Nine Tree Studios in Bristol celebrated their opening earlier this month with an event that saw over 150 attendees from across the creative sector.
The 10,000sq ft facility includes two soundstages for film and photography plus a podcast suite, office space, green rooms and a fully-equipped kitchen studio.
Backed by Bristol-based commercial production company JonesMillbank, the studios have been designed to support both small-scale and broadcast-level productions.
“This has been a long road, but it was amazing to see so many new and old faces, all coming together to support and celebrate our launch.” said Russell Jones, Co-Founder of Nine Tree Studios.
Located in Brislington (BS4), the studios are perched near the centre of Bristol allowing them to service productions mixing studio and on-location filming, aided by its 8,900sq ft secure yard for trucks and trailers.
The studios are now Bristol’s largest independent studio, joining a raft of creative spaces throughout the city including neighbouring virtual production stage Distortion Studios and the established Bottle Yard Studios.
“Like restaurants on a high street, the more there are, the better they are, the more their reputation builds. We’re proud of everything Bristol has to offer and stands for, and the more facilities, talent, crew and creative companies that are based here only goes to benefit the region as a whole” Russell continued.
Nine Tree Studios features:
For more information and bookings please visit www.ninetreestudios.co.uk, call 0117 3706 372, or email [email protected].
Come and try the resident space at our Brunswick Square location for one week, free of charge, no strings attached…
Created by creatives for creatives, Gather Round is more than a co-working space, it’s a growing network of like-minded professionals that go to work everyday and sit, write, design, consult and hang out.
Our residents room at Brunswick Square features beautiful Georgian windows that let in heaps of natural light. Our resident members benefit from their own fixed desk and a space to call their own whilst also having full access to the rest of the building (plus of course the packed events schedule!).
As a creative co-working space, we’re unique in the fact that we’re purposely built to cater for freelancers and businesses in the creative industries.
Fill out the form in the link below tell us a bit about yourself and one of our community managers will be in touch to book you in for your free trial in our resident area at Brunswick Square. We can’t wait to meet you!
For more info on our Brunswick Square location check out our locations page on our website.
Attention all creative canines and artistic aficionados! The much-anticipated Gromit Unleashed 2025 is on the horizon, and this is your final call to submit your portfolio. This is a unique paid opportunity to be part of an iconic public arts trail while supporting Bristol Children’s Hospital. Head to The Grand Appeal website to register your interest.
Gromit Unleashed
Gromit Unleashed is created by The Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity, in partnership with Aardman Animations. Since its inception, Gromit Unleashed has raised millions for Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and you could help The Grand Appeal raise more.
Nick Park’s Academy Award®-winning character, Gromit, first took to the streets way back in 2013. Now, over 500 sculptures, four trails, and 10 years later, Gromit Unleashed has inspired a legion of fans across the globe.
With the release of the new Wallace & Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, this Winter, Gromit Unleashed is sure to be a hotly anticipated event.
Why participate?
Gromit Unleashed 2025 promises to be a tail-wagging triumph and will include sculptures designed by local artists, celebrities, and major brands.
Participating is not just about showcasing your talent. It’s about being part of an award-winning event that makes a difference to the lives of sick children and their families. Your design could even be one of the standout sculptures that draw visitors from all over the world.
How to apply
Register your interest as an artist on The Grand Appeal website. The Grand Appeal’s design team will be reviewing artists’ applications over the coming months.
Join Gromit Unleashed 2025 and let your creativity off the leash while helping Bristol’s bravest children. For more details, head to grandappeal.org.uk. Let’s make Gromit Unleashed 2025 the most pawsome trail yet!
On a warm June night, we launched our brand new event series with an inspiring and timely talk on “Building Creative Resilience”. Our inaugural event sold out in no time, and it was so motivating to see such a creative and varied group gather with marketers, writers, photographers, agency owners and designers making up the enthusiastic crowd.
To explore this hot topic, we brought together the great and good of the Bristol creative scene to share their rich knowledge and varied experiences on creative resilience. Our panel featured experts from freelance and small and big agency backgrounds to share a wide perspective. With plenty of time to mingle, enjoy complimentary drinks and eat delicious pizza, the atmosphere was lively, open and excited for the evening ahead.
Spencer Buck, the talented co-founder of Bristol-based design agency Taxi Studio, inspired and entertained the crowd with advice on the importance of remaining resilient in tough times. In an uncertain economic climate, it is easy for clients to be hesitant and opt for an easier path, but Spencer called on creatives to be bold, to stay true to themselves and to believe in the power of their creative integrity.
A memorable quote ‘Beware the lollipop of mediocracy, lick it once and you’ll suck forever’. A powerful metaphor of the perils of complacency!
After Spencer’s inspiring talk, the event transitioned into a dynamic panel discussion featuring Kendra Futcher of Writing + Thinking and Gareth Evans of 18Sixty. This immensely talented panel tackled a range of questions from the audience, delving into topics such as managing budgets, preserving the essence of creativity, maintaining a balance between client demands and creative integrity, and the controversial issue of whether or not to pitch for free. The conversations were genuine discussions, and the panel fostered an open environment for engaging insights.
The evening kicked off with ample opportunity for attendees to mingle and network before the main event. Stimulating conversations soon worked up everyone’s appetites, leading us to call on Bristol favourites, Pizzarova, to provide fresh margarita pizzas for all. Meanwhile, the fully stocked bar served up chilled beers and drinks. A special shout-out to our event sponsors Positive Drinks, for sharing their refreshing alcohol-free IPA and cider to a very grateful crowd!
Our event space is light, airy full of character and flexible. For information on private hire costs and availability get in touch.
Bristol creative agency SIM7 has taken home a prestigious ‘Búho’ award for Brand Strategy at Spain’s Educafestival. The agency was recognised for its work creating the Real Leadership brand campaign for IESE Business School.
The Búhos (Owls) are awarded to the best global creative campaigns in the education sector, welcoming entries from Europe, Latin America and the USA. They are part of Spain’s Educafestival, an annual event (20 June 2024) held in the Centro CaixaForum de Madrid.
Simeon de la Torre, owner and creative director of SIM7 says, “As an agency that works with higher and business education clients around the world, winning a Búho is a huge honour for us. And we did it by creating something really different with a big dollop of humour and heart.
“The Real Leadership campaign for IESE has been a huge strategic branding exercise that brought together all our skills in messaging, design and positioning. It spawned a slightly insane video featuring unicorns and gorillas that has been watched over two million times, a hit podcast, billboard ads in Germany and Spain, and more.”
The Real Leadership brand campaign was conceived as an antidote to the clichéd ‘business speak’ creative that has dominated the sector in recent years. By using an authentic narrative and tapping into the genuine concerns and motivations of business leaders, it resonated with IESE’s
core audiences and has delivered substantial results in the form of awareness, enquiries and admissions.
Oriol Gil, IESE’s Brand & Content – Senior Manager (pictured, above) says: “The world of MBA and executive education is changing fast, with a more nuanced audience profile and expectations. SIM7 created a major campaign for us that pushed the boundaries of our brand guidelines and created a completely new strategy. The Real Leadership campaign features an honest, authentic and human approach that playfully mocks the outdated ‘hustle’ culture.”
SIM7’s Búho award was judged by a panel that included celebrated Spanish film director Daniel Sánchez Arevalo, as well as creative leaders from Google, Coca-Cola and Clear Channel. The Real Leadership campaign was scored for:
• Educational value and content
• Developed strategy
• Idea and execution
• Obtained results
Says SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre, “We knew from the start that this had to be a campaign with cut-through, and that pure creativity wasn’t enough. It had to be built on the foundations of solid strategy and an understanding of the sector. This is what our team does best and it’s superb to see all our hard work recognised. On a personal level, it’s been great working on something that my Spanish father can be proud of and talk to his family in Spain about – he’s always been a bit clueless about what I do for a living!”
Notes
SIM7 is a Bristol-based creative agency that works with clients around the world in sectors including education, property, technology and more: sim7creative.co.uk
Founded in 2017, the agency uses language to empower design and drives growth by creating brands, campaigns and strategy. SIM7 currently employs six people, has increased its turnover significantly in the past 12 months and is set to build its international client base even further in 2024/25.
IESE Business School is ranked #2 in the world (Financial Times).
For interviews, quotes and further images contact: Simeon de la Torre, [email protected]
For more information on the awards, visit educafestival.org/2024-edicion (Spanish language)
We could have also called this blog – Holy Mackerel it is June, JUNE, Already I Can’t Believe It. But we don’t want to incite panic, nor come across like a fish-loving granny. But yes, friends, it is June and we are 6 months into a 12-month stretch. Summer is around the corner and before we know it we will be humming along to Mariah Carey as we peruse carbs and booze in the supermarket aisles. Just us? Don’t lie.
So! Six months are up and it’s the perfect time for a little reflection and alignment; celebrating the wins, learning from the mistakes and keeping an eye on the year-long to-do list. We’ve popped together a short guide on how to have your very own mid-year review.
As creative freelancers and small business owners, reflection is an invaluable tool. After all, how will you know if you don’t look? Take a moment to look back on the past six months and celebrate your achievements, both big and small. Ask yourself:
What were your proudest accomplishments?
What challenges did you overcome?
What did you learn from your experiences?
Did you stay aligned with your values and purpose?
What areas would you like to improve upon?
Did you manage to set goals at the beginning of the year? Now is the time to review each goal and evaluate your progress in achieving them. If not, pretend. We jest, but if you didn’t manage to set goals at the beginning of the year, skip this step. If you did, think about:
Which goals did you accomplish?
What were your obstacles?
Are there any goals that are no longer relevant or need adjusting?
What can you learn from your progress?
It’s time to set new goals. Keep these tips in mind:
Be Specific: Clearly define your goals and make them measurable. Instead of saying, ‘Acquire more clients’ say ‘Acquire five new clients in the next three months.’
Prioritise: Identify the most important goals that will have the greatest impact on your creative business.
Be realistic: Set goals that challenge you but are still within reach.
Align with Your Values: Ensure your goals align with your brand’s core values and long-term vision. This is the sense-check moment, are these goals right for you and your business?
Turn your goals into reality with a solid action plan. Break each goal down into smaller, actionable steps:
Set Milestones: Divide your goals into smaller milestones to help you track progress and stay motivated.
Identify Resources: Determine the resources, skills, or support you need to achieve your goals. This could include professional development, outsourcing or networking with peers.
Schedule Tasks: Allocate dedicated time in your calendar for working towards your goals. Treat these blocks of time as non-negotiable appointments with yourself.
Stay Accountable: Share your goals with a friend or fellow freelancer who can provide support and hold you accountable. Regular check-ins will keep you on track and motivated.
Taking the time for a mid-year review to reflect is an invaluable creative freelancer tool. Giving yourself the space to pause and assess your progress gives you a clearer direction for the months ahead as well as a chance to celebrate those achievements you might have missed :). Oh, we skipped Step Five: Let us know how you do! We’d love to hear if you took part in our mid-year review. Join us at one of our monthly breakfasts and we’ll share goals and reflections over a croissant and coffee.
Keep an eye out for future news and blogs from Gather Round via our website and on Instagram.
Words by Daisy Dobson
SPACES LIMITED BOOK TODAY!
Projects – of all sizes, in all sectors and with various budget constraints can put the most cool headed staff member under pressure. With various stakeholders involved, tight deadlines, organisation management and staff availability alongside budget and time constraints; the presence of a skilled project manager to guide the effort and ensure alignment among all participants is crucial for project success. Organisations employing various project management methodologies excel in sticking to budgets, adhering to schedules, meeting scope requirements, upholding quality standards, and realising the benefit of how a successful outcome can make to a business.
Develop your staff in project management, and drive your business forward through a part funded Project Management Skills Bootcamp.
Course: Skills Bootcamp in Project Management
Option 1 Course start: 13th September 2024 (2 week break in learning for half term 25th of October and 1st November)
Option 2 Course start: 10th January 2025 (1 week break in learning for half term 21st February)
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost for Large Employer: £681.75 per person (30% contribution towards the cost of training)
Cost for SME Employer: £227.25 per person (10% contribution towards the cost of training)
Delivery Location: Bristol Training Institute, 12 Colston Avenue, Bristol, BS1 1XH
Eligibility: Funding is ringfenced for Employers based in the West of England Combined Authority region of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Course Content: This course is suitable for employers to upskill their staff. The course content is under pinned by the Association for Project Management (APM), Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and will reference the APM Book of Knowledge (BoK) 7th Edition.
Units covered include:
Evidence from employer to confirm that the training provided via the Skills Bootcamp has resulted in either a new job role or an enhanced role for the employee that now utilises their new skills gained via this Skills Bootcamp.
Contact us today to register your interest on [email protected] or visit our previous bootcamp information page: https://www.weston.ac.uk/ProjectManagementEmployers
What were you up to 20 years ago?
20 years ago to the day, and almost to the minute as I write, I was presenting my last show on Bristol University’s student radio station. ‘Burst FM’ was then still in its infancy, broadcasting from a converted water closet (yes, really) on the 5th floor of the students’ union building. Tight budgets and plumbing costs meant one of the toilet pans was still in-situ and, freshers being freshers, each new presenter thought they were the first and only one to try it out, live on-air. As it happened, the flush usually did still work, and I have many tapes to prove it…
Burst was a huge part of my university life and I have it to thank for all that’s followed. I’d been intent on a career in radio since developing an unlikely adolescent love of Radio 2. While at school, I began writing material for Terry Wogan‘s breakfast show and sending it in by letter or fax. This continued throughout my time at Bristol University, when my various characters and noms de plume had a daily spot on Wake Up to Wogan at 8.50am. Luckily for my cred, most of my fellow students were either still asleep or ensconced in lectures so they knew little of it.
Very few students knew about Burst, which was mostly an online-only stream at a time when that was a huge limitation to consumption! It’s hard to believe now, but live streaming was of little use to anybody in 2004; smartphones and tablets were still emerging and listening online required effort. Burst’s listening figures were often in single digits at any one time, doubling or trebling at the flick of a switch downstairs in the Union’s Cafe Zuma, where they selectively pumped out Burst to their customers. We occasionally received calls on-air, usually wrong numbers rather than from listeners, but most of the interaction came via that much missed old friend of the millennial… MSN.
The real value of Burst was for those who got involved. A tiny audience was actually a gift while we were all making our mistakes and misjudgements on-air. I had a go at absolutely everything, even running the station for a year. By the time of my final Burst show, I was already working full-time in radio. I’d had two offers from the BBC and accepted one that meant, sadly, I had to leave Bristol the moment my studies were complete. Nobody knew at the time (at either end) but some of my later shows for Burst actually came down the line from a BBC studio far away!
But, 20 years ago today, I returned to that converted blue and orange bog once more for my very last show on Burst. Following “Bye Bye Baby” from The Bay City Rollers (horrendously predictable) and a few choked words, I played out with an old weepy called “Me And The Elephant”, a song about memories we’ll never forget. Very graciously indeed, the song’s singer had also agreed to appear in person on my show. His name?
Terry Wogan.
Today, Burst is a thriving student station which is never far from winning its next award. 2024’s students are lucky enough to learn their craft in a smart studio, albeit no longer with en-suite comedy… and, of course, everybody listens online. Whether it’s the start of a long career, or a brief flirtation with something a little bit different, I bet they’ll look back with a big smile. 20 years on and some 4,500 radio shows down the line, I certainly do.
The Gather Round Summer Party is one of our favourite events in the member’s calendar, this year’s event will be Friday 12th July and we’re looking forward to it already!
Throughout the year we host parties and events to give our members space to gather and connect without a desk or coffee machine in sight. A more informal environment and a glass in hand gives everyone a chance to relax and get to know one another even better.
Last year we headed to Left Handed Giant Taproom with over 70 creatives for beers, snacks and tunes. The St Phillips brewery was the perfect relaxed location and their beers proved more than popular when we managed to drink them out of their signature ale Sky Above.
With a playlist of funk and soul, garage and house soundtracking the evening The Cheese Boys served up elite snacks of halloumi, yoghurt and pomegranate, mozzarella dippers and chips to a hungry crowd.
As well as members-only parties we host industry talks, creative workshops and gigs at our Brunswick Square and Cigar Factory spaces. From Enviral’s talk on ‘Why Business Needs To Integrate A More Activist Mindset’ to Illustrator Beth Suzanna’s collage workshop to Pirate Studios’ office party, our events calendar is as creative and colourful as our members.
Keep an eye out for future news and blogs via our website, on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Or get in touch to book a tour!
Graduate exhibition showcases Bristol’s emerging talent at the Royal Photographic Society.
Bristol Film School at boomsatsuma proudly announces the opening of ‘Blossom Season’, its 2024 Graduate Photography Showcase at the prestigious Royal Photographic Society (RPS) in Bristol, this Saturday. The exhibition showcases exceptional work from the first graduating cohort of BA (Hons) Documentary Photography and Print.
Exhibition details:
Dates: June 15 – June 30, 2024
Location: Royal Photographic Society, 337 Paintworks, Arnos Vale, Bristol BS4 3AR
Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday 10am – 5pm
Private View and Reception: June 15th, 3pm – 7pm (please contact us for tickets)
The showcase features innovative photography on a diverse range of subjects – from sports to fashion – and demonstrates the high level of creative and technical skills developed on the course. The unique degree, run by award winning photographers, emphasises our students’ hands-on experience and industry engagement but with a strong focus on the ‘art of photography’.
Sam Fordham, Head of Photography at the Bristol Film School, says:
“It’s a privilege to see our students’ hard work and dedication culminate in this outstanding exhibition. Their ability to tell powerful stories through photography is a testament to their talent and the supportive, dynamic environment we strive to create on our photography degree.”
From Sunday 16th June, the exhibition is open to the public, offering an excellent opportunity for artists, industry professionals, and the local community to engage with the next generation of photographers. Admission is free and many of the exhibited works will be available for purchase.
Interested in Photography? Come to boomsatsuma’s open day at the Royal Photographic Society on Saturday 15th June from 1130. Talk to award-winning photography team and get a sneak preview of the exhibition.
Check out the new Photography and Print Degree .
Image Credits: Amber Mylius-King (article body -first image), Matthew Roderick (article body – second image)
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