Bristol Media has appointed Kirsty Phillips as Marketing, Events and Operations Manager, bringing a wealth of client service and marketing communications expertise to the South West based creative industries membership organisation.

About Kirsty’s role

A newly-created full time post, Kirsty will be charged with delivering an exciting programme of events for members, developing marketing communications activities to support membership and managing Bristol Media’s day to day operations. A large part of her role is to champion members outside of the city, raising the profile of Bristol’s creative industries above and beyond the South West.

With a background in client services and over 12 years’ experience working for agencies in the South West as well as internationally, Kirsty has worked with brands including the National Trust, GSK, American Express and McDonald’s, planning and delivering direct marketing, events and branding projects.

Chris Thurling, Bristol Media’s Chair, commented: “Kirsty will be a great addition to the team. She has a breadth of experience that will really help drive our activities, support important collaborations between our members and continue to drive creativity, innovation and the fame of the region across the South West and importantly beyond.

Kirsty added: “Living in Bristol I know just how thriving a city it is and the huge potential it offers. I’m really excited to be joining an organisation committed to raising the profile of a sector that I’m passionate about and am looking forward to helping Bristol Media grow from strength to strength.”

Contact Kirsty

Kirsty is based at the new Origin Workspace on Berkeley Square and is interested in hearing from potential speakers and companies who would like to get involved in Bristol Media’s plans for the year ahead. Contact [email protected].

Bristol Media Chair, Chris Thurling, is heading off to Austin, Texas this week to attend the world’s largest annual celebration of the interactive industries – SXSW 2019. Whilst at the festival, Chris plans to meet up with Ann Hiatt, former Amazon and Google Chief of Staff and one of the contacts he made at SXSW last year.

Chris has a packed schedule of keynotes, workshops and networking opportunities over the course of the 5-day digital festival and will be joined by Marissa Lewis-Peart, winner of 2018’s Ben Martin Apprentice Award (BMAA). Dubbed as the “premier destination for discovery,” Chris and Marissa will hear the latest news and trends from the world’s leading tech and creative companies at SXSW.

As a seasoned SXSW’er, Chris will be on a mission to make new connections for Bristol Media, as well as absorb all that the event has to offer. Chris and Marissa will be live-tweeting during the event, so follow us on Twitter @Bristol_Media #BristolSXSW to receive the latest updates.

SXSW highlights

Ann has kindly agreed to come back to Bristol after the festival to join Chris in a ‘hot off the press’ lunchtime digest on 19th March. They’ll share their thoughts and experiences from SXSW plus a roundup of highlights and insights into the latest trends from the festival. Following the talk, there’ll be an opportunity to ask questions in a 20-minute Q&A.

The talk starts at 12.30pm on Tuesday 19th March at Zone, The Brew House, Tower Hill, Bristol BS2 0EQ. There’s a small fee of £10+VAT for Bristol Media members (£15+VAT for non-members), light refreshments will be provided.

Places are very limited so book asap via Eventbrite!

On March 14th, Design/Build/Market is bringing together a panel of startup experts to discuss the most effective ways to build and launch an app.

The quarterly D/B/M event promotes collaboration between founders, designers, developers and marketers to devise better solutions in the tech industry. It’s run by CookiesHQ, an agency that turns innovative ideas into digital products.

Past events have focused on topics such as social media, VR and web performance – this D/B/M will feature specialists from the Bristol tech community tackling questions about research, development, release and everything in between.

The speakers will be TechSPARK’s Ben Shorrock, founder of Yena Ash Phillips, angel investor David Harris, technical director of CookiesHQ Nic Alpi, and a representative from startup hub We Are Growth. The event will be chaired by Briony Phillips, Associate Director and Scale-up Enabler at Engine Shed.

The CookiesHQ team will be giving away tips, tricks and insider knowledge – plus running a competition for aspiring founders to win a free discovery workshop.

Design/Build/Market: Building and Launching an App takes place on the 14th March, 6.30-9.30pm at Engine Shed, Bristol. It’s open to founders, developers, creatives, business owners, students – or anyone who’s curious.

Places are limited, so book your place now.

January is traditionally the busiest time of the year when it comes to looking for a new job and with the continued strength of the creative sector, there’s no reason for 2019 to be any different.  Why not get ahead and treat yourself to membership of Bristol Media?  If you’re a freelancer and you join before 5pm on Wednesday 9th January 2019 we will even give you 3 months FREE so you’ll get 15 months membership for the price of 12.

Creative companies regularly search our online directory and freelance database on SW Creative Jobs to find their next pair of hands for both freelance and permanent roles so give them a chance to find you with an online profile in our member directory.  Your online profile is just one of the many ways that Bristol Media can help you connect with creative employers across the region.  In addition we hold a variety of networking events and training workshops throughout the year to help inspire you and keep your knowledge and skills up-to-date.  And if your CV is looking a little tired and in need of a revamp we can point you in the direction of our recruitment partners who will be more than happy to advise and help get you that all-important interview.

Here’s what some of our freelance members have to say…

“As an independent creative, membership of Bristol Media is a ‘no-brainer’ for me. A valuable asset in terms of the events and support they facilitate, but also a number of clients have found me through the website directory” ~ Carys Tait

“Sometimes being a freelancer can feel a little isolating, Bristol Media does a great job at connecting creative freelancers in the city, it’s a great platform to meet like-minded people” ~ Mark Sharman

“A number of businesses have contacted me after finding my freelance profile through Bristol Media. Happily, most of them are now regular clients” ~ Sam Tarbuck

At just £40+VAT, freelance membership will make you part of one of the UK’s biggest creative networks and could potentially open up limitless opportunities.  It could be the best £40 you’ll spend this year!  If you’d like to take advantage of this offer just sign up online here and we’ll add on your additional 3 free months and email you confirmation.

Find out more about the many benefits of membership here.

Digital Cities is returning to Bristol with a week-long programme of free, inspirational learning and networking opportunities aimed at developing the skills of both the current and next generation of staff working in the creative industries. The project has run successfully in Bristol for five years, bringing industry partners together to boost their region’s digital and production skills and acting as a catalyst for exciting collaborations within the creative sector.

Starting on Monday 26 November, Skills West, a project delivered by Business West and Bristol Media are coordinating a series of free events designed to help your business face a competitive digital future, called Open Doors.

Open Doors

Open Doors is a brilliant opportunity to see behind the scenes of this buzzing industry. Companies from around Bristol will be opening their doors to small groups of guests and sharing an insight into their business which is not normally on show.

This year we have 20 businesses on board who are offering various opportunities, from tours of their workspace and career advice workshops, to question and answer sessions with experts in their field.

All of the Open Doors events are listed here: https://www.businesswest.co.uk/grow/digital-cities-bristol-2018

The Consumer Products division of ITV Studios Global Entertainment and Nelvana Enterprises have appointed Bath public relations agency Highlight PR to manage a consumer PR campaign to promote the 80th anniversary of Babarthe Elephant in the UK during 2013.

Whilst celebrating this milestone, the campaign aims to re-engage fans with this classic book-based character, build awareness amongst new consumers of all ages, and create a demand for ITV’s planned product roll-out.

Highlight will use a mix of media relations, social media and product placement to support the brand, leading up to a birthday celebration and retail event in Q3.

In 1931, The Story of Babar, the first book in the series by Jean de Brunhoff, was published in France, however it was not until 1933 that the books appeared in the UK.

After Jean de Brunhoff’s death in 1937, his son, Laurent continued creating the books. Over the years Babar grew into a worldwide brand, published in 17 languages, with film and TV adaptations. Babar: The Adventures of Badou is currently aired on CiTV. Laurent De Brunhoff is still alive today, aged 85.

Global celebrations leading up to the 80th Anniversary kicked off in Paris in December 2011 with a retrospective exhibition of artworks and memorabilia spanning eight decades. This was followed by a month of celebrations in New York in November 2012, which included in-store events at Saks Fifth Avenue and the eponymous bookstore, Books of Wonder, as well as the costume character closing the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison Vellacott, director of Highlight PR, comments:

“I grew up with the Babar stories and have always loved the character – like thousands of people across the UK. We are delighted to be working with Nelvana and ITV Studios Global Entertainment to promote this anniversary, whilst creating a platform for the first phase of the consumer re-launch. The new Babar vintage range reflects the essence of the beautiful artwork in the books, and chimes with the current trend for stylish, retro interiors.”

Maggy Harris, Head of Brand Marketing, Consumer Products at ITV Studios Global Entertainment said: “Highlight PR has specialist expertise and experience in promoting classic book-based licensed characters, which made the agency an obvious hire on this project. We look forward to working with them and Nelvana on an exciting re-launch of Babar in the UK this year.”

Antoine Erligmann, VP Licensing Europe, Nelvana Enterprises, said:

“Babar is an extraordinarily well-loved literary classic – not just in his native France but throughout the world. We believe there is great potential for the brand in the UK; this PR campaign aims to kickstart consumer awareness, prior to the product sell-through.”