The West of England has a strong legacy as a creative industries hub attracting major broadcasters, film companies and digital industries alike to our vibrant towns and cities. Like all industries, however, COVID-19 has hit creative companies hard and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has been here to support the creative industries as they work to get through the impact of the pandemic.
To support this, WECA has launched a new business support programme for businesses and individuals working in the creative industries, as part of its Regional Recovery Plan. The programme is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) working in the creative industries, including creative freelancers, and is designed to build resilience and support change in response to COVID-19.
There is also a grant fund for creative freelancers that will give self-employed people the opportunity to become more resilient by developing their own creative product, practice or service, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Grants for creative businesses will fund creative projects that support recovery and resilience, employ freelance creatives, engage local communities and advance diversity and inclusion.
The business support programme has been designed in consultation with members of the creative and cultural sector. The programme also fits with WECA’s ambitions to establish a West of England Cultural Compact, an initiative jointly funded with Arts Council England. This will involve the creation of a new strategic cultural partnership which will lead on the development of a Cultural Strategy and new activities to help increase investment across the creative and cultural sectors in the region.
WECA recently announced a £11.8m investment to boost creative jobs with the expansion of Bottle Yard Studios, which plays host to a wide range of productions, including drama, children’s TV, feature films, gameshows and commercials. Bottle Yard’s growth will also help to support other businesses across the region which rely on film and TV production opportunities.
Almost 60 companies from a range of creative industries across the region have also benefitted from WECA’s Creative Scale-Up programme. This two-year pilot helps creative businesses access finance and peer mentoring through an intensive six-month minimum sustainable growth support programme. WECA has opened applications for the fourth cohort of the programme
Here’s a snapshot of some of the businesses that have benefitted from the programme:
Since joining the Creative Scale Up programme in January 2020, Bristol-based independent development studio and games consultancy Auroch Digital has secured a new publishing deal and taken on 15 new members of staff.
“The Creative Scale Up programme, particularly the mentoring process, was great – we were able to pick mentors targeting specific needs we have. We got direct support with business questions as they arose and that helped us deal with them and move forward.
“As a result, we’ve been able to advance some key areas of the company. We’ve landed one big publishing deal for a new IP game and are circling a second big project, and that mentoring advice has been part of the mix of positives getting us there. Information provided by the Creative Scale Up team also led us to a UWE Digital Innovation Fund grant.” Dr Tomas Rawlings, chief executive, Auroch Digital
Noiser, which specialises in history and drama storytelling with immersive sound design, used the WECA Creative Scale Up £2,000 business grant to develop a sales team and define a clear strategy to drive sales.
“For Noiser, we are not looking for generic business support; I liked how the scheme’s supervisors made us aware that we could find our own mentors and they were able to help connect us with pertinent professionals they were in touch with. This was crucially important.”
Stornaway.io accessed grant funding to re-invest in the creative development of the business.
Having identified a gap in the market for a collaborative web application that lets media producers write, test and publish interactive films easily and affordably without coding, the team was, understandably, wary about how to effectively promote and launch a new product in lockdown.
To showcase the product’s capabilities, Stornaway.io used grant funding to commission and produce a short film called “A Little Hungover”, which would premiere as part of the Immersive Encounters Festival. In order to help futureproof the business, the team at Stornaway.io also made great use of the peer mentoring aspects of the Creative Scale Up programme.
“Launching this new product in the middle of lockdown, the Creative Scale-Up peer mentoring programme was an invaluable community of practice. It was fantastic to meet and develop connections with the leaders of such a wide range of creative businesses in the South West. We have developed a number of ongoing relationships with our peers which we hope will continue to be mutually beneficial.” Kate Dimbleby, co-founder, Stornaway.io
Creative scale-up support includes a £6,000 grant to spend on mentoring support, a dedicated Peer Support Network and sector specific business development training. Businesses are also supported to consider their future finance options and are supported to learn about investment and engage with investors.
Creative businesses wanting to find out more about the new business support programme, grant funds and the Creative Scale Up programme should visit WECA’s Growth Hub page.
The West of England Business Support Guide can also help you navigate the range of support available via the combined authority’s dedicated business support service, the Growth Hub, which provides tailored one-to-one advice and access to finance, support and expert guidance.
The UK’s creative industries have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, but there are also many examples of innovation and successful pivots.
The sector is vital to the UK economy and as Britain looks to recover, the government has set out its vision in the ‘Build Back Better’ strategy.
But how do the creative industries feature in the plans?
Gail Caig is a freelance consultant currently working as an advisor to the Creative Industries Council. She also joined the Bristol Creative Industries board earlier this year. Speaking to Dan Martin, Gail highlights the key measures for the creative businesses and freelancers in the government’s 2021 Budget and wider recovery plans.
“Many businesses in the creative industries have been incredibly hard hit by COVID-19 but that experience has not been not universal. Elements of the creative industries that depend on footfall and live experience have suffered a great deal, but some parts of the sector, like games companies for example, have been thriving and attracting new audiences.
“We have seen a huge amount of innovation and entrepreneurial activity in the sector. In their response to the difficulties during the pandemic, many organisations have looked at new ways to engage audiences, they have embraced technology like AR and VR and have done their storytelling in a different way. Innovation is a huge positive that has come out of all this but I think it’s less clear how you can viably get ongoing revenue from the new innovation. Venues, theatres etc have been very successful in reaching audiences and finding new ways to share content, but that’s no replacement for a live audience and many of the traditional business models.
“There has been support from the government. The £1.5bn Cultural Recovery Fund was a huge vote of kind of confidence and belief in the sector by the government. It hasn’t been a panacea and it hasn’t protected every element of the sector, but it is a very substantial investment which recognises how important the government sees the UK’s cultural and creative infrastructure.
“On the negative side, the pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of freelancers which make up a third of creative industry workers. They can’t access the furlough scheme in most instances, and a big section of freelancers, particularly new entrants to the creative industries, can’t access the Self-employment Income Support Scheme. I think there’s a real concern in the industry that the new generation of talent could be irretrievably lost.
“That has been a real priority for organisations like the Creative Industries Federation. They’ve been lobbying the government about the need to recognise the freelance workforce.”
“In the Budget itself, and a series of documents published alongside it, the government is demonstrating that it recognises the importance of the creative industries and its capacity to bring communities together and regenerate. That’s really good news for the sector because it means that government policy going forward should be shaped in a way that will help and support the creative industries. That’s not a given. It’s a situation that has evolved and developed over the last 20 years when the creative industries were first recognised by the government as a specific, important and valuable sector.
“In the government’s Build Back Better strategy, the creative industries are featured throughout. In his forward, chancellor Rishi Sunak says: ‘We have an international reputation for science and world-class universities. And we have strengths across many sectors, from financial services to creative industries.'”
“The government announced in the Budget a consultation on the definition of R&D tax credits. The creative industries are innovative because they are constantly reinventing their products and services and they do a huge amount of R&D. But because a lot of that R&D doesn’t happen in a traditional industrial way, it’s not recognised as R&D. That has a business level implication because R&D tax credits as they’re currently structured are not accessible to the creative industries. The sector has been lobbying for a long time to get the R&D that happens within the sector recognised. This new consultation references the creative industries which is very positive.”
“The £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund has been extended by £300m.
“The government also put in place previously the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme that has supported productions in carrying on despite COVID. The scheme has been extended.”
“There has been an ongoing problem with apprenticeships in the creative industries. The vast majority are micro businesses with a very small number of employees. They don’t have the capacity to take on an individual for a long period of time and provide training. Many are project-based such as TV production companies. When they have big periods of activity they’ve got work to offer but they can’t guarantee 12 months.
“Also for micro businesses, the admin involved in taking people on is a really significant burden. Making apprenticeships work across many tiny businesses is a very different proposition to one big car plant. The apprenticeship scheme was set up with things like a big car plant in mind. However, big employers in the creative industries have been paying the Apprenticeship Levy, but not benefitting from it. That’s been an ongoing challenge for the sector and the Budget recognised that.
“There’s a £7m fund to be introduced from July this year to help employers access the apprenticeship scheme. It will also look at making the apprenticeship system more flexible so that it works better for creative industry businesses. The Budget document that talks about the new fund specifically references the creative industries.
“The government has also launched a consultation on flexi-job apprenticeship schemes which could help the creative industries.”
“The government has committed to setting up its own domestic replacement for when European funding ends in the UK as a result of Brexit. Between the EU funding stopping and the new UK scheme starting, they’ve launched the Community Renewal Fund.
“It’s £220m for programmes for 2021. The bids of up to £500,000 get submitted to the government via a combined authority or a local authority. The deadline for bids to be sent to the government is 18 June.
“There are two kinds of government funding – revenue and capital. Revenue funding can be spent on people, business support programmes, skills development, training, community arts practitioners, events etc. Capital funding is for building things like roundabouts, railways etc.
“For the creative industries seeking support and skills development, revenue funding is very important. There are examples of big cultural infrastructure but generally, that’s much harder for the sector to access. What the sector really needs and wants to access is revenue funding. The Community Renewal Fund is really important for that.”
“This is capital funding. The scheme is for bids of up to £20m and it runs over a series of years. The deadline for funding in 2021 is 18 June.
“It has three priorities – transport, regeneration and cultural investment. That’s really important for the creative industries as it’s a direct name check in a big capital programme. It talks about ‘maintaining, regenerating or creatively repurposing galleries, visitor attractions, heritage assets, as well as creating new community-owned spaces to support the arts and serve as cultural spaces.'”
“Networks and intermediaries are absolutely crucial in the effective running of creative clusters. Creative industries come together and group in clusters because they are a collection of interdependent small organisations that have specialisms. For example, one of the specialisms in Bristol and Bath is television. To make that clustering and networking work effectively, organisations like Bristol Creative Industries are absolutely fundamental. That’s why I wanted to be a BCI board member!”
Top image credit: HM Treasury.
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is launching a new business support programme for businesses and individuals working in the creative industries, as part of its Regional Recovery Plan.
The programme is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) working in the creative industries, including creative freelancers, that require support as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The sector specific business support programme is designed to build resilience and support change in response to Covid-19. It will offer support for individuals and management teams to reformulate operating and financial models and business plans through mentoring, peer networks and training and workshops.
There will also be grants for creative projects that support recovery and resilience. A grant fund for creative freelancers will give self-employed people the opportunity to become more resilient by developing their own creative product, practice or service, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A grant fund for creative businesses will fund creative projects that support recovery and resilience, employ freelance creatives, engage local communities and advance diversity and inclusion.
Grants will range from £1,000 to £3,000 for freelancers and £5,000 to £10,000 for businesses.
Regional Mayor Tim Bowles said: “Our cultural and creative industries really are the soul of the West of England and are an important contributor to our wider economy. As we secure our recovery from the impact of Covid-19, this much-needed support will help ensure that our creative businesses can continue to provide exciting and engaging jobs, attract new commercial opportunities and help ensure the West of England remains an exciting and vibrant place to live and work.”
The business support programme has been designed in consultation with members of the creative and cultural sector, with a focus on recovery from the pandemic and the priorities of inclusivity, diversity and community engagement.
The programme also fits with WECA’s ambitions to establish a West of England Cultural Compact, an initiative jointly funded with Arts Council England. This will involve the creation of a new strategic cultural partnership which will lead on the development of a Cultural Strategy and new activities to help increase investment across the creative and cultural sectors in region.
Professor Sue Rigby, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University, West of England LEP board member and interim chair of the Cultural Compact, said: “Culture is part of our DNA in the West of England, and so many of us value it and earn our livings from it. The pandemic has highlighted our need for culture as a key part of our recovery, and the Cultural Compact will help us to bring this about as a region.
WECA will also be running the fourth cohort of its successful Creative Scale Up programme, which is already providing almost 60 creative businesses with online peer and mentoring support to help them respond to the impact of Covid-19.
Since joining the programme in January 2020, Bristol-based independent development studio and games consultancy Auroch Digital has secured a new publishing deal and taken on 15 new members of staff.
Dr Tomas Rawlings (pictured), Chief Executive of Auroch Digital, said: “The Creative Scale Up programme, particularly the mentoring process, was great – we were able to pick mentors targeting specific needs we have. We got direct support with business questions as they arose and that helped us deal with them and move forward.
“As a result, we’ve been able to advance some key areas of the company. We’ve landed one big publishing deal for a new IP game and are circling a second big project, and that mentoring advice has been part of the mix of positives getting us there. Information provided by the Creative Scale Up team also led us to a UWE Digital Innovation Fund grant.”
Creative businesses wanting to find out more about the new business support programme, grant funds and the Creative Scale Up scheme should visit WECA’s Growth Hub page.
The Culture and Creative Industry Business Support Programme and grant funds are a key part of the West of England Recovery Taskforce’s regional action plan to protect and secure jobs, creating opportunities for all residents to share in the recovery. As part of this, WECA’s Together West of England campaign is connecting businesses with the support and guidance they need to adapt, build resilience and prepare for the future, as well as helping residents to access new skills, training and employment opportunities.
Through the West of England Growth Hub businesses of any size in the West of England can access free information and guidance on a variety of issues including workforce planning, HR advice and guidance, employability support, training and skills development and coaching.
Hello. I’m new to BCI so I thought I would submit some news of my recent work as way of an introduction.
The dreaded Covid 19 obviously put paid to most events last year but my long-running collaboration with Sneaker Con finally came good with an event in Shanghai in December.
This was a great project that presented many different challenges such as event graphics, t-shirt designs, toy design, animation and even graphics for a basketball! You can see more of the project here; http://bit.ly/3rdOEtk
With most of my work coming from overseas I’m fairly isolated in my home in Bedminster so I’m looking to branch out and use BCI to grow my network.
My name is Ian Ball and my on-line presence is @psychrome on pretty much all channels.
Thanks for your time!
Ian
Access Creative College (ACC) has begun work on Phase Two of its campus in Bristol City Centre, which will see it occupy the former site of legendary music venue, Bierkeller. The development represents an investment of £4.5m by the college, as it looks to give the space a new lease of life with a host of cutting-edge sound facilities and classrooms for ACC’s range of creative courses.
The Bierkeller site has remained unused since it closed its doors to music fans back in 2018. Over the years, the venue welcomed some of the biggest names in music to its stage, including Nirvana, The Stone Roses and Arctic Monkeys, to name just a few. At over 13,000 sq. feet, ACC’s Phase Two development will more than double the floor space of its Bristol Campus, as the college looks to develop the talent and skills that are so vital to the future growth of the creative industries in the city and beyond.
Mark Smithers, Access Creative College Bristol Centre Manager commented, “Bristol has a rich heritage of creativity and it is an exciting place to be teaching the next generation of digital and arts professionals. As we break through into the former Bierkeller site next door, it will soon be home to some of UK’s leading creatives of tomorrow as we bring it back to life as an education and state-of-the-art events space.”
ACC’s Phase Two facilities will include an events space and stage, a music studio and production pods, where students will be able to mix music, create podcasts and record video and sound. There will also be a range of classrooms equipped with all the latest tech, as well as a number of breakout spaces and student collaboration areas.
Smithers continues, “As an organisation we have been in Bristol for the best part of two decades now. The opening of the first phase of our city centre campus meant we could expand our offering to students, providing a broader range of courses with cutting edge facilities for the very best learning experience. We couldn’t be happier to now take that to the next stage with this new development.”
Following an initial investment of £5m, Access Creative College launched Phase One of its new digital and games campus back in March 2019 and has since rolled out a range of courses including Esports Management, Creative Computing, Software Development, Games Art, Games Technology, Film, Video & Photography and Graphic & Digital Design.
Jason Beaumont, Chief Executive at Access Creative College, added, “As we approach our 30th academic year, this Phase Two development is proof if our intentions for further growth. We understand that by listening to the needs of our students and the wider industry, we’ll be in the best position to provide meaningful education and continue our track record of high student achievement and progression.’
“We are continuing to adapt our curriculum to support the increasingly digital market and of course working closely with industry and employers to best prepare our learners for careers remains a core focus of ACC’s approach to Further Education.”
Having previously operated out of its campus in Hengrove for over 18 years, ACC was Bristol’s first college with a sole focus on the creative industries. Artist Development, Music Technology & Production and Vocal Artist courses, which were previously run from the South Bristol site, will now be brought into the main campus in the city centre, where ACC’s Phase Two facilities will play a pivotal role in skills development.
This announcement follows a significant year for Armstrong Learning group, the owners of the College, during which it secured investment from Apiary Capital and welcomed the National College for the Creative Industries (NCCI) to its portfolio. ACC has also recently announced a number of new senior appointments, including former Minister of State for Universities Jo Johnson, as the college’s new chair, and former Ofsted inspector and Adult Learning Inspectorate Steve Stanley as Director of Evaluation and Impact.
For more information on the development, please visit http://www.accesscreative.ac.uk/bristol
In Armadillo’s Creative and DX team, we’re used to solving complex problems together. Planning complex test-and-learn strategies as a team. And developing ideas and executions side by side. As in any agency, it’s a collaborative effort.
When home working began during the first lockdown back in March, I was worried that the easy, energetic creativity that came with face-to-face concepting would be lost. As the UK hunkers down for its second lockdown, many of these same fears seem to be arising among those who will now have to return to working from home.
But this time it’s different. We’ve done it all before. We’ve adapted, or ‘pivoted’, as they say. We’ve settled into a new way of sharing our ideas that doesn’t hamper flow. It feels dynamic and agile and buoyant.
As we move into Lockdown 2.0, we can apply previous learnings to ensure we’re still able to produce great creative whilst working from home. Here’s how to turn that creative flicker into a full-on collaborative flame.
The traditional Art Director/Copywriter combo is still a winner; just because you can now get the whole account team on it doesn’t mean you should. With too many well-intentioned contributors, an ideation session can quickly go off-course. That’s part of the skill of a creative team; to think big, but quickly sniff out the red herrings and move on if an idea doesn’t meet the brief.
Need to paint the picture? Help them see it? Feel it? Take a photo on your phone and WhatsApp it to the team. Add quick links to a project chat room. Set up a shared Pinterest board for inspiration, or create a mood board in Google Docs. Grab and drop. Cut and paste. An online whiteboard tool like Miro can be useful when you need to collaborate.
When it comes to capturing and collating ideas down as they strike, I’ll always favour analogue methods: paper, marker pens, white boards and blu tack. Embracing new tech is admirable and dynamic and forward-thinking etc. But if the thought of grappling with new systems adds to your pandemic-induced anxiety, go easy on yourself. We’re human. Our energy is a finite resource.
The concepting conversation remains the same; “What about if we…” *scribbles frantically*. “How about something like…” *sends screen shot*. Draw it out and hold it up to camera. If it ain’t broke…
A dose of nature can literally open your mind. According to Lieberman and Long, authors of ‘The Molecule of More’, “Nature is complex. It’s made up of systems with many interacting parts. Unexpected patterns emerge as a result of a large number of elements influencing one another.”
These unpredictable natural scenes can stimulate creativity, focus and cognitive understanding – three things I couldn’t concept without. So take that walk. Have that cup of tea in the garden. Step out of your work zone and away from the routine stimuli of your desk (or dining table) and watch the ideas flow.
Creative thinking involves gut-feels and hunches. Eureka moments and excitable reactions. But on those days when it feels like we’ve been lobbed out of our comfort zones like a half-finished milkshake from the window of a speeding car, coming up with the goods is hard. Neuroscience points the finger at the amygdala – the part of the brain that processes emotion and motivation; in particular, emotions relating to survival. Of course, the amygdala can only process so much, which is why it’s hard to follow a creative train of thought when your brain keeps getting derailed by pandemic anxiety. Perhaps it’s time to be realistic about your own output, or that of your employees?
Concepting remotely isn’t nearly as much fun as doing it in person. Conversations are less entertaining and trains of thought not nearly as random. So for me, finding a safe, sensible way to reinstate face-to-face concepting is the ideal. But I’m relieved to say that, until then, we’ve found a way to come up with the goods.
This article was written by Carolyn Carswell, Conceptual Copywriter at Armadillo, and first appeared on New Digital Age.
2020 has been a wild year for everyone. With the health scare of COVID-19 and the almost immediate culture shock of isolated working, it’s safe to say that things will never go back to the way things were, and that’s not a bad thing. Whether your business is just kicking off or growing bit-by-bit, the correct use of language is now more important than ever.
When you think about it, language usage is hugely prominent in our day-to-day lives: idle chit-chats; meetings; writing emails; reading a book on the train. And yet, I’d bet it’s not the first thing you’d consider when figuring out your business or brand identity. There are plenty of elements to consider, but your copywriter is the key piece in putting the ‘this is our sound’ jigsaw puzzle together.
Before you start contacting your customers to tell them everything about the products or services they simply can’t do without, you first need to figure out who it is you’re selling to. Old. Young. Married. Single. Animal lover. Coffee enthusiast. You get where this is going.
Unlike what your mum or dad told you when you were just a kiddie, nobody is totally unique. Groups of us have shared interests, fears, pet peeves, and desires. Even if you’re looking to engage people of varying ages, ethnicities and backgrounds, they should all have something in common.
For example: you sell miniatures for painting. Brian from South London is an 18-year-old student who works in a coffee shop. He recently signed up to your email list after buying his first miniatures set from you. Dora is a 40-year-old account executive from Manchester who has been buying miniatures from you, twice a month, for over a year. Brian and Dora might not have many things in common, but they both love painting miniatures. That’s a bit of a simplified example, but the point is that both Brian and Dora are reading your communications for a reason.
Once you’ve figured out your target audience, it’s a good time to think about your brand identity. What formality do you want to use? Have you figured out your tone of voice? This is all of the delicious stuff you need to think about when it comes to your brand guidelines, because your use of language will need to be consistent across the whole board. Social media, email, digital advertisements, press releases, train station posters, sky writing, the works.
There will be a number of internal factors that might cross a few choices off the list for you – if you’re offering funeral services, it’s not a great idea to advertise with a chatty tone or use copy riddled with iffy ‘knock knock’ jokes.
That’s it! That’s the magic formula. Know your audience and know your product.
Once you’ve got those down, the fun part comes in: putting it all together. Writing short, snappy bits of copy isn’t an easy task. It’s a balancing act. Though creative communications are fun, they’re pointless if you don’t inspire your customer to react. Clicking on call to actions, heading to the website to browse, buying one of your products – this is the real goal behind you reaching out, isn’t it?
At the same time, you don’t have to stick your copy in a chunky paragraph and be done with it. Some people might enjoy it, but most don’t have the time to trawl through it. The real craft is putting your point across and keeping your customers’ attention.
Say you’re selling a new brand of pencils. Depending on who your audience is, you might call your business ‘Stationary Centre’ or ‘The Write Stuff’ or ‘2B or not 2B’, and from those we (the customers) already have a feel of what language you might use. Take the following sentence:
We offer HB pencils, mechanical pencils, graphite pencils and refills for all your writing needs. Visit our website to find out more.
It’s formally written, no nonsense, and gets the point across with no frills, and that’s fine. You could probably guess which business title above might go with it. But, if you wanted your brand to be a little less formal and more chatty, you might write:
Whether you’re filing your taxes, sketching your dog or drafting your screenplay masterpiece, our exceptional range of HB, graphite and mechanical pencils are an essential tool for all of your projects.
Though it’s longer, it’s nicer to read and gives your customer something to relate to (which gives them a reason to think about why they would need your pencils).
Look around you. You’ve got hundreds of examples of good, bad, and utterly bananas use of language, it’s just about figuring out what works for you, your customers and your products.
This article was written by Emily Sowden, Copywriter at Armadillo, and first appeared in Brand Chief Magazine.
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, conceptualised, produced and directed a music video for Bristol-based Keir’s latest release, Say Love, dropping yesterday.
Managed by Bristol-based Crosstown Concerts and signed to Vertigo Berlin, a division of Universal Music, Keir’s latest single features on the EP A Thorn With A Face.
Rob French, Senior Creative at JonesMillbank and Director of the music video, worked with the team and Keir on the concept and messaging of the video.
“There is a consistent awareness of others around us but it’s never something we dwell on. Walking through streets, everyone has stories. Stories of love, loss, compassion, remorse, lust, an endless list.”
“Say Love leans into this observation and positions our lead storyteller (Keir) on his own journey, balancing on his own path while others are woven around him. This ensemble collectively represent connections we all have with people through our lives, know matter how brief or long, but ultimately fade away as we continue to move forward on our own journey for love, whatever that may mean to that individual.”
One of JonesMillbank’s largest productions to date, the video was shot on-location at Ashton Avenue Bridge, spanning Bristol’s New Cut, with 30 extras, 15 crew, 5 security, and, last but absolutely not least, 1 coffee van.
“Utilising Ashton Avenue Bridge in Bristol was entirely intentional for Say Love.
“The symmetrical, brutal structure enveloping all the action was the perfect pairing to offset the tenderness and vulnerability in the song.
“A hopeful symphony between the architecture and the natural light danced with those emotions as we travel through the uniformed light and shade that floods the bridge in the mornings.”
Full road closure was granted by Bristol City Council with permits from Bristol Film Office, with the concept adapted and the production managed safely and appropriately during national lockdown.
The commission follows the release of two music videos and album content for Bristol-based and Mercury-nominated IDLES.
Visit jonesmillbank.com/work/keir/say-love for the official video, additional write-up and BTS videos and stills.
***
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 Above & Beyond.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
Peter Hoole, Spencer Gallagher, founders of growth consultancy Cactus and Agencynomics and Stephen Knight, Founder of Pimento are lending their support to the growth of the recently formed Alliance of Independent Agencies. Each will join the Board of the Alliance alongside its Founders Clive Mishon and Graham Kemp and the Alliance’s Managing Director Matt Sullivan. Collectively the networks boast over 1000 Independent agency members and around 8000 employees across the UK.
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This Board will direct the trade body that represents and promotes independent agencies and all the people that work in the sector.
The 3 Co-Chairs of the Membership Board, that directs the 9 Peer to Peer Action Groups, will continue to drive the strategic direction for the Alliance under their respective pillars of People (Ruth Kieran as Chair), Purpose (Laurence Parkes as Chair) and Performance (Dion Myers-Lamptey as Chair).
Spencer Gallagher, Founder of Agencynomics and joint CEO of Cactus said “whilst we predominantly support the founders of Agencies, the Alliance supports agency leaders and their teams, which is why it is a natural complementary fit, many of our clients are already members of the Alliance and we hope that more members of the community will follow suit to help their agencies get the additional support they need for themselves and their wider teams.”
Peter Hoole, Founder of Agencynomics and joint CEO of Cactus added “we have already seen the tremendous value and support that the Alliance is offering to the independent agency sector and we look forward to contributing further to their great efforts to date. We will be aligning Cactus and Agencynomics to the Alliance to bring an even better experience to our fast-growing community, and provide better representation of the industry”.
Stephen Knight, Founder of Pimento added “Independent agencies have needed a louder voice and representation for some time, the ethos and values of the Alliance align perfectly with our own and complement our own Member proposition. We are confident that Pimento members will benefit from our investment in the Alliance and that collectively we can punch above our weight”
The Alliance will continue to represent the interests of the independent sector through the Advertising Association and with their membership of the Federation of Small Businesses and The Debating Group.
Graham Kemp, Founder Director of the Alliance says “The independent sector has been recognised as an essential element of the communications landscape, providing creative, innovative and agile solutions for clients big and small. Through collaboration we can give real voice to the independent agencies so it’s a joy to think that now with the collective firepower of Agencynomics and Pimento we can further promote their excellence going forward. Spencer, Pete and Stephen have already made a significant contribution to the independent agency sector and as part of that have been great supporters of the Alliance”.
About the Alliance of Independent Agencies www.allindependentagencies.org
Independent Agencies are a unique and special group of businesses and people; connected by their independent spirit, ideals and purpose, not simply their service offering. To be independent is something unique, and very important in today’s evolving creative economy. The Alliance is the trade body that represents this community and enables its agency members to be as good as they can by nurturing all their people, supporting their purpose and giving guidance to optimise their performance.
In addition to delivering benefits to the independent agencies and their teams, the Alliance is equally focused on promoting the value and unique DNA of independent communication agencies to the wider industry and business community.
About Agencynomics https://agencynomics.com
Agencynomics is a not for profit, social enterprise which started out as an international bestselling book, and has now become an organisation dedicated to supporting the now, next and future of Agencies through it’s free community, events and it’s podcast, Agencyphonics
About Pimento https://pimento.co.uk
Pimento is the UK’s leading independent agency network. Founded in 2005, it now boasts 200 agencies and consultants, covering almost every aspect of marketing services. As such, the firm is able meet the complex demands of clients by creating bespoke teams, drawn directly from its members.
About Cactus https://cact.us
Cactus is the UK’s leading Agency growth consultancy and corporate finance broker. Cactus has worked with over 1,000 agencies globally over the past 9 years many of which are recognised as some of the fastest-growing agencies in their territories. Cactus help Agencies realise their true potential and true financial value.
iO Academy is on a mission to help to address the gender imbalance in the tech industry, and give people the training they need for a career they’ll love.
Based in the South West, iO Academy is tackling this head on with a rebrand that speaks to their core values of inclusivity and accessibility. Working with Bristol-based creative agency, Fiasco Design, they’ve created a brand that reflects their ambitions of creating a more diverse and inclusive industry, bringing about meaningful change.
It’s no great secret that there is a representation gap for women in tech. More inclusive career pathways in the technology industry have been the focus of various initiatives, such as Tech Talent Charter, Code First Girls, and Tech She Can, along with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s Digital Skills Innovation Fund and the Academy’s own Diversitech Fund.
Over a quarter of women students say that they are put off a career in technology as it’s too dominated by men. (PWC)
The UK economy would benefit from an extra £2.6 billion each year if the number of women working in tech is increased.
83% of millennial British women stated that they actively seek out employers with a strong record on diversity, equality and inclusion. (PWC)
Women account for 50% of the UK working age population but only 16% of IT professionals are women. (BCS)
iO Academy is an award-winning coding bootcamp based in the South West. In 2015 it was set up by healthtech company Mayden – not initially as a business, but as a way to solve a problem. Like so many tech companies around the UK, they needed more developers to sustain their own growth. So a team of Mayden developers designed a programme that would train people with no coding experience to be industry-ready developers in just 16 weeks. Their direct tech experience led them to build a course with a new approach; one that gave students the up to date and practical skills that were needed most. A course that anyone, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or background, could come out of as the sort of developer that tech companies want to hire.
After five years in business, it was time to look at themselves and uncover the ingredients which would make them an innovative, purpose-driven brand.
The Academy reached out to Fiasco Design at the start of 2020 with a view to repositioning the company, reflecting their own growth from an idea to solve a talent shortage, to a company with an international reputation. The aim was for a fresh, future-proof identity that would appeal to a diverse range of prospective students and break down perceptions about the tech industry.
With graduates working in tech companies from Bath to Berlin, a 50:50 ratio of men and women trainers, and a strong work ethic towards diversifying the industry and creating an environment that facilitates opportunities for all, Fiasco Design and Mayden Academy embarked on a full strategic review of the current branding; assessing their DNA and defining their core values and company proposition.
Through a number of workshops conducted by Fiasco and Mayden, a new brand name was formed; iO Academy. On the one hand it’s a clear nod to coding language – IO is shorthand for input/output in computer programming. On the other it’s also the name of one of Jupiter’s moons, which seemed a good metaphor for the brand’s innovative, future-focussed outlook.
Margaret Davidson, Business Development and Marketing Manager at iO says, “Fiasco saw right to the heart of who we are as a brand and came up with a visual identity to represent us which we would never have thought of ourselves. In particular, what we wanted was to become more attractive and accessible to a wider range of people, with a core focus on diversity and inclusivity. Working as part of a new niche sector within a wider industry that often seems intimidating, this was a challenge. Fiasco came up with an approach where we now feel confident that an underpinning of inspiring inclusivity will be clear in everything we do, and help us to be part of bringing meaningful change.”
With the name and proposition came a new visual expression for the brand. The visual language is designed to reflect exploration, harnessing imagination and working towards a better future. The graphic shapes give a sense of wayfinding, collecting badges and new skills following a creative pathway. Verbally the tone is positive, ambitious and empowering, and speaks to the curious and willing.
Working with Belgium-based illustrator Soren Selleslagh, the team created a suite of illustrations to depict aspects of the student journey across the course and into their new careers. Soren’s human-centred approach evokes joy and empowerment through positive representation of all types of people. With a devoted outlook to making meaningful illustrations, this partnership gave the brand identity the visual storytelling elements that demonstrate openness and inclusivity.
Ben Steers, Creative Director at Fiasco Design says about the project: “It’s been fantastic to work with the team at iO and help them towards realising their vision of leveling the playing field within the tech industry by creating a fairer, more diverse community of developers”
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