businesses from other sectors towards a common, essential goal.

 

Inspired by brands who came before us

We’ve been motivated to begin our B Corp journey by businesses who are already transforming our economy by transforming themselves.

We look to brands like Patagonia, a north star for sustainability in big business for many. They make the coolest outdoor gear, and they’re also a beacon for major corporation ethics, and contributions to sustainability.

Tony’s Chocolate have been making waves too — you might have seen their colourful campaigns against slavery in chocolate production.

We’re constantly inspired by the Future Leap Hub – associates of ours in Bristol running a co-working space that’s “one of the few sustainable and environmental co-working spaces in the South-West”.

And we’re also big fans of Chilly’s, a reusable water bottle with a mission to “accelerate the adoption and everyday use of reusable products”. We bought everyone in the Tusko team a Chilly’s bottle to keep us all hydrated with less single use plastic.


It’s clear that governments, NGOs, and charities can’t do it all when it comes to cleaning up our world. Private companies need to step up. The profits we’re making could be driving the sustainable reinvention of our economies, and the way we live. And with effective, global initiatives like B Corp, we now have a template we can follow to do that.

If you’d like more guidance on how to shop sustainably as an individual, we highly recommend The Ethical Consumer for advice that helps you spend money with companies with strong principles.

We’re looking for creatives to join our organisation. If you’re interested, please email jobs@tusko.co.uk, telling a little bit about yourself.

boomsatsuma welcomed representatives from the Department of Culture, Music and Sport (DCMS) and the West of England Combined Authority to see first-hand how boomsatsuma is successfully upskilling and reskilling young people in new and exciting ways

Having moved three of its creative, digital college courses into a new training centre at Bristol’s centrally located Leadworks, boomsatsuma’s Executive Dean, Dr Susan McMillan, welcomed Elizabeth Mitchel, DCMS, and Gail Caig (Creative Industries Council and Bristol Creative Industries) to meet course tutors and students.

Gail Caig, Creative Industries Council and Bristol Creative Industries, states:

“The talent on show on our visit to boomsatsuma in Bristol was impressive. The Creative Industries needs young people with creative and tech skills and this was a real opportunity to meet the next generation of talent. My work supporting the Creative Industries Council focuses on areas where there are barriers to growth for the UK’s creative sector, such as access to skills and ensuring we have a more diverse and inclusive workforce. Our visit really highlighted what excellent work is already happening in Bristol to enable young people from all backgrounds to access jobs in the sector”

The fact find mission informed DCMS and West of England Combined Authority’s with insights as to how boomsatsuma’s close links with West Country creative industry businesses and skills strategy impact students’ development in a significantly positive way.

Elizabeth Mitchell, DCMS Head of Skills, Diversity and Levelling Up, Media and Creative Industries comments:

“The DCMS team was so impressed by the energy and quality of the young students we met at boomsatsuma. The company’s admirable focus on matching their young people’s talents to the needs of the industry in Bristol will ensure a strong and localised talent pipeline for the creative sector.”

The expanding Createch sector in the West Country will bring meaningful employment opportunities across the coming years. Strong links with companies at the sharp end gives boomsatsuma students first hand experiences to gain the skills and knowledge to prepare them very well for an incredible range of careers.

Dr Susan McMillan states:

“Many of the city’s young people – at School and College – may not be aware of these creative tech roles, yet with some insight and training, they will be ideally suited to these careers. We work directly with schools across Bristol and the West Country to inspire children about working in the Creative Industries. We are now offering free, inspirational workshops and talks to schools in subjects from Game Art and Web Design to Virtual Reality. On our college courses we help students focus their ambition and skills. Our new portfolio of creative and technical degrees then gives young people an opportunity to enhance their understanding and industry experience and focus on employment through our meaningful and working relationships with employers from the BBC to The Bottle Yard Studios. We are connecting up the sections of the talent pipeline.

“I believe it is that our connected approach, from school, to college, to degree, to employment, is what differentiates boomsatsuma as a very effective educator.”

The ongoing expansion of boomsatsuma, with new technical degree’s coming on-line next year, precipitated taking on the Leadworks as a new course centre. Being located so close to We The Curious, The Watershed and Bristol Beacons places students in the creative heart of Bristol.

We’re excited to share that we have launched a new academy, starting with positions for Junior Developers and Digital Marketing Executives.

Get hands-on experience that will drive your career forward while getting paid!

The first step is to find out more about the roles available and then apply to join an Academy Day.

Our Academy days make the interview process more inclusive, interesting, and (hopefully) fun!

Spend the day with our mentors, participate in activities with other guests, and show us why you’re a good fit for being at Torchbox.

There will be a baseline of knowledge and skills required depending on the role you’re applying for. The full criteria is included in the specification.

The Academy Days are running on the following dates:

Find out all you need to know and how to apply. 

AgencyUK have announced the launch of the latest NHS public campaign which is designed to encourage people to call ‘111’ rather than ‘999’ when they have non- emergency minor conditions.

The campaign activity is aimed at high risk groups in deprived areas, those with poorer access to GP care, or people with small children, young adults or older youth, who live close to emergency departments or far from urgent care centers and without easy access to transport.

Although national awareness of the existing ‘111 help us help you’ campaign is high (of those surveyed, 98% were aware and 72% had used 111) there is still a requirement to continue encouraging consumer behaviour to change, particularly in these deprived areas.

The figures in Bristol (61% used) and 80% in North Somerset and South Gloucester is lower. NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucester CCG (BNSSG) also have targets to increase these numbers by a further 10%.

Taking a more direct, harder hitting approach is unlikely to work, and this was demonstrated following a programme of qualitative research conducted with people in these target audience groups. The agency and NHS team have developed a proposition and creative campaign that is clear and simple, showing the benefits of dialing 111 through illustrations.

“The campaign is simple in encouraging people to use 111 by showing how the service provides immediate advice and guidance for those who need help right away. The graphics can be easily understood and have been brought to life in the digital and outdoor elements created by AgencyUK.” says Dominic Moody, head of communications at NHS.

The integrated campaign leverages social media as well as traditional (OOH) and digital out of home (DOOH) formats such as buses, posters and interactive display screens.

Sammy Mansourpour, managing director, AgencyUK says “Working with the NHS is always a privilege, and as a leading brand communications agency our team have always felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility when it comes to helping improve our national services. We’ve been pleased with the media selection and KPI’s being applied to this campaign and look forward to seeing the impact it will make. The message is clear. Think 111 first.”

AgencyUK are an independent brand communications agency. The company has demonstrated significant growth over the past 12-months, contributed by the rapid expansion of their life science and healthcare portfolio. NHS is the latest major account win for the agency in the past 12-months.

Learned in Texas, delivered in Bristol. TMW Unlimited are hosting a free event at Origin Workspace to round up the most interesting bits from the world’s biggest knowledge-sharing festival, South by Southwest.

Liv Wedderburn (Social & Influence Director) and Paul Dazeley (Strategy Director) have returned from from Austin brimming with ideas and topics to discuss.

When they last returned from the last SXSW all the way back in 2019, they were most struck by how the conversation had shifted from revering tech to fearing it, with big corporations coming under mounting pressure over their ethical practices.

In the 3 years since, there’s been a pandemic, a new President, a Facebook rebrand and a whole new web has developed – so to say there’s a lot of new ground to cover is probably an understatement.

Besides a hefty dose of jet lag, the biggest issue in preparation so far has been trying to filter down the colossal amounts of information and choosing the most important things to share.

Liv and Paul will be diving into unknown realm that is our future: from the climate crisis, to demystifying the hype around the metaverse and Web 3.0, all the way to weird and wonderful conversations on space, sex tech, synthetic biology and much, much more.

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To attend, register here. Free ticket includes drink, canapes and fun for all.

Date and time:

Thursday 31 March 2022 18:45 – 20:30

Location:

Origin Workspace, 40 Berkeley Square, Bristol BS8 1HP

Conscious Solutions a Bristol-based digital marketing agency that focuses on the legal sector has added six employees to our Bristol-based team in 2022 with four of those being brand new roles to support our growth.

With continued growth in digital marketing requirements across the legal sector, it has been critical for us to keep up with demand and the fierce battle for talented employees.

New hires have included project managers, copywriters, and a digital marketing apprentice.

Managing Director of Stuff & Things, David Gilroy reflects that he has embraced a long-term strategy of prioritising the wellness of the Conscious team to both attract and retain talent. He elaborates “We have understood and committed to meeting industry-wide measurements like becoming a Living Wage Employer and signing up to the Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse to indicate our commitment to the wellness of our team”.

In 2021 we also got accredited as a flexible employer by Flexa (https://flexa.careers/) and even made it into their top 100 at No. 33 (https://flexa.careers/flexa100).

David continues “I love telling new employees that you will more than likely bump into one of our friendly office dogs when you in the office, but a flexible working environment is so much more than allowing the odd work from home day or welcoming a floof to the office, it’s a philosophy that says work is a thing you do not a place you go.”

A flexible approach to working means the team doesn’t feel guilty to go pick a child up from school or have a COVID vaccine. Besides those external commitments to be held accountable for a working environment that attracts employees, there are a host of other benefits including being supported by a Wellness Team and a Fun Team.

One of those benefits is each staff member is encouraged to spend two days a year volunteering at a charity of their choice (these are in addition to our generous leave policy). After a four-way pitch by employees Gympanzees was chosen as our company wide charity to support for the next two years. Gympanzeees is a Bristol-based charity that provides accessible fun and fitness for all disabled children.

This approach to prioritising the health and happiness of our staff seems to be having the desired effect for us.  We have seen steady growth both in the number of clients and the number of services that clients have trusted us with their marketing spend.

A digital marketing manager from one of our clients, a top 200 law firm said “2022 is starting positively with a 47% increase in year-on-year enquiries for January, making it our best performing month ever! There is no doubt in my mind that the SEO is driving this”

Head of account management Dan Hodges is not surprised by comments like that and attributes the success to a deep strategic knowledge of the industry because of our 18 years focusing on one sector. He goes on to explain “It’s critical that my team and I understand both the industry in terms of things like trends and changes to legislation but equally important that we get to know the challenges and opportunities facing each one of our clients so that we can craft the most effective strategy to drive their business success”.

With happy clients and a growing team of talented staff, we seem poised to stay on the right side of the battle for talent.

Please note: Since publication this crowdfund has closed. £988,776 was raised in 28 days with Yuup reaching 131% of its desired fundraising target.

Yuup, the Bristol-based online local experiences marketplace, has been offering the city’s creative community a platform to generate income through hosting experiences since it was founded in September 2020.

In just a year company has grown from supporting just under 40 experience hosts to now being a community with over 270 people and small businesses and 500+ experiences to enjoy throughout Bristol city.

On Yuup’s platform you will find anything from unicycle lessons to rum tasting, wild winter swimming to hot air balloon rides, and pottery making to fresh pasta making masterclasses. Each one of these unique experiences is hosted by a local person that can’t wait to share their skills and passion with new people.

The platform has seen side-hustlers and hobbyists turn their favourite thing to do into a business and their main source of income. In the past year, Yuup has generated over £450k of income for local people and small independent creative businesses in the Bristol and Bath region. 

Maria Fernandez, from Healing Weeds, hosts foraging workshops in Bristol. Her experiences teach guests how to identify seasonal wild produce and how to make balms, medicines, cordials, and elixirs from the foraged harvest. Using Yuup, Maria was able to change her career in order to properly pursue the thing she loves. She said:

“Yuup helped me turn my hobby into a business and Healing Weeds is now my main source of income.”

 

A positive impact for creative sectors and small independent businesses

Since launching in the middle of a pandemic, Yuup has been used by Bristol creatives to help their income streams and businesses bounce back from lockdown and the effects of the pandemic. 

The drop in economic activity within the UK in response to the pandemic impacted SMEs and the self-employed significantly in comparison to their larger business counterparts. 

Local businesses were forced to adapt in order to survive. For indie businesses that could facilitate experiences, Yuup provided a platform that allowed alternative revenue streams to the local businesses that were struggling to achieve their pre-pandemic footfall. 

Alice from Trylla shop on North Street joined Yuup early on in order to use the platform as a kickstart to her business’ post-pandemic recovery. Her pottery making experiences have been so popular that Alice has since hired new staff to help support the demand for her pottery classes on Yuup.

Yuup’s positive social impact extends to platform support, marketing, and a ticketing system for charity events and fundraisers. Yuup’s recent collaboration with Belly Laughs comedy festival 2022 raised over 22k for charity and generated over 10k of revenue for local restaurants and bars. The company have also recently supported grassroots charities such as MAZI Project and KASK’s Ukraine Fundraiser.

Four ways to join Yuup’s growing community

At the start of February 2022, Yuup announced that the business will be opening up investment to the public to allow for the company’s scaling up operations this year. There are a number of ways that you can join the Yuup community. As an investor, as a Yuup host, by introducing a Yuup host, or as a customer. 

How to join the Yuup community as an investor: Yuup’s crowdfund is open until March 31st, and the funds raised will go towards reaching hundreds more potential experience hosts in Bristol and Bath, generating income and jobs for locals and the communities that need it most. 

Yuup will also be launching in its second city this summer, connecting creatives, makers and dreamers from another UK city to the Yuup community. 

You can join the crowdfund from as little as £20. You will own a part of Yuup and participate in the financial rewards of share ownership. Your investment will support local independent businesses whilst helping even more people to discover incredible things to do in their local area. Visit the Yuup crowdfund webpage to watch the investment film and find out more here: https://invest.yuup.co/

How to join Yuup as an experience host: If you are a creative or passionate local person, you could turn that love of something into an experience for others to enjoy. Yuup helps people create, promote, and host experiences. 

It’s free to join the platform, and you get simple tools, a host portal, and marketing support and investment. A small commission is taken from each sold experience, so Yuup only makes money when you make money. 

The scope for experiences is almost boundless. From food and drink tours to cooking classes, craft workshops to cinema nights, outdoor adventures to indoor wellbeing sessions. If you love it, why not share the experience? Get in touch with the Yuup team about your future experience here: https://www.yuup.co/pages/join

How to introduce an experience host: Do you know a wicked weaver? A crowd-pleasing cook? A passionate painter? A cool climber? Refer your friend to the Yuup team and help them turn their passion into a business. Refer an experience host here: https://www.yuup.co/host_referrals/new

How to join the Yuup community as a customer: Just browse yuup.co and pick something that you would love to do! Alternatively, you can also buy experiences as gifts, purchase gift cards, or use Yuup’s experiences in your employee rewards scheme.

We have been officially recognised as a ‘Great Place to Work’ by being awarded the sought-after certification. 

Great Place to Work’s mission is to “help organisations create exceptional, high performing workplaces where employees feel trusted and valued”. Through the Certification process, they capture valuable employee feedback and details about the practices that make workplaces unique.

As part of this employee feedback, we were absolutely thrilled to report a 90% overall trust index from our team.

Some of our favourite bits from our team’s ratings include:

But what do the team actually say about working at cxpartners?

Come on – we’re a team of research consultants! Of course we love quantitative data, but we’re obviously going to go and gather a little qual too…

Megan Simmons, UX Consultant: 

“cxp is a great place to work since we practice what we preach – it’s an empathy driven workplace”

Ollie Miller, Creative Director: 

“There are no egos at cxpartners. From my experience that’s very unique. It means you can be you. You can feel comfortable sharing your ideas with people who really value your thoughts and really listen.”

Lauren Howells, Marketing Manager: 

“We have such a supportive culture with space for everyone to have an opinion and speak up”

Chris Edge, Account Director

“It’s such a friendly and passionate team at cx, a diverse mix of skillsets working well together to really make a massive difference to our clients”

Nicola Pritchard, Senior User Researcher:  

“Flexibility, support, adult to adult relationships, everyone’s proper passion for their subject, feeling connected, feeling heard, having permission to bring my whole self to work without judgement, total kindness of all the people here. 

When I stop and think, that’s an amazing list!”

Henry Bacon, UX Consultant:

“I’ve only been here for about 6 weeks, but so far I’d say the people! Everyone’s super friendly and welcoming.”

Sharon Webster, UX Consultant: 

“What I love about working at cx is being empowered, having opportunities to develop my career, learn from awesome colleagues and that being people-centred is lived and breathed here. Oh and there’s some fun projects too!”

Mark Skinner, Principal UX Consultant: 

“I think the best thing is that we’re not expected to be robots – we can be ourselves, and when we need support, it’s there!”

Claire Barrett, Senior UX Consultant: 

“Today’s pod catch up demonstrated one (of the many!) reasons cx is a great place to work… a bunch of lovely human beings asking brilliant questions on subjects that matter and just generally having insightful chats!” 

Join us! 

Not only are we a Great Place to Work, but we also have some pretty great benefits too, including: 

We offer ‘remote-first’ working, with offices available in London and Bristol, and are currently recruiting for:

However, if you’re keen to join the team but your skillset doesn’t quite match the roles above – get in touch, we’d still love to hear from you.