This new and exciting programme is designed to equip individuals (aged 19+) with the technical skills, knowledge and understanding needed to produce digital content across several platforms, ensuring you can use social media most effectively for your small business, sports team or trade.
This course will provide a great opportunity for you to develop media production techniques, such as camera operating (on mobile devices, DSLR cameras and broadcast cameras), video editing, graphics and motion graphics to produce content for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and more. There is a host of exciting modules that your tutor will guide you through, including:
Planning your Project
Camera Production Techniques
Sound Recording Techniques
Editing Techniques
boomsatsuma launches a new BA (Hons) Visual Effects Degree, with the appointment of John Rowe as Head of Animation and Visual Effects, Nov 21.
Extending boomsatsuma’s Higher Education skills training into the expanding Creative Industries sector, the new BA (Hons) Visual Effects, and newly announced BSc (Hons) Web Design and Development Degrees, are in-line with the national strategy for digital skills training, with transferrable skill sets that cross over into many industry sectors.
John Rowe has written the Visual Effects focussed course content, with industry support and approval, and he will lead its delivery to students from September 2022. He brings extensive experience and expertise in 3D visual effects, including his previous role creating digital courses at the National Film and Television School. John states:
“This course will give students the skills they need to gain employment in the expanding creative industries. It is driven by the needs identified by employers, both now and in the future, so we are listening closely to our commercial partners when constructing course content. It is particularly focused on training and empowering the storytellers of the future, using state-of-the-art technologies and software.
“boomsatsuma has a proven history of connecting the diverse communities across the West Country with creative companies, through education pathways that empower students to find their own voices, which I am delighted, and proud, to be a part of.”
The new Visual Effects degree supports boomsatsuma’s ambitious plans to develop socially diverse talent for the creative and tech sectors. It complements boomsatsuma’s existing degrees in Filmmaking (Production and Post Production) and Game Art and will be designed to encourage people to think about visual effects and game engines not just for the creative industries, but also for other sectors – from health to architecture.
For more course information and details on how to apply follow the link to https://www.boomsatsuma.com/visualeffects.
Vegan charity Viva! has launched its first-ever TV ad, with a brave concept by Bristol video production agency, Skylark Media.
The renowned vegan charity hopes to raise £40,000 to screen the advert to more than 16 million people on Channel 4.
The ad follows a meat-eating couple ordering a takeaway online from ‘Just Meat’, a fictional delivery app. They order ‘pulled pork’ and are shocked to discover a small piglet, with the delivery driver holding a butcher knife. Voiced by actor Peter Egan, the ad centres around the lost connection between animals and our plates – and leaves the viewer with a dilemma: would you kill the pig?
Skylark worked collaboratively with Viva! founder Juliet Gellatley and Canpaigns Manager Laura Hellwig. Skylark’s concept took its inspiration from the popularity of food delivery apps, and the disconnect between the nation’s love of pets and farm animals. Juliet says, ‘We worked with Skylark on some smaller projects and we were so impressed that I felt really comfortable going forward with this bigger project. Ultimately Viva! is about saving animals and Skylark completely get Viva! and what we’re about, and that’s been really important to us too.’
‘We wanted to reflect the passion behind the Viva! brand with an impactful creative,’ said Skylark’s MD, Jo Haywood. ‘Once we had talked to our advisors at Clearcast and got the script cleared for broadcast we could get into production, the hardest part of which was definitely casting the pig!’
The project was awarded to Skylark following the creative production of Viva!’s Vegan Recipe Club and This Is Fine campaigns this year.
For more details of Viva!’s crowdfunder: https://viva.org.uk/tv-ad/
Atomic Smash is a WordPress and WooCommerce specialist agency run by Piers Tincknell and David Darke. Based in Bristol, we’re a growing team of 17 who help businesses to improve and evolve their digital platforms through long-term partnerships.
We’ve been working with WordPress for over a decade and we’re experts at what we do. Not only do we help our clients achieve their commercial goals through constant evolution and improvement of their WordPress and WooCommerce platforms, but we’re also deeply integrated within the local WordPress and creative communities.
Adding to our WordPress credentials, Atomic Smash is now a WordPress VIP partner agency.
Offering peace of mind that your site can scale for billions of site visitors instantly, WordPress VIP is a powerful platform for enterprise. Working with WordPress VIP means our team of developers can build flexible websites with security and reliability that meets enterprise needs at scale.
At Atomic Smash, we help our clients improve their WordPress and WooCommerce sites over time so their websites are always performing at their best. This comes to life through our Always Evolving model and the WordPress VIP platform aligns perfectly with this philosophy by offering an infrastructure that can grow with your business.
With the WordPress VIP platform, we can continue to enhance our clients’ sites while:
Piers Tincknell, Co-founder and Managing Director of Atomic Smash said:
“I am really excited about working closer with WordPress VIP and bringing those benefits through to our clients. The work they are doing with the wider WordPress community is amazing and we are really proud to be part of that.”
David Darke, Co-founder and Operations Director of Atomic Smash said:
“Gaining access to the WordPress VIP ecosystem is going to be an amazing resource for our current and future Enterprise level WordPress clients.”
Jeff Mills, Partner Director, EMEA at WordPress VIP said:
“I am pleased to welcome the Atomic Smash team to the expanding WordPress VIP Partner Program. Their extensive knowledge with Enterprise WordPress combined with their ‘Always Evolving’ mantra ensures a great, strategic approach to building websites. They are an amazing asset to the whole WordPress community.”
Through our partnership with WordPress VIP, our clients will be able to create even more impactful digital experiences for their customers while driving better results for their businesses.
Are you interested in knowing how we could support your business by making your website work harder? Let’s talk.
Bristol Institute of Performing Arts
Our team is made up of industry professionals from all corners of the creative industries. Performers will be put through their paces by our academic team of performers, directors and choreographers which is supported by our Student Experience and academic support teams.
Our Purpose Built Campus
The Bristol Institute of Performing Arts is based at the SGS WISE Campus a £17.5 million pound campus designed for sporting, performing and visual arts excellence.
Olympus Theatre
The Olympus Theatre based at the Bristol Institute of Performing Arts/SGS WISE Campus has been producing and receiving theatre on a local and regional scale for almost 15 years. Since opening in 2005, the cultural and creative significance has exceeded expectations, making The Olympus a premier destination for theatre performance and education in the South West region.
Our Students perform in our 250 seat auditorium which holds over 35 productions a year through our in house production team.
Studio 22 Theatre
The Studio 22 Theatre is our most diverse performance space, kitted out with fully flexible seating which allows a variety of production design styles. Students will be immersed into a space designed for intimate productions, showcases and cabaret performances. The Studio 22 theatre can accommodate an audience of up to 80.
10 Studios & Workrooms
All our dance studios are equipped with sprung flooring, mirrors, barres and a speaker system. Our rehearsal rooms also feature a range of equipment and speakers
Studio 1 – Dance StudioStudio 2 – Rehearsal StudioStudio 3 – Dance StudioStudio 4 – Dance StudioStudio 5 – Dance StudioStudio 6 – Rehearsal StudioStudio 7 – Rehearsal StudioStudio 8 – Rehearsal StudioStudio 9 – Rehearsal StudioStudio 10 – Practice RoomWorkroom 1 – Scenic Design WorkshopWorkroom 2 – Technical TheatreWorkroom 3 – Costume & Scenic Store
Since opening in October, Gather Round Brunswick Square is already home to a bustling creative community. For a limited time only, Gather Round are offering a free day pass so you can try out the new space for yourself.
Designed for creatives, by creatives
Bristol-based Gather Round is a growing family of unique, soulful, creative workspaces, purposefully designed for creatives by creatives. Its mission is to build remarkable co-working spaces where creative thinkers and doers can connect, collaborate and thrive.
Founded by Fiasco Design owners, Ben Steers and Jason Smith, Gather Round’s flagship workspace in the Cigar Factory, Southville, opened its doors to Bristol’s curious creative community in 2019. The second space on Brunswick Square, St Pauls, opened last month and supports up to 90 professionals; freelancers, self-employed and micro businesses, from the surrounding areas of St Pauls, Montpelier, Easton, St George, Kingsdown and more.
Split over three floors, the beautiful Grade II listed building provides flexible areas with fixed and casual desks, private studios, meeting rooms, hang-out areas, communal tables and quiet areas for contemplation. It also boasts a dedicated private event space with a 60-person capacity.
A community of creatives
Its members are a truly eclectic and talented bunch; designers, writers, filmmakers, publishers, photographers, brand strategists and more. The supportive, collaborative community is valued as highly by members as the beautifully designed workspaces themselves: “Collaborating with exciting and interesting individuals is what gets me out of bed in the morning. – Gareth Rutter, Founder and Creative Director of Bellow Studio.
Gather Round offers private studio, resident and co-working membership options, with part-time flexible co-working costing £110 per month (plus VAT), and full-time memberships from £195 (plus VAT).
Get Your Free Day Pass Today
Knowing that signing up to a co-working space can feel like a big step, Gather Round are offering a free day pass* for Brunswick Square so you can try out the space for yourself. Get your free day pass here.
*For November only.
We all love an underdog.
One of our Digital Designers, Mayumi Kurosawa, has overcome incredible odds to get to where she is today – a much-loved member of the Proctors’ team.
This is her story.
Act 1: A blessing in (deep, deep) disguise?
I may be happily settled in Bristol today, but the journey I took to get here started in Japan.
In 2018, I was working as a translator – my dream job back then. After five years in this role, my British-native husband told me he wanted to move back to the U.K. It wasn’t the best timing, but being the amazing wife I am, I agreed, making the decision to leave my job and challenge myself in a new country.
After along slog (another story in itself), I was finally granted permission to come and work in the UK. I landed an admin job working for a Japanese company dealing in imported car parts.
But bad timing struck again. The knock-on effects of Brexit were being felt in every industry, and within 8 months of starting my job, I was made redundant.
And to top it all off, my husband and I had just made the decision to move to a new city: Bristol.
Act 2: Kintsugi – Repairing what’s broken, with gold
After coming to terms with what had happened, I came to a realisation. Yes, I’d been dealt a few poor hands. But now I had a brand-new opportunity to discover what I really wanted from the next stage of my career.
So, I doubled down and made a plan: I gave myself one year to study and find out exactly what it was I wanted to do. And I had an idea of what that might be…
Act 3: The impossible dream
Since childhood, I’d dreamt of working within the creative industries. But I’d never felt confident enough to even talk about it – never mind found the guts to try. Nevertheless, the dream had stayed with me. And without the excuse of ‘being too busy’ now redundant, it was time for me to take a chance.
I knew I was interested in design, in its broadest sense. But, of course, modern ‘design’ covers a wide range of occupations.
It took me a while to focus on one discipline. First, I started studying UX/UI design with an online course called Interaction Design Foundation. Then, I moved into front-end web development with Codecademy – an online platform offering coding classes for people interested in developing their skills within the digital design sector. Finally, I studied graphic design, learning even more about the principles of aesthetics and creativity.
Every discipline had its merits, making it difficult to choose which specialism I was going to focus on. And just one year of learning seemed too short to become skilled enough in all of these different areas if I wanted to secure a job.
Act 4: The Great Battle of Imposter Syndrome
The truth is, I spent a lot of time over the course of that year doubting whether I was making the right choice. However, I’m stubborn by nature, and after every moment of uncertainty I would rebound into bursts of productively, further pushing and developing my professional skills.
There’s a cliché for a reason: the only difference between the people who succeed and the people who don’t, is whether they give up on what they want. And I just didn’t let myself give up.
So, I started creating a portfolio. I turned my skills to a selection of different websites that I felt could be improved with a mixture of design and UX. Not only did the process help me use the skills I had learnt, it also helped me to test myself – and prove to myself that I really could become a designer.
When I had three websites redesigned and mocked up, I took a chance and started to apply to some roles.
Act 5: An ending – and a beginning
To my surprise and delight, I received interest from some of the applications I sent, and managed to squeeze myself* into the creative industry. Now, I’m a digital designer for Proctor + Stevenson – and I got here without a relevant degree or industry experience.
Everyone is very warm, keen to help, and I genuinely enjoy working here. They are serious professionals, but at the same time they love to laugh and have fun.
I’ve just started my new career, so can’t give much industry insight yet. But I hope I can encourage people who want to learn something new, or want a career change, that if I could do it, you can do it too.
Post-credits
A quick comment from Proctors (and Mayumi’s manager, Dan Hardaker, Director of Digital Design).
*There was no squeezing necessary when it came to offering Mayumi a role with Proctors. Her portfolio – and her story – demonstrated so much potential and clear talent that we knew would make her a perfect fit for the role.
It’s important to us to look past a person’s work experience alone. Your drive and attitude are just as important as the places you’ve worked before. We believe in giving people the opportunity to develop their skills in a professional environment, and in supporting your goals with mentoring and training resources. So together, we can lay a career path just for you.
Why not take a look at our current career opportunities? There could be a new flagstone waiting for you…
cxpartners sees two new hires join the business to boost how we support clients as our portfolio grows.
We are thrilled to welcome two new team members – Gabriella Lambert and Chris Edge.
Gabriella joins us as Client Engagement Director, bolstering our account management and business development within our Financial Services team. She joins with a wealth of experience in creating sustainable customer experience strategies for multinational organisations, startups and the nonprofit sector. She previously worked at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) as the Head of Customer Experience.
She has spent her career building customer experience departments and overarching design strategies that move from being sales and product driven to being customer-focused.
Feel free to reach out to Gaby at gabriella.lambert@cxpartners.co.uk to have an informal chat to learn more about ways cxpartners and the Financial Services team can help your business.
Chris joins cxpartners as Account Director, strengthening the client services team following a number of recent major client wins.
He is highly experienced, with over 15 years working in client services and marketing at digital, creative, employee engagement and film production agencies. He has added value to clients and delivered solutions in many sectors including IT, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services and education.
Chris is also a qualified PRINCE2 Agile Project Manager. If you’d like to get in touch, please contact him at chris.edge@cxpartners.co.uk.
Gaby and Chris are brilliant new hires for cxpartners as we continue our growth as a team and support our growing client base. We have recently welcomed new clients such as WaterAid, UK Export Finance and UCAS.
Welcome to the team!
We are hiring for several roles at the moment, in both our Bristol and London offices, including:
What’s the purpose?
It can be hard to find meaning in what you do.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a digital strategist, a dog walker, a traffic warden, or a chef. If you don’t feel connected to your work – if you don’t feel a sense of purpose – it can be hard to stay engaged or committed.
Purpose is a big deal right now. The advertising and marketing industries have been accused of reckless greenwashing, in a bid for products and services to appear more appealing. They’ve been accused of promoting overconsumption and wastefulness. It’s even been said that we’re driving the climate crisis.
And at Proctors, we’re not blind to those concerns. (It’s why we’re so selective with our own campaigns, clients and partners.)
But we’re also firm believers in the merit of our own, ‘personal’ purpose. A purpose which is as simple as helping others, by using our time, talent and resources wherever possible to create a better world.
So we do this by giving back to our communities: whether local, global or simply like-minded. From sponsoring the local Easton women’s football team, to running the annual South West Design + Digital Student Awards, to ensuring our office is eco-friendly and self-sustainable, and by fundraising for chosen local charities.
Because for us, our Corporate Social Responsibility is just another part of our work. And we treat it with the seriousness and dedication it deserves.
Raising money for cancer research, Business Beats Cancer West of England
Our Founder and Chairman, Roger Proctor MBE, is passionate about ensuring Proctor + Stevenson do our part.
As a board member for Business Beats Cancer West of England (BBCWoE) – Cancer Research UK’s Business-facing arm in the region – Roger offers both our services and the personal commitment of Proctors employees to their cause.
Throughout our partnership with BBCWoE, we’ve created awareness campaigns complete with copy, design and marketing support, and assisted with event promotions year-round. And, of course, we got stuck in to raise some of those all-important funds ourselves.
Firstly, we took part in ‘The Big Hike,’ where a group of brave Proctorians hiked 26.5 miles through the Brecon Beacons on a beautiful, brisk Saturday, raising an impressive £1,832 for cancer research.
As if that wasn’t enough, even more Proctorians then took on ‘The Big Ride Cycle Challenge’ – a 79.2-mile loop starting from our offices in Easton and continuing through Cheddar Gorge, Wells, and the surrounding areas. With thighs of steel, our amazing team raised another £815 – a storming success.
If you’re a friend of Proctors, you’ll know every Christmas we create a ‘Christmas Card video’, treating our clients, friends, and family to a behind-the-scenes look at our team which will lift spirits and spread a little hilarity, too.
But when the COVID-19 saw us all locked down last year, the team agreed we should do something different.
We took a step away from the dressing up and hijinks, and instead approached a local charity to offer some help instead.
Caring in Bristol are a local charity working towards an incredible goal: to end homelessness in Bristol, for good. But during the pandemic homelessness tripled in Bristol, reflecting a nationwide trend. And it left the team with an even bigger task ahead.
So, our incredibly talented team of animators, copywriters and our marketing team got to work to produce a video which would get Bristolians digging deep for the cause.
The result? More than £20,000 of donations in just under two weeks, absolutely crashing through the Caring in Bristol team’s targets – and deservedly so.
It goes without saying, but the entire Proctors team was so proud of what we achieved for such a brilliant cause. So much so, you may want to watch this space…
If you’re an aspiring Philanthropist, looking for a cause to get stuck into, or are a charitable cause looking for support, Quartet Community Foundation are your answer.
They bring people together who want to work on community projects in the west of England, supporting hundreds of thousands of people through local frontline charities and voluntary groups.
We’ve been working with the team at Quartet for years, and have developed real, personal friendships with them. So when we heard they had begun a Coronavirus 2020 relief fund, we wanted to help in any way we could – which, as it turns out, meant hosting a virtual ‘Quarantine Quiz’!
We used the quiz to raise money for the foundation – and along the way, we experienced a real boost to our own morale too.
Babbasa are a Bristol-based organisation who work with young people, businesses, and the local community to address inequality in all its forms, and produce a fairer city. They offer advice on recruitment policies, and work with organisations to explain how they can diversify their workforce, as well as providing potential candidates.
So we partnered with them to get their advice on our own recruitment policy, to ensure we’re doing everything we can to create an inclusive culture – and actively work towards creating a fairer city.
Purpose is what you make it
Whoever you are, and wherever you work, it’s important to feel you’re doing the things that align with your values.
And at Proctors, we do that by ‘doing good’ and giving back wherever we can.
As you’ll see, it’s not all about big, transformative gestures. But about the things we can all do as a team to make the world just a little bit brighter.
So we’ll carry on doing what we can by working closely alongside charities and organisations to help those in need – both locally and further afield. We’ll continue to ensure we’re cultivating a sustainable office environment, and remain a place where employees feel valued and appreciated for their hard work.
To see more of what Proctor + Stevenson are involved in, have a look at our CSR page on our website. Or if you’d like to do some good of your own, contact us at marketing@proctors.co.uk.
Most people don’t go into business because of their love of finance (except us, of course). Whatever your ‘why’ is, it’s unlikely that involves organising invoices, chasing debts, and delving into your reports. But even as a team of one, having a financial forecasting model in place can actually take the pressure off and give you the confidence in your numbers you need to get on with the parts of your business you really love.
Once you understand the benefits of having an accurate and realistic forecast that can support your day to day, it’s much less intimidating and far more empowering. So, let’s get into some of the reasons you should make a financial forecast a priority in your business.
The money coming in and out of your business doesn’t always line up with your plans. An accurate forecast will give you a good view on your cash flow over the coming months so you can be prepared when things don’t always go to plan. For example, before you go and spend big on a new piece of equipment, you’ll be able to see what will happen if invoices get paid late next month and make sure you don’t end up in the red. Mismanaging cash flow is the biggest reason that small businesses fail, so this is an important one.
Have you ever been caught out by a surprise tax bill? Or maybe your invoices go out and before you know it, they’re a week late and you’ve not chased up? Setting up a forecasting model will give you a chance to make sure everything is accounted for. You can siphon off small amounts across the year to make sure big bills don’t hit quite as hard and implement revenue recognition strategies to make sure that money coming in is acknowledged in the right period. If you do project work and get paid in large lump sums, it’s advisable to spread that income across the time it takes you to do the work so that your finances tell the story of the reality of your business.
Having an up to date and realistic forecast will impress any stakeholders that you need, from the board to potential investors. It can act as a communication tool to express your plans, concerns, and ideas as well as help answer any questions they have, no matter how detailed.
Once you have a forecast in place, as long as you update and engage with it regularly, you can use it as a tool to support your decision making. Having all the elements of your business in one place will give you an overview of how one decision will affect another. It will be easy to see how each decision, big or small, will impact your finances and future.
While a forecast needs to be realistic, you can use it to do more than tell the story of your business – utilise it to take control and make your goals happen! Once you have a clear picture of your numbers you’ll be in a much better position to see the path you’re heading down and change course to get where you want to go.
Getting started is usually the hardest part, but having the right expert to help can make it an empowering experience. They’ll be able to support you in finding the right model and make sure it’s set up in a way that makes sense for you. Having a bespoke model will make your experience with forecasting far more efficient and effective.
FD Works know what’s involved in running a small business, from startup to success. We’ve used our experience to create a customisable forecasting model to specifically support complex, small businesses.
If you want to know more about how to get started with forecasting and how it can support your business, read our research report on SMEs and their relationship with forecasts.
If you’re looking for a forecasting model, or some guidance around financial forecasting then get in touch on 01454 300 999 or info@fd-works.co.uk, or head over to www.fd-works.co.uk to find out more.
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