Our award-winning creative event series turns 10 this year, double figures! We can’t quite believe it.
When we started Gather Round Presents back in June 2024, we knew we had something good but it’s evolved into something truly special and that’s all down to you, the creative community, our followers and fans. Extending a heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s been involved over the past two years; to our speakers, audience, sponsors and team – you’re the bees.
So, with all that being said, it’s safe to say that we are extremely excited to announce our speaker line up for our tenth edition on Thursday 4th June: “Taste – How to Harness Your Creative Superpower”. Over the course of a couple of hours, our speakers will explore how, in a world saturated with content and repetition, having a distinct point of view is what cuts through the noise – and how learning to trust your own taste is what turns individuality into your greatest creative advantage. Coming from nine different viewpoints across the spectrum of the creative industries, our speakers are poised and ready with gems of knowledge that, hopefully, will inspire you far beyond the walls of our beloved Brunswick Square.
Sponsored by the wonderful people at Boardwalk – a lifestyle focused estate agency selling some of the most beautiful homes in Bristol. With an eye for thoughtful interiors and genuinely great design taste, they’re the go-to people for homes with character, style, and soul.
You can of course expect the usual, delicious free pizza from our good friends Pizzucci, a free raffle with some top notch prizes and this time there’s even a free beer from Boardwalk for the first 20 x people that get through the door.
Tim is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, print, and visual experimentation. Check out the amazing paint job on this VW Baja Bug!
When it comes to a truly distinctive visual identity, Penfold stands apart. From the streets of Bristol and Cambridge to cities across Europe and beyond, his work is instantly recognisable. One glimpse of a mural is enough – it’s unmistakably his. Defined by a bold, intuitive use of colour and an interest in layered compositions, Tim’s work strikes the balance between spontaneity and a deep understanding of material and process.
We can’t to hear him speak about his creative journey – how he’s developed his taste, refined his voice, and built such a striking identity over the past 20 years as a working artist.
Beyond her life as a singer-songwriter, TJA brings her signature blend of soulful storytelling and quiet confidence to her role as co-host of The Library Podcast. Known for her genre-fluid approach to music, she carries that same curiosity into every episode, viewing each guest’s story as a unique composition.
For TJA, every conversation is an exploration of the human experience; introspective, experimental, and always deeply personal. Her professional life is a harmony of creative and strategic pursuits; balancing her own artistry with a career in sync music which has given her a grounded understanding of how a song moves from an intimate idea out into the world.
Driven by a commitment to her community, TJA is exploring her voice in new ways, expanding into presenting and industry panel talks, a new platform to share her journey and insights on ‘becoming’ in the creative arts. And the exploration doesn’t stop there – alongside her presenting exploits, TJA leads music production workshops for women, demystifying the technical side of the craft to empower female creators to take full ownership of their sound. Whether she’s behind the desk at The Library, navigating the publishing landscape or mentoring in the studio – her work is defined by the belief that every story deserves to be told with intention and soul.
As a Gather Round Presents supporter since day one, we’re incredibly excited to finally welcome Helen Liang onto the stage. A familiar face within Bristol’s creative community, Helen has spent years championing thoughtful collaboration, creative experimentation and meaningful innovation across a wide range of industries. Known for her ability to bring people together around complex ideas, she has built a reputation as both a strategic thinker and an energising facilitator – so naturally, expectations are high.
Helen works as a creative consultant specialising in insight and innovation, helping organisations and teams test, learn and grow through structured creativity. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, research and facilitation, supporting people to navigate uncertainty, unlock new thinking and turn ambitious ideas into practical action. Whether she’s leading workshops, shaping innovation programmes or helping teams reframe difficult challenges, Helen thrives in what she describes as the “deep-middle”. The messy, often uncomfortable space where the most meaningful breakthroughs tend to happen.
For Helen, taste isn’t a fixed identity or polished endpoint – it’s something that develops through action, curiosity and a willingness to sit with discomfort. In her talk, she’ll explore the idea that building taste means embracing tension: between intuition and logic, confidence and uncertainty, structure and play. She sees taste as an evolving “state of doing” rather than something static. Expect insights into creative growth, collaborative thinking and why staying curious is so important.
Jess is a Bristol-based illustrator and creative facilitator working across mixed media to create textured, playful and engaging visual work. Her practice combines paints, pens, pastels, collage and digital design to produce illustrations and murals that help organisations communicate ideas in a warm, accessible way. Much of Jess’s client work focuses on the health, social and environmental sectors, where she collaborates with charities, public organisations and community-focused brands to create visuals that connect people and ideas. Her clients and collaborators have included organisations such as Forestry England, Coeliac UK and community groups across Bristol.
Alongside her illustration practice, Jess runs creative workshops across Bristol designed to help people feel more confident, playful and expressive in their approach to making. Her workshops, including Drink & Draw sessions and seasonal illustration clubs, encourage people of all abilities to experiment. Jess regularly hosts workshops in independent venues across the city as well as facilitating private sessions for teams, community groups and organisations.
In her talk, Jess will explore the idea that taste isn’t something you suddenly “discover”, but something that develops gradually through curiosity, repetition and attention. Drawing from her own creative journey, she’ll discuss how personal taste is shaped by lived experience, visual references, experimentation and the things we instinctively keep coming back to.
Fox has spent decades building brands across agencies, startups and global businesses. After launching his first ad agency at 27 and later founding a brand consultancy, he went on to spend 10 years helping grow Pukka into the globally recognised brand it is today, before joining Unilever as Global Creative and Digital Director across its tea brands! Big stuff!
Today, Fox runsArtichoke – a bespoke furniture and interiors company providing some of the most gorgeous hand-crafted pieces we’ve ever seen. On top of this, Fox also works as CMO forSt Eval. Across both roles, his work focuses on creativity, brand strategy and building meaningful connections between brands and people.
In his talk, Neil will reflect on how taste develops through experience, instinct and perspective – shaped by years of making creative decisions across very different environments. Expect thoughts on branding, creative growth and why, ultimately, the only currency that really matters is time.
Rene Karen Katiisa is a Ugandan-born British actor, theatre-maker, creative director and cultural producer based in Bristol. A trained performer with a background spanning theatre, education and community work, Rene’s creative practice is rooted in storytelling, accessibility and lived experience. After studying at the BRIT School and graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama, she performed with the National Youth Theatre and worked with organisations including Battersea Arts Centre, Frantic Assembly and Complicite collaborators, contributing to award-winning productions and large-scale creative projects.
Alongside her creative work, Rene spent 25 years working in the public sector, leading education and advocacy projects supporting children in care across Bristol. In recent years, she has returned fully to her artistic practice, developing theatre and interdisciplinary work exploring identity, disability, displacement, motherhood and belonging. Her recent projects include performances with Bristol Old Vic, contributions to the Decolonising Disability in the Arts residency, and presenting autobiographical work through the Culture Biz Incubator Programme and Diverse Artists Network Mini Diaspora Festival.
Seb is a photographer, director and filmmaker specialising in real human stories across music, food and fashion. Working across atmospheric portraiture, lifestyle campaigns and documentary projects, his work is rooted in storytelling – creating images and films that feel natural, thoughtful and emotionally grounded.
With a style that balances honesty and atmosphere, Seb’s projects often focus on capturing people, places and moments in a way that feels enduring rather than over-produced. Whether working on commercial campaigns or longer-form documentary work, his approach is shaped by curiosity, observation and a strong visual sensitivity to mood, connection and character.
Sarah is Head of Copy at Mr B & Friends where she helps shape distinctive brands through strategy, language and creative thinking. A self-described “oddball”, she’s drawn to ideas that feel slightly unexpected, with a particular interest in the details, instincts and cultural references that make creative work feel memorable and human.
Over the course of her career, Sarah has become increasingly interested in the idea of cultivating taste – and how intuition, gut feeling and personal obsessions often play a bigger role in creativity than we like to admit. Her work explores how following curiosity, leaning into niche interests and trusting instinct can help create ideas that genuinely cut through.
Ross spent a decade helping transform a small London bike manufacturer into an internationally recognised lifestyle brand, working at the intersection of culture, design and brand growth. Now consulting with startups and businesses in transition, he brings experience shaped by working alongside brands and individuals who have each influenced taste in their own distinct way – including Palace, Freitag, Kenzo, LCD Soundsystem, David Millar and Tom Dixon.
In his talk, Ross will explore how taste shapes the way brands grow, the directions they take, and the cultural signals they choose to follow. Expect reflections on branding, influence and the strange ways our own tastes can evolve – or occasionally lead us completely astray.
Well, if that lineup hasn’t got you excited we don’t know what will.
Tickets will be released this week, so keep an eye out for an email from us inviting you to come along, for FREE. If you aren’t signed up to our newsletter yet, what are you waiting for? Sign up here to be the first to get your hands on a ticket.
Want to run your own event in our space? You’re in luck, as we have five amazing spaces for hire across Bristol and Bath. Get in touch with Hannah, our Events Manager, to find out more on pricing and availability.
You can also keep up to date with Gather Round by following us on instagram!
One of the UK’s most influential city-led tech events has today announced its next chapter, relaunching in 2026 as Brazen: a reimagined festival of technology, creativity and culture designed to become a must-attend fixture on the national tech calendar.
Formerly known as Bristol Technology Festival and most recently BTF+, the event, of which Bristol Creative Industries is a founding partner, has evolved rapidly over the past six years, growing from a focused tech gathering into a city-wide movement that brings together founders, creatives, investors, policymakers and communities. Now, as Brazen, the festival is setting its sights firmly on the national and international stage.
Taking place across Bristol over five days in late 2026, Brazen will once again use the city itself as its venue, spanning institutions, neighbourhoods and grassroots spaces, bringing together big ideas, practical innovation and cultural moments in a single, interconnected programme.
Inspired by global festivals such as SXSW but rooted in the distinctive character of the South West, Brazen has been created to showcase Bristol as a place to build, experiment and collaborate, while forging meaningful connections between people and sectors that don’t usually share the same space.
Delivered on a not-for-profit basis, Brazen is designed as a long-term platform rather than a one-off event. Each edition will build on the last, with surplus reinvested into growing the festival’s reach, quality and relevance, strengthening Bristol’s position as one of the UK’s most dynamic centres for innovation and creativity.
In its most recent edition, the festival delivered:
Figures that underline both its scale and its growing national impact.
As part of its next chapter, Brazen has confirmed Bristol Business Improvement District (BID) as a strategic partner for the next three years, cementing the festival’s role in supporting a thriving, inclusive and economically vibrant city centre.
Bristol BID is a business-led partnership, working to make the city centre safer, greener, cleaner and more welcoming. The BID invests directly in initiatives that support local businesses, attract visitors and strengthen the city’s cultural and commercial life.
Steve Bluff, COO at Bristol BID, said:
“Bristol BID is excited to be a lead partner for Brazen, where technology, creativity and culture will collide across five days later in 2026. The festival will unlock new opportunities for Bristol’s businesses, strengthen pride and confidence in the city, and showcase Bristol and the wider region as one of the UK’s most exciting hubs for innovation and creativity. Brazen will bring the city to life with opportunities that we’re excited for our business community to be part of.”
Brazen’s programme is built around four interconnected tracks, designed to reach different audiences while maintaining a strong, coherent festival identity:
Across the week, each day will explore a different theme, from leadership and AI to clean tech, scale-up growth and creative technology, giving the festival a clear narrative arc while allowing organisations and communities to engage in ways that suit them.
Bristol Creative Industries will be running events as part of Brazen Festival. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.
Brazen has previously worked with organisations including Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Barclays, Deloitte, Dyson, EY, Meta, Sony, NatWest, and multiple universities and public bodies, as well as hundreds of regional businesses, startups, artists and community groups.
Crucially, there is no single model of involvement. From hosting events and shaping programme themes to showcasing innovation or supporting international delegations, Brazen is built around long-term value and collaboration, not short-term visibility.
At its heart, Brazen is about people: the conversations that spark ideas, the collisions that create opportunity, and the community that keeps showing up. With a renewed identity and an expanded ambition, the festival is inviting organisations, partners and audiences from across the UK and beyond to help shape what comes next.
Ben Shorrock, CEO of techSPARK, commented:
“Brazen is the next evolution of everything Bristol Technology Festival and BTF+ set out to be. We’ve seen first-hand the power of bringing technology, creativity and culture into the same space, and Brazen gives us the confidence, scale and ambition to take that story beyond the city.
“This is about building a festival that people plan their year around, one that puts community first, but speaks to a national and international audience.”
Further announcements on programming, speakers and tickets will be made later this year.
For more information or to get involved, visit www.techspark.co/brazen
Bristol Creative Industries will be running events as part of Brazen Festival. Sign up to our newsletter to stay updated.
Creative production company JonesMillbank and film studio Nine Tree Studios have rebranded as BLANKET™, bringing their offerings together under a single, unified identity.
The rebrand marks a significant milestone for the Bristol-based agency as it enters its 15th year, reflecting both their evolution and a growing demand for integrated production, studio, and equipment rental services.
“We found that studio clients didn’t realise we offered production or kit rental, and many of our production prospects didn’t know we had a studio,” said Russell Jones, Founder & EP. “The separation no longer made sense – it was time to bring everything together along with a complete refresh.”
The new brand, BLANKET™, reflects the agency’s holistic offering across film production, studio hire, and equipment rental, while positioning the agency more clearly within the wider creative and production landscape.
“We wanted something confident, distinctive, and easy to engage with,” said Rob French, Creative Director. “BLANKET is human, tactile and approachable, but also strong and flexible – something that reflects how we’ve always worked and where we’re going.”
The rebrand also signals a shift in how the agency operates. As projects have grown in scale, BLANKET™ has increasingly collaborated with freelance specialists and production partners, including supporting international production companies filming in the UK.
“Collaboration is already a much bigger part of our creative process,” said Adam Millbank, Founder & EP. “Whether it’s larger productions or studio dry hire, we’re working with a wider network of talented crew – from camera operators and gaffers to HMU, catering and runners. That’s only going to increase with the new brand and as the studio continues to become more established.”
BLANKET™ will continue to operate from its Bristol studio, serving clients across the UK and Europe, with a focus on commercial film production and studio-based work.
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BLANKET™ is a Bristol-based film production company, film studio, and kit rental house. Founded in 2011, the company works with brands and agencies across the UK and Europe including Dyson, Freixenet, DHL, Oxfam, Pukka and Vax.
www.weareblanket.com
+44(0)117 3706 372
[email protected]
The government will soon be announcing the long awaited champion for freelancers in the creative industries.
Following campaigning by many groups representing the self-employed, it was first confirmed in the creative industries sector plan published in June 2025 that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will appoint “a creative freelance champion…to advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government”.
Freelancers are a key driver of the creative sector. Government data shows self-employment accounted for 28% of creative industries employment from April 2024 to March 2025, compared to 14% across the entire UK workforce.
Other data shows that although creative industries employed roles fell to 1,713,000 in 2024 from 1,744,000 in 2023, the number of roles for self-employed individuals and freelancers increased to 696,000, up from 675,000 the year before.
Writing on LinkedIn, Matthew Dowling, chairman of the Good Work Review Working Group for Self Employed Creators at the Creative Industries Council, said he has received confirmation that the freelance champion role has now been offered, and “an official announcement is expected in the coming weeks”. He added:
“For years, freelancers have lacked someone at government level to advocate for the millions of independent workers who too often feel overlooked, underserved, and invisible in national policy.
“There’s a huge opportunity to use this appointment as a milestone to recognise both the economic contribution of the freelance community and the role they play in our everyday lives.”
We want to know what BCI members think the freelance champion should focus on. We have many freelancers in the Bristol Creative Industries member community and it’s very welcome news that the government is finally introducing this new role.
Research last year by Creative UK found the challenges faced by freelancers include late payment, a decrease in demand for their services as a result of generative AI and limited workplace protections. Supporting freelancers were among the issues raised by several BCI members when we asked them to share what they’d like to see the new government do to support the creative industries ahead of the 2024 general election.
We’ll be publishing an article on what Bristol Creative Industries members would like the freelance champion to focus on.
If you’re a BCI member and would like to be featured, send a quote of around 100 words outlining what areas you think the freelance champion should address to Dan Martin at [email protected]
Amid a tough economic environment agency clients are cutting budgets and increasingly prioritising commercial impact over creativity and chemistry when selecting winning pitches.
That’s the finding of jfdi and Opinium‘s ninth New Business Barometer, a comprehensive survey of agency business development professionals, across disciplines including creative, digital, experiential, content and social.
The report, of which Bristol Creative Industries is a partner, said overall client budgets are down around 30% on 2024, with large agencies reporting a 30% drop, medium 26% and small 29%.
As the hunt for new business intensifies, marketing investment by many agencies has increased. Large agencies report an increase of 58% on 2024 to £257,000, while medium agencies have invested +36% at £140,000. Small agency investment however is down by 19%.
When it comes to why clients select which pitch to go with, the report found that commercial impact is rising in importance when compared to creativity and matching chemistry. Meeting commercial objectives was cited as the key factor by 61% of respondents, up 7% on last year’s report.
Another top pitch winner was relevant expertise at 77%, up 5%, while good client chemistry was down 2% at 72%.
Agencies are refining strategies to play to their strengths, focusing resources where they deliver the biggest impact, the report said.
71% of large agencies use intermediaries a top prospecting strategy, medium agencies focus primarily on management networks (80%) and marketing sales engagement (67%), and small agencies use personal networks (76%), client referrals (57%), and marketing as sales engagement (55%).
Camilla Honey, CEO of jfdi, said:
“This year’s Barometer marks a turning point. Creativity and chemistry still matter but are no longer enough. Agencies are assessed far more rigorously on relevance and commercial impact. New business is less about volume and visibility, and more about strategic precision: choosing the right opportunities, building credible proof, and protecting profit.”
Stephanie Brimacombe, CEO of VCCP Roar, added:
“In a shifting and competitive industry landscape, clients are demanding transformative ways to create tangible value for their brands.”
The report said economic uncertainty and client behaviour are set to shape agency new business activity this year.
Concerns jumped 12% to 39%, the second-highest reason for losing a pitch. Client behaviour remains a top challenge with budget withdrawals topping the list, followed by rarely receiving detailed feedback at 30%.
Across the board, agencies said keeping projects profitable is their biggest challenge: 58% of small, 59% of medium, and 64% of large agencies reported it’s more difficult than last year. Across all sizes, this challenge now outranks creating opportunities, investing in new business, or converting pitches.
Filling the pipeline is becoming harder: 63% of small agencies, 43% of medium, and 39% of large said creating opportunities is more difficult than last year.
On AI use in pitches, “the race has just begun”, the report said. It found that AI is “firmly on the new business agenda, but it’s early days” as “agencies are experimenting, testing tools, and hunting for advantage, without a playbook”.
When it comes to which AI tools are used, 72% use ChatGPT, 34% Gemini, 22% Perplexity, and 18% CoPilot.
Use varies by size, the report said. Small agencies use AI for speed, research, and pitch prep; medium agencies focus on processes and proprietary tools and large agencies scale research, qualify opportunities, and automate pitches with their own platforms.
Despite, this the report found that one in four agencies have yet to start using AI.
Jason Foo, founder of BBD Perfect Storm & Chairman of St Lukes, said:
“Growth today isn’t about doing more of the same. It’s about being braver, acting smarter and doing more joined-up work. As client expectations continue to rise, new business has become both a strategic discipline and a creative craft.”
Don’t lose sight of your new business pipeline
10 top tips for getting the pitch over the line
Your slides are costing you clients
How Bristol Creative Industries members are using AI
What we’ve learned about AI in agencies: Insights from 30 creative leaders
How to prospect for new business without losing your soul
How creative businesses can write the perfect positioning statement
Becoming a member of Bristol Creative Industries brings many benefits. We regularly add new opportunities so here is a guide to the latest benefits you can enjoy by signing up. This post is regularly updated.
Join Bristol Creative Industries here.
Showcase your best work and attract new clients with a company profile in the Bristol Creative Industries member directory. The directory receives lots of visits every month from people looking for services from creative businesses.
Got some business advice or news to share? As a Bristol Creative Industries member you can self-publish content on our website and it will automatically appear on your member profile. We upgrade great content to the newsfeed and homepage, while four posts by members are included in our monthly email newsletter.
To get an idea of the content topics that do well, here are the top 30 most popular posts by members in 2025.
Bristol Creative Industries member Jessica Morgan from Carnsight Communications discussed the benefits of posting content in this interview.
The Bristol Creative Industries jobs board attracts thousands of job hunters every month. Business members can post unlimited free job adverts, saving you on average £3,500 per candidate.
Piers Tincknell, co-founder of Atomic Smash, is one of BCI’s longest serving members and he told us in a member profile interview how he regularly uses the jobs board to recruit new employees.
BCI’s monthly members’ lunches are a perfect opportunity for members to catch up with fellow members and the BCI team.
Everyone has a slot of up to three minutes to tell the others a little about who they are and what they do and share any news and/or challenges. You don’t need to fill the full three minutes. We usually find some common themes emerge to discuss over the course of the session. It’s all very informal with no need to stand up and present slides.
The events are free to attend for members, take place at The Square Club in Bristol and include a free buffet lunch.
Check the events section of details of the next lunches.
Our flagship keynote events and workshops feature world class speakers sharing their expertise. It’s a unique opportunity to access valuable insights for growing your business. Bristol Creative Industries members receive a ticket discount.
An example of a keynote event is the brilliant annual presentation on social media trends delivered by Drew Benvie, founder of global social media consultancy Battenhall.
Our regular freelancer networking drinks events in Bristol are free with a free drink for members. It takes place several times during the year. Freelancer drinks still to come this year are on 23 June, 8 September and 10 November. Book for 23 June here and 8 September here. Registation for 10 November will open later in the year.
Keen an eye on the events section for the latest events. You can also sign up to the monthly BCI Bulletin to be notified of events.
Big thanks to everyone who joined us at @SquareClifton last night for the Bristol Creative Industries freelancer networking drinks ☀️ 🍷
Sign up to the BCI Bulletin to be notified of new events: https://t.co/5WgBWPoN1C#BristolCreativeIndustries #Bristol #freelancers pic.twitter.com/1BvT60KZFp
— Bristol Creative Industries (@Bristol_CI) June 21, 2023
Wake Up Call is a member exclusive live webinar that takes place every other Friday at 8.30-9am. The content is delivered by members for members.
Attending the free event gives you access to valuable insights from your fellow members and if you host a Wake Up Call, you can share your expertise and attract potential new clients.
See details for upcoming Wake Up Call events in our events section.
If you’re a BCI member and you’d like to deliver a presentation on a topic of your choice during a Wake Up Call, email Dan Martin.
The Bristol Creative Industries LinkedIn group has more than 11,000 members and is one of the biggest creative sector focused groups on the platform.
Anyone can join the group but posting promotional content, events, jobs (that appear on the BCI site) etc is for BCI members only. See the group rules in the group description for more details.
Research shows that diverse teams are more creative problem solvers, bringing fresh perspectives to solutions, against the echo-chamber effect that results when people in a business come from too-similar backgrounds. With a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, employees feel valued and that they belong.
To help Bristol Creative Industries members achieve this, we have partnered with The Hobbs Consultancy to provide on demand equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) e-learning.
The CPD certified online course consists of modules to help you bring about positive change in your business, understand the key challenges in the way for different groups, and explore your own biases and how to overcome them.
The training modules take an in-depth look at different diversity and inclusion topics: race, disability, LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, gender (split into female leadership, masculinity, gender identity), age and social mobility in the workplace.
The price of the training for BCI members is £120+VAT. All profits will be ploughed back into our youth engagement activity.
To access this brilliant training opportunity, log into your Bristol Creative Industries account and click on the ‘members’ training’ section.
We host regular roundtables for agency leaders to discuss strategic challenges. These events are vital for us to hear from the member community about the key issues you are facing and how we can help. A roundtable on funding led to us creating this popular and regularly updated guide to the latest finance on offer to creative businesses.
If you are interested in getting involved with future roundtables, email Alli Nicholas.
We regularly deliver other special member benefits. A people strategy surgery on 15 May with HR expert Richard Roberts is currently available.
To stay updated on the latest benefits, sign up to the monthly BCI Bulletin.
Reductions on co-working spaces, meeting rooms, hotel accommodation, a recruitment strategy review and a coffee subscription are just some of the many discounts and offers we’ve negotiated for members.
Join Bristol Creative Industries here.
If you have any questions about membership, email Alli Nicholas
At The Square Club, we’re more than just a members’ club – we’re a hub for Bristol’s creative community. In partnership with Bristol Creative Industries, we’re delighted to offer BCI members discounted membership at just £30 a month.
Members join a unique community of creative professionals, with The Square being a space for fresh ideas, discussion, and collaboration. Alongside a vibrant events programme and dining scene, it’s a dynamic environment for working, socialising, and networking.
Our spaces include a boutique lounge, the Square Kitchen restaurant, the Lower Deck Cocktail Bar, and a hidden city-centre terrace – perfect for focusing, hosting meetings, or catching up with fellow creatives.
You may already know us from BCI’s monthly Members Lunch or Freelancers Networking Evening, where Bristol’s creative community gathers to connect and collaborate.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what BCI member, Mark Beavan of That Little Agency, had to say:
“I became a member of the Square Club as it offered an alternative working environment to home or the office. The warm, casual and welcoming environment is perfect to facilitate a number of different approaches to work – whether that is the need for focus, collaboration, or creative thinking. It is quickly becoming a meeting post for creative, media and agency professionals, with a weekly, monthly and annual calendar of interesting and engaging events aimed at this audience. The team are fantastic and always looking at ways to add more value to this community. In particular, Sophie plays a central role in fantastically managing this demanding group of professionals.”
Membership also includes reciprocal access to over forty clubs worldwide (including six in London), two complimentary hotel nights, access to over twenty events a month, and a network of like-minded creatives. Whether you need a space to focus, meet clients, or spark new ideas, The Square has you covered.
See it for yourself. Book a tour or apply for membership today by emailing [email protected], and discover why Bristol’s creatives are choosing The Square Club.
The government has back tracked on its plan to allow AI companies to train their models using copyrighted works unless the rights holder opts out following strong protests from several groups and individuals in the creative industries.
In a policy update, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said “a broad copyright exception with opt-out is no longer the government’s preferred way forward” after many people in the creative industries expressed concern that “a broad exception would allow generative AI to learn from their works, without compensation, and in direct competition to them”.
In a consultation, only 3% of the 11,500 respondents backed the government’s preferred option. High profile figures including Elton John also spoke out against the plans. He told the BBC it would be “committing theft, thievery on a high scale”.
When we asked Bristol Creative Industries members for their views on copyright and AI, several were against a broad copyright exempion too:
Catherine Frankpitt, Strike Communications:
“The government must work urgently with creative and tech sectors to establish a legally enforceable framework requiring clear disclosure of AI training data sources and mandatory opt-in licensing. We need a distinction between AI as a creative tool versus unauthorised training on copyrighted works. Creators must retain ownership and receive fair compensation for any AI usage of their work. Given AI’s global reach, this framework needs both robust UK legislation and international coordination.”
Susan Pearson, Wordways:
“The copyright for anything I write is 100% mine or my client’s. No-one or no ‘thing’ should ever have the right to reproduce the words of writers exactly unless these words are expressed within quote marks with the source of the quote acknowledged – unless they have specific permission. Anything else would be creative theft.”
Emma Barraclough, Epoch:
“For brand assets to be valuable, they must be protectable. And yet without clear rules AI generated assets are at risk of being copied and compromised by others. For AI to become a truly powerful tool for creatives, we need laws that make its output safe, ownable, and enforceable.”
In the policy update, the government said “we must take the time needed to get this right” and it will not introduce reforms to copyright law until we are confident that they will meet our objectives for the economy and UK citizens.
It added:
“This means protecting the UK’s position as a creative powerhouse, while unlocking the extraordinary potential of AI to grow the economy and improve lives. Any reform must ensure that right holders can be fairly rewarded for the economic value their work creates, and that they are protected against unlawful and unfair use of their work. It must also ensure that AI developers can access high quality content. It is clear through the consultation and our subsequent engagement that there is no consensus on how these objectives should be achieved.”
The government claimed there is “limited and uncertain evidence on the impact of copyright on the development and deployment of AI in the UK”, so the evidence base must continue to be built.
DSIT has also published a new economic impact assessment on copyright and AI which considers the available evidence.
The policy update said:
“We propose to address the gaps in evidence on copyright reform, consider alternative options and review our approach in light of wider market and international developments. Alongside this, we propose to take steps to help right holders control and license their work, including through encouraging greater transparency.
“We also propose to explore options for supporting human creativity and artistry. Across this, we will continue to seek input from voices across the economy, and engage with Parliament and technical experts to ensure any reform drives growth and supports adoption and diffusion of artificial intelligence.”
Other actions include:
Dan Conway, Publishers Association CEO, said:
“As the Publishers Association has long maintained, the UK’s gold-standard copyright regime is the foundation upon which growth and our world-leading creative and knowledge industries are built. Copyright is an enabler and a driver of UK competitive advantage, not an inhibitor, and the government should resoundingly dismiss any further tinkering with copyright as an alternative to the original exception. Alternative exception models – including those for science and research – must be taken off the table from this point. These exceptions have the potential to be even more damaging than the copyright exception initially proposed and are unjustifiable in the context of an established, growing AI licensing market.
“The significant positives in today’s announcement, in addition to the abandonment of the preferred exception, include the focus on transparency – on which we will continue to advocate strongly for legislative action – and on labelling to achieve clarity for readers in an increasingly polluted online retail space.
“The Publishers Association has advocated for the books and journals industry on AI and copyright for years and it’s gratifying to see progress being made on this generationally important issue. This is a step in the right direction, undoubtedly, but not all potentially damaging avenues have been closed down. We will continue to support the government with this work and we thank all of our members for helping us to campaign on this important issue on behalf of the sector we all care so much about.”
Paul W Fleming, Equity general secretary, said:
“The government has taken a welcome and marked change of approach, which has included engaging with Equity at the highest level in detail, and in advance of this announcement.
“The pause announced today is recognition that selling out the UK’s creative industries to benefit US tech companies would’ve been an act of national self-sabotage. The UK should be the best place on the planet to create, supporting the government’s growth agenda through a strong copyright regime and respect for creative workers.
“We welcome the government’s intention to introduce measures on digital replicas and we look forward to working with them to develop new protections against unauthorised and unpaid use of a performer’s voice and likeness, the bedrock of our members’ careers.
“What creators need after this pause is a firm commitment to copyright and neighbouring rights and support for collective licensing for AI uses, including via existing trade union collective bargaining mechanisms. We look forward to working with the Labour government on how best to secure these reasonable aspirations.”
If you’re planning a summer event in Bristol, this is your sign to make it unforgettable—without stretching your budget. This August, Watershed is offering an exclusive 40% off event space hire, giving you the perfect opportunity to host something special in one of the city’s most iconic harbourside venues.
Set right on Bristol’s vibrant waterfront, Watershed blends creative energy with stunning views. Whether you’re organising a corporate gathering, workshop, private screening, or celebration, the venue offers a unique atmosphere that’s both professional and inspiring.
From flexible event spaces to cinema screens, Watershed provides a setting that can adapt to your vision—whether that’s formal, relaxed, or somewhere in between.
Here’s everything included in this limited-time deal:
40% off all Waterside Event Spaces
Available throughout August 2026
Valid at any time of day
Includes Standard Screen and AV setup
Cinema hire included before 14:00
The offer applies only to August 2026 bookings
Not valid for events in July or September
Catering and Hybrid AV packages are available as add-ons at an additional cost
Whether you’re planning something professional or personal, this offer works for a wide range of events:
Team away days & meetings
Networking events & presentations
Creative workshops & panels
Private screenings & film events
Summer parties & celebrations
With built-in AV and flexible layouts, you can focus on your event content while the venue takes care of the essentials.
📍 Watershed, 1 Canon’s Road, Bristol, BS1 5TX
🕘 Access hours: 09:00 – 23:00 (unless otherwise stated)
Situated in the heart of Bristol’s harbourside, Watershed is easily accessible and surrounded by great spots for pre- or post-event drinks and dining.
Summer dates book quickly—especially with an offer like this. If you’ve been thinking about hosting an event, now’s the perfect time to secure your space at a significantly reduced rate.
📩 Enquire now: [email protected]
Bring your ideas to life this August at Watershed—where great events meet a great location.
Synergist is the software that helps agencies run better. Connecting projects, resources and financials in one place, so agency leaders can see exactly what’s happening in their business and make smarter decisions.
Agency Works are the software implementation experts behind some of the UK’s best-run agencies. Helping creative businesses get Synergist properly embedded, configured to the way they work, and delivering real results from day one.
For years, our two businesses have worked side by side, sharing the same purpose: to make a real difference in how agencies run and elevate their performance.
So when the opportunity came to make it official, to bring both teams together under one roof, it felt less like a big decision and more like the obvious one. There was really only ever one question: when?
Now, they’re making it official. Synergist and Agency Works are becoming one business, and have joined Banyan Software — a group that acquires and backs successful software businesses for the long term, keeping teams in control while giving them the support to grow.
Jay Neale, CEO of the combined business, said:
“This has been a long time in the making. Our two teams have always shared the same purpose: helping agencies be their best and enjoy the ride. Becoming one business simply made sense, and finding a home for life with Banyan gives us the support to deliver even more for our clients. I’m incredibly proud to be leading the combined business as CEO, and with Banyan behind us, I genuinely believe the best is still to come.
Nick Lane, Chief Operating Officer of Synergist, said:
“Synergist has been built over more than 20 years on the trust of the agencies we serve. This doesn’t change that. If anything, it strengthens it. Same product, same people, same purpose. Now with more resource and backing behind us, we can build faster and go further for our customers than ever before.”
For existing clients and users, nothing changes day to day. With more resource and backing behind the combined business, the focus is on building faster, delivering better, and continuing to improve the software and services agencies rely on.
For agencies considering Synergist for the first time, you’re not just getting software. You’re getting 25 years of agency expertise built into a platform, configured by people who’ve worked in agencies themselves and know the challenges inside out.
The best is still to come. Two brilliant teams, one shared purpose, and more firepower than ever to deliver on it.
From pipeline to profit. Synergist connects your projects, resources, and financials in one place – streamlining work and giving you the management data you need.
Spot capacity bottlenecks before they happen. Understand exactly how time is utilised. Track which clients are profitable. Know where you’re losing money. See problems coming, make smarter moves, run your agency on reality not guesswork.
It’s not just software. It’s 25 years of agency expertise built into a platform that flexes to your needs, configured by experts who know agencies inside out. They’ll match it to your processes, challenge what’s not working, and support you as you scale.
The UK’s leading agency software for agencies that want to scale profitably.
To find out more or book a demo, visit synergist.co.uk
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