Could your business create a role to provide the start a young person needs in developing their career, whilst getting paid by the government to cover the costs? Find out more about the Kickstart Scheme for employers below.
The government has recently announced a new £2 billion Kickstart scheme to help create hundreds of meaningful jobs for young people aged 16-24 who are at risk of long-term unemployment. To apply directly, businesses need to be able to offer a minimum of 30 job placements.
We know this process will not work for many employers within the region’s creative industries. So we’re pleased to announce that Bristol Creative Industries is partnering with Business West and TechSPARK to enable small and medium sized business in our network to benefit from the scheme, opening up many more opportunities for young people across our region.
To make your initial enquiry please register via the Business West website.
Everyone who registers their interest will be invited to a one-hour Q&A session on Friday 9th October at 10am via Zoom.
Business West will talk through everything you need to know about the scheme, including details of the application process and FAQ’s.
Bristol Creative Industries is the membership network uniting Bristol, Bath and the South West’s creative sector. We are the largest creative network in the South West with over 500 members and a robust following across all the main social media channels. Industries include, advertising, marketing, design, digital, PR, graphic, film, TV, video, radio, photography, IT, software, createch, publishing, events and games.
Guess what? We are also open to students and graduates looking for work experience placements, short term contracts and full time jobs. It’s the place to join if you are looking to build a digital portfolio, make contacts and find employment. And, for students and recent graduates, it’s totally free to join.
Bristol Creative Industries brings together a community of like-minded individuals and creative businesses to promote opportunities and support sector growth. Each member gets an online profile in the membership directory which is a great place to get to know local employers. We also have a jobs board and host training and speaker events to inform and inspire our network.
As a Student / Graduate member you will get your own profile in the directory so employers can get to know you too. Also pick up discounts on training workshops and speaker events, and a host of other perks like money off your coffee fix!
All in all, it’s a great place to get noticed by employers, discover what’s going on in the creative sector and hear the latest industry thinking at our training and speaker events.
Sounds exciting? Sign up here.
Get involved, get connected and your career will start to take off.
Photo Credit: Access Creative College
Twitter @Access_Creative | Facebook @accesscreativecollege | Instagram @accesscreativecollege
In the short video below, we share an example of a virtual underground station designed to replicate a real-world experience. As you will see, the possibilities are almost limitless. We can design a fully immersive virtual experience, unique to your brand.
Within the tour, multiple features are shown that allow your brand to communicate core messages and keep your attendees engaged throughout their virtual journey.
If you would like to explore the full tour, amongst other virtual experiences, please contact [email protected] to request an interactive demonstration.
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We anticipate the future to be a hybrid model offering both physical in-person exhibits and events, as well as virtual versions. These dual online and in-person meetings require having a platform that can complement both.
Intelligent design is at the heart of everything we do. We balance strategy with creativity to create beautiful branded environments & communications. It simply means the thinking comes before the doing, every time.
Phoenix Wharf, the Bristol-based interior design and branding agency specialising in hospitality and retail, has announced the completion of a new scheme for innovative bakery business The Bristol Loaf, who, together with other local artisanal partners, has launched a new community foodie hub in Bedminster, in the south of the city.
The Bristol Loaf was initially set up in 2017 by entrepreneur Gary Derham, whose background includes working for local hospitality operator The Assemblies. The Bristol Loaf ‘s first outlet was a single-unit bakery and café in the Redfield area, before expanding into a second unit and becoming a successful, high-end, artisanal bakery products supplier to many other local businesses, with a retail and wholesale product range that includes sourdough bread and great-looking pastries. ‘The first bite is with the eyes’ remains a founding credo of the business. The retail arm of The Bristol Loaf also built a reputation for serving outstanding coffee.
The ongoing success of the Redfield site led to the expansion into additional premises, taking the opportunity to re-locate the business’s baking operations at the same time, with the original Redfield site remaining open as a café. The new venue will also host an expanded food and drink offer, sourced not only from The Bristol Loaf, but from a number of other specialist operators, effectively creating a mini foodie hub for Bristol. Located on Bedminster Parade, the café-store sits within Engine House Developments, a boutique, mixed-use development, taking up the entirety of the site’s ground floor, with 240 sq m front-of-house space and 90 sq m back-of-house.
‘The vision for the new undertaking’ Phoenix Wharf Associate Creative Director Emma Carter commented, ‘is an ethical supermarket that is accessible to all, where customers feel very welcome to spend time and relax.’
The Bristol Loaf will be retailing its own takeaway bakery produce in the space, as well as offering café customers a menu that includes coffee and pastries and a deli offer encompassing soups and sandwiches, quiches and salads, plus drinks such as smoothies and kombucha. All the produce will be locally-sourced and all dishes made from scratch on-site. Local operator Hugo’s Greengrocer is taking a 25 sq m space within the offer and there will be two other specialist producers present: The Bristol Loaf’s new sister brand, wine specialist The Bristol Vine, and local cheesemonger Two Belly.
Design Brief
The brief for the new site was to create a community foodie hub that widened The Bristol Loaf’s offer but was still visibly linked to the original venue. The business’s commitment to sustainability meant initiatives such as using heat generated by the kitchen ovens to heat the whole space, with the smell of freshly-baked bread also filling the air. A fully-digitised order system will prevent any paper wastage, whilst the timber from former baker’s tables from The Bristol Loaf’s first premises has also been sanded back to minimise signs of wear and tear before being re-constructed as tables for the new venue’s café.
‘For the interior look and feel, the client asked for planting to be a really stand-out, nature-inspired element, building on the presence of plants in the original Redfield site’, Emma Carter commented. ‘The materials palette is both rustic and tactile and includes white tiling and the extensive use of solid ash timber for shelving, corridors and even ceiling panels, alongside brick and raw, exposed concrete, ensuring the overall aesthetic is the antithesis of a slick, super-polished look.’
The café area includes 58 covers in total: 44 at the tables and 14 at perch/bar seating along the scheme’s full-height storefront glazing, with a wooden ledge counter and upcycled stools. The tables are in a variety of 2- and 4-seater arrangements, coming together easily to cater for larger groups. Bi-folding windows along the glazed wall enable the site to have evening opening presence onto the street front, whilst signage and branding is mostly hand-scripted and low key, allowing the company’s products to do the talking.
Visitor Journey
As visitors enter, they’re greeted by a floor-to-ceiling bread display, so that the bakery offer is clearly communicated. The entrance area is glazed and open with plenty of room for buggy-parking. The planting is visually-dominant from the get-go. ‘We blacked out the 4.1m high ceiling’, Emma Carter explained, ‘and created troughs almost a metre down, clad in ash timber slats and travelling the whole ceiling perimeter, housing a number of large, trailing plants. The troughs also conceal the electrical cabling, whilst criss-cross wiring creates structural support for the irrigation system.’
Immediately to the left is the Hugo’s Greengrocer store, followed by the main café counter service area, with the café itself taking up the rest of the open space. The two additional offers are The Bristol Vine, which includes a wine-tasting station, featuring all colours of wine, along with expert reviews and guidance and cheesemonger Two Belly, offering a curated selection of cheeses and suggested beers to accompany them, both of which are located against the rear wall.
The bakery area includes a takeaway sales area; a central freestanding bread display behind the counter; a pastries area for customers to help themselves en route to the till; a chiller for the display of the deli café food offer; a hot-food area under heat lamps; a 3.5m coffee station with ample space around it for collecting drinks and the till area. Care has been taken to avoid pinch points for kitchen staff, waiting staff and customers collecting coffee, whilst at the same time separately zoning out the kitchen, counter and bakers’ spaces.
Lighting over the café seating area features clustered paper lanterns to create a soft and homely feel, whilst feature lighting over the counters is in the form of reconditioned factory pendants, offering a soft, lower level glow above the service and coffee counter areas. Flooring is an existing concrete-look tiling, which, where damaged, has been additionally concrete-screeded to ensure a safe overall level. All the counters are clad in white tiling apart from the rear counter, which is made up of wooden slats.
The back of house area includes large-scale fridges, loaders, ovens, mixing areas and shaping tables and is out of sight of customers, although some areas of prep are visible front of house to provide an element of theatre, for bread shaping, for example and lunch prep.
‘The whole design process has been a joy’, Gary Derham commented. ‘Emma from Phoenix Wharf really understood our company’s ethos and has been able to turn our ideas and vision for the space into something practical and very beautiful.’
Photography credit: Franklin & Franklin
The course objective is for you to enjoy your job more and to be an even better member of your team. You’ll learn collaboration and leadership skills, how to hold better meetings, and how to make better decisions faster. You’ll feel more comfortable giving feedback, know what’s getting in the way of being a great team that does awesome work, and have the mindset to help make change happen.
To do this we’ll borrow from the best sources. These include agile, self-management, organisational psychology, and the most progressive companies on the planet.
The course is led by me, Mark Eddleston. I’m a new ways of working consultant, coach, facilitator and founder of Reinventing Work. Since 2015 I’ve been practising new ways of working and synthesising the mountain of information that’s out there (you can learn more about me at the bottom of the page). New Ways of Working: Made Simpler is something of a greatest hits. We’ll fast forward to trusted, tried and tested patterns found in some of the world’s most progressive organisations.
On this course, you’ll be practising and learning all the way. You’ll get better at listening, teamwork, and self-organising. There will be pre-work ahead of each weekly meet on Zoom. You’ll have the chance to ask questions and to form a community on Slack. You’ll become familiar with Notion, where course content is shared, and with Focusmate which will help you to get through it. You’ll experience Mural and Liberating Structures. You’ll design experiments to be implemented in your own team. You’ll form partnerships with classmates who will help you, hold you accountable and be depending on you. Throughout, you’ll be experiencing some of the best collaborations tools and practices out there.
Throughout the course, you will learn structures that you can pop in your pocket, take back to work and use immediately.
Expect practical, interactive and participatory. Each week the format looks like this:
So it’s a weekly commitment of at least 5 hours per week, though some of this is during work time.
The five-week course begins on Monday, October 26 October. We meet every Monday at 18.00 – 20.00 BST, wrapping up on 23 November.
This course is for you if you are:
To secure your place double-check the eligibility criteria ☝️ then send me a note to confirm ([email protected]) and make your payment via PayPal. If you need to be invoiced I can generate one right away.
Please note that cohorts are limited to 12 places.
I came across new ways of working in New Zealand in 2015 after spending a decade in traditional workplaces. It was the first time I found consistent fulfilment in work. This experience was with a law firm and community organisation that features on the distinguished Corporate Rebels ‘bucket list’. Once you taste this way of working it is impossible to go back. I’ve since been a member of staff in two organisations that have departed from traditional management structures, so have plenty of lived experience.
I’m also co-founder of Reinventing Work, a decentralised global movement for people interested in more human-centred, purposeful and self-organised ways of working. So far we’ve gathered in 25 cities across five continents, including in Bristol (where it began) London, Berlin, Melbourne, Montreal and New York. I have delivered online content to hundreds, spoken about new ways of working at The University of Oxford, and facilitated at Meaning Fringe Conference. I’ve also appeared on the wonderful Leadermorphosis podcast and the University of the West of England’s MSc Occupational Psychology programme discussing the future of work.
You can check out my website (including testimonials) here: https://www.marco.work
#HoodDocumentary writer/Director Tyrell Williams releases timely interactive short comedy “A Little Hungover” at Encounters Film Festival with pioneering Bristol-based interactive filmmaking creation platform Stornaway.io
Stornaway.io are incredibly proud to announce the release of Tyrell Williams’ A Little Hungover, the first independent short film to be created and delivered using our next generation interactive filmmaking platform Stornaway.io.
Directed and shot by Williams under lockdown with cast and crew in 4 remote locations, A Little Hungover is a hilariously awkward and timely interactive comedy in which naive employee Sam (Patrick Elue) takes a video work call with his boss Alex (Elizabeth Hammond) after a big night out.
By choosing how he responds, the audience get to navigate the thin line between being honest and being employed – and then to watch and replay as his boss’s mind games become increasingly toxic and unpredictable.
Should Sam fess up or keep telling lies to his boss? In 2020, the rules for young employees are more uncertain than ever.
Tyrell, famous for his viral Youtube and BBC3 mockumentary series #HoodDocumentary, had a vision of a crossover between film and game. To realise it, he partnered with Bristol based start-up Stornaway.io, whose trail-blazing interactive film-making platform aims to challenge Netflix for the ability to create highly entertaining interactive shows. The film was funded by a small grant from West of England Creative Scale Up.
“I learned about Stornaway.io at a moment when the future of storytelling was so uncertain. They’re pioneering a practical and affordable way to create exciting interactive narrative films, and importantly, they were continuing and evolving the relationship between artists and audiences.” says Tyrell.
Stornaway.io’s revolutionary drag and drop tools allowed Williams to work remotely writing and editing the interactive story collaboratively with Stornaway.io founders Ru Howe and Kate Dimbleby.
“Normally, an interactive production like this would be a hefty software development project requiring developers, large team and budget and some chunky hardware – and you wouldn’t get to test how it plays, until the very end, when it’s too late to change anything,” says Howe, Stornaway.io’s designer and co-founder.
“The really new thing about Stornaway.io is that you can do it all in a web browser without coding, and instantly edit and playtest your story from the idea stage right the way through to delivery. With interactive and immersive storytelling, that is powerful ”
Since their soft launch during lockdown in May, Stornaway.io has been working with high-end TV production companies like Plimsoll Productions (Netflix’s Night on Earth ) and Drummer TV ( Gymstars, The Boy on the Bicycle) developing programme ideas for streaming platforms.
However, one of Stornaway.io’s original aims was to put its technology in the hands of new generations of media-makers.
“We were delighted to be introduced to Tyrell, who had a topical idea that needed to be done in a fast turnaround low-budget independent way, under lockdown.” says Howe
It is fitting that Howe should open up this technology for young filmmakers. Alongside his day job working for broadcasters, Howe was one of the world’s first vloggers, whose online persona ‘Wolfie’ made Tik-Tok type videos (as far back 2003, even before YouTube) lip-synching to songs and movie scenes from his desk. His 2005-10 projects Fatgirlinohio and Twittervlog pioneered what we now recognise as the classic YouTube daily family vlog, playing with increasingly lo-fi mobile and pocket devices and the intimate connection with his audience – becoming the world’s first mobile vlogger to Twitter in 2007, and always working to enable other film and video makers to embrace affordable technology and workflows. Along the way, he created the first ever interactive film on YouTube (Indecision, 2008).
As he points out, “Until now, interactive production has been difficult and expensive. Charlie Brooker said that making Bandersnatch for Netflix was ‘like doing a Rubik’s cube inside your brain’ because there weren’t any tools aimed at professionals, so ‘everyone went a bit bananas.’ Stornaway.io changes all that.
We’re releasing discounted licenses and working with film schools to get this ground-breaking technology into the hands of the next generation while the high end market works through it’s long-lead times and post-Covid slowdown.”
Interactive trends are visible in the mainstream, Stornaway creative director Kate Dimbleby says,
“ Even in linear TV, you see this agency being given to the viewer with things like Fleabag talking to camera or I May Destroy You ’s multiple endings. This is going to be a decade of massive innovation in storytelling and narrative structure and a big blocker to that has been the lack of tools and outlets for creators.”
Having never worked on an interactive story before, Tyrell says :
“The software was easy to navigate and useful for me as a writer to have at hand. It made it easy to understand how the film would unfold in its interactive form. There’s something very immersive about doing this as a writer – an interesting relationship that forms between creatives and audience that shares qualities with immersive theatre.”
Stornaway.io’s simple creative-focused design unlocks the potential of this new form for the 2020s. It makes it really easy for creators to dream up otherwise impossible interactive ideas, to give their audiences agency and craft different paths and perspectives through their stories.
A Little Hungover will be released on September 18th at the Encounters Immersive festival, and will remain available there for a limited release this autumn. Stornaway.io will release their new version with a 30 day free trial and new features.
Stornaway.io’s second independent interactive short, founder Ru Howe’s Life Moves Pretty Fast, filmed in multiple locations across Bristol, will be released at the beginning of October, also at Immersive Encounters. For more information go to www.stornaway.io or contact [email protected]
Bristol’s hospitals charity Above & Beyond has appointed AgencyUK for its latest campaign.
Following a competitive pitch process, the Bath-based agency will be delivering a creative, integrated campaign for the charity, focussing on cancer services in Bristol’s hospitals.
Julie Worrall, director of fundraising and development for Above & Beyond, said: “This is a really exciting time for Above & Beyond as we look to increase our support of Bristol’s hospitals and health services in Bristol.
“We believe that every patient receiving cancer treatment in Bristol deserves the best possible care and through this campaign we’ll be investing in services that ensure they receive it.
“AgencyUK has been crucial in the design concept of the campaign and we look forward to rolling this out across Bristol.”
Amy Stobie, director of AgencyUK, said: “It became clear early on that Above & Beyond is a vital enabler for furthering cancer care and treatment for patients in Bristol.
“As its work is so focused in the region, it means a lot of our AgencyUK people have had first-hand experience dealing with friends and family who are treated in these hospitals.
You can find out more here: https://tinyurl.com/BristolAgainstCancer
Jo Johnson and Steve Stanley appointed following investment
Access Creative College, an independent college for the creative industries, which launched a new state-of-the-art campus in Bristol in 2019, has made two senior appointments. The move signals its continued commitment to education and learning within the creative industries in the city.
The announcement follows a significant year for Armstrong Learning group*, the owners of the College, during which it secured investment from Apiary Capital, announced its new Bristol facilities and welcomed the National College for the Creative Industries (NCCI) to its portfolio.
Jo Johnson has been appointed by Access Creative College as Chair. The former Minister of State for Universities brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in education, technology and the creative sectors. Jo will provide leadership and guidance to the College, helping the team to navigate the educational environment in which it operates during a period of growth.
Steve Stanley has been appointed as Director of Evaluation and Impact. He has worked in education for 33 years. Around half of which, was as an inspector at Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate. As a former inspector, he brings an aptitude for assessing the impact of the curriculum on learning. As an educator, he has expertise in how education can make a positive difference to the futures of young people and adults.
Jason Beaumont, Chief Executive at Access Creative College, comments,
“Welcoming Jo and Steve to the team is big news for us. They will help us to have a voice on a national scale and deliver education and learning that students want and industry desires.
“The creative industries will be a very different place post Covid and we are aware of the challenges ahead. But, with the creative industries sector having grown at a rate more than twice that of the total UK economy over the last decade, we are confident that it will bounce back.
“By adapting to change, bringing in the right expertise and listening to the needs of our students and the wider industry, we’ll be in the best position to provide meaningful education for the new creative economy and continue our track record of high student achievement and progression.
“There are exciting times to come. As we approach our 30th academic year, we are focused on growth at our existing sites and in new cities. We are adapting our curriculum to support the increasingly digital market and we are extending our commitment to support BAME learners, staff and minority communities within the College network.
“Our passion to help young people from a diversity of backgrounds prosper in the creative industries remains constant, and at the heart of what we do.”
*The Armstrong Learning Group owns Access Creative College and Coaching Connexions and delivers creative industry apprenticeships under licence to NCCI Ltd. as part of a partnership with South Essex College and DfE.
Above & Beyond, the official charity for Bristol city centre hospitals, has launched its Bristol Against Cancer campaign to “talk about the other ‘C’ word.”
JonesMillbank, a Bristol-based video production company, have been working with the charity to create a series of films highlighting the personal stories of those affected by cancer and working in cancer care.
“We met such inspiring individuals and had the privilege of hearing honestly and openly about their journeys and the amazing people who helped them along the way” said Emma Baker, Producer at JonesMillbank.
“From Simon, who was alerted by his vet and went on to beat the disease, to Jonathan, a radiologist at Bristol Royal Infirmary who was asked by a 7-year-old if he would remember him before sadly passing away, we hope the films highlight the strength, struggles and dedication of their stories.”
One in two of us will be affected by cancer in our lifetime, and today, like every day, 2,500 new patients will take their first steps through the doors of one of Bristol city centre hospitals.
To find out more, or to donate to and support the amazing work carried out by Above & Beyond, visit www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk/appeal/bristol-against-cancer.
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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 and IDLES.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
After 15 years of supporting and promoting Bristol’s creative sector, Bristol Media has undergone a make-over. Designed to better reflect the breadth and depth of the city’s creative community, we’d like to introduce Bristol Creative Industries.
Since launching Bristol Media in 2005, the creative sector and city profile has changed significantly. Bristol today is home to one of the UK’s largest, most diverse and creative communities. From world-leading animation, film, TV, AR and VR to brilliantly creative advertising, PR, social and digital agencies and freelancers, event production and more, Bristol is a hotbed of innovative thinkers, creative dynamos and world-class talent. Given this breadth, our new name, look and feel is designed to embrace all our creative talents and ambitions.
Bristol Creative Industries will continue the good work of Bristol Media – supporting the creative sector to learn, grow and connect. A myriad of open-to-all and member-only learning and sharing events, workshops and training sessions will continue to enable Bristol’s creative community to develop valuable skills and make important new connections. Recent keynote events and workshops have seen the likes of Rory Sutherland, Ann Hiatt, Bruce Daisley and Margaret Heffernan all come to Bristol to share insights and inspire new thinking. Whether online and virtual or up close and personal, we’ll continue to bring the experts and innovators in creative thinking, business development and skills expansion to share their experience and inspire us all with their passion.
And of course, we’ll be supporting members as much as possible. Our new-look website offers members an enhanced, highly engaging platform to showcase work and share thought leadership. The Member Directory and Project Gallery offers the opportunity to promote specialist skills and offers, enabling the creative community to seek out talent and members to boost career opportunities, offer their services and build new business-generating connections and collaborations. Whether looking for a new role or seeking out new talent, members will continue to benefit from our acclaimed Jobs Board which enables roles to be posted at a fraction of the cost of other recruitment routes. With over 750 jobs posted in 2019 it’s an active and accessible route to talent recruitment for the creative sector.
Everyone involved in Bristol Creative Industries passionately believes in the brilliance of creative Bristol. Alongside our website providing a valuable introduction to the city’s talent for the many companies seeking out creative services, our Board of Directors will continue to act as ambassadors for the city and the sector, telling our collective story and working to attract further support for our initiatives and collective ambitions. With a hard–working Operations Team making everything happen, plus a voluntary Executive Board including BAFTA winners, tech trailblazers and creative pioneers providing support and guidance, we’re also expanding our Advisory Group to help build our offer and support the sector still further. We’re actively recruiting so take a look at the roles on offer if you’re interested in supporting us.
“Bristol may be known for Banksy, Gromit and Brunel, but in between the cider, boats and balloons we nurture a hugely diverse network of creative talent that is ever-expanding in scale of offer and of ambition”, says Chris Thurling, Chair of Bristol Creative Industries. “Since 2005 Bristol Media has done a great job supporting the sector, but the name simply didn’t reflect the offer. With an ambition to embrace and support the full breadth of the city’s creative talent, we wanted a name to match. Bristol Creative Industries does just that.
“The collaborative, connected nature of Bristol’s creative community is quite unique in the UK and a great, untapped strength. Individually all our creative businesses and individuals have great skill, and when we combine our talents we can do even greater things. By engaging with Bristol Creative Industries, whether attending an event, joining a training session, sharing thought leadership, creating a showcase or simply posting a new role, the opportunity to grow and prosper expands. And that, I have absolutely no doubt, is a very good thing for everyone.”
Lis Anderson, Director at Bristol Creative Industries, agrees: “Sharing our achievements inspires talented people to work here, attracts more customers and bolsters growth for all. With Bristol’s long-standing reputation for innovation, the enhanced digital platform created for Bristol Creative Industries gives Bristol’s creative community the voice it deserves. I would urge everyone in the creative community to get involved – the more noise we make, the more business we’ll attract, it really is that simple.”
If you would like to find out more about supporting Bristol Creative Industries or becoming a member, get in touch.