Grant Mansfield, CEO and Founder of Plimsoll Productions, an ITV Studios company, has been appointed a Visiting Professor for the College of Arts, Technology and Environment at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).
In his new role Mansfield will be working with the University to help inspire the next generation of programme makers.
He said: “UWE Bristol is a wonderful University where it’s my privilege to serve as a Board Member and now a Visiting Professor. Under Professor West’s leadership, links with employers have been significantly strengthened, benefiting students as they seek employment: in my new role, I hope to highlight pathways, opportunities and the skills required for a career in the creative sector.”
Vice-Chancellor of UWE Bristol, Professor Steve West, added: “We’re honoured Grant is joining us as a Visiting Professor at UWE Bristol; as a Bristolian who has seen worldwide success within his industry his insight and exceptional talent will be invaluable to our students and staff.
Mansfield founded Plimsoll in 2013 and the company has grown rapidly since with a total workforce of more than 400 across its officers in Los Angeles, Bristol and Cardiff. Plimsoll’s BAFTA, Academy and Emmy Award-winning team specialise in wildlife, documentary, live and factual entertainment shows and is a global leader in natural-history programmes. In 2019, Mansfield led a process to sell a minority stake in Plimsoll to private equity Group LDC and in 2022 he spearheaded a majority stake sale to ITV Studios in a landmark deal, valuing the company at £131 million.
Plimsoll is behind more than 50 series, 14 live shows and seven films, including the James Cameron-executive produced and Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated Super/Natural for (National Geographic/Disney+), Emmy-nominated Hostile Planet with Bear Grylls (National Geographic), Night on Earth (Netflix), Tiny World (Apple TV+), Handmade: Good with Wood (Channel 4), Britain’s Parking Hell (Channel 5), Life at the Extreme (ITV), as well as the highly anticipated The Ascent with Alex Honnold (Disney+), among many more.
Before launching the company, Mansfield spent three years in Los Angeles as CEO of Zodiak USA. Previously, as Managing Director of RDF and, before that, Director of Programmes at Granada TV, Mansfield was the creative lead for two of the UK’s most successful production companies, producing shows as diverse as I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Coronation Street, Cold Feet, Ladette to Lady and Secret Millionaire.
Grant Mansfield was also one of one of eleven recipients of Honorary Degrees awarded by UWE Bristol in July 2022.
Octopus Films, the Bath video production company, has partnered with the University of Bath for the second year running to make a hard-hitting documentary to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
ActNowFilm2 – like last year’s ActNowFilm – pulls no punches in showing the rapid escalation of climate impacts on people and places over the lifetimes of participants, in multiple locations across the world, and that now is the time for urgent action to stop climate change.
While ActNowFilm included clips from young people, ActNowFilm2 features younger and older generations from every continent, except Antarctica, in conversation, exploring how climate change is affecting them, their hopes and fears for the future, and how things have changed over their lifetimes.
It premiered at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), where it received a very positive response.
ActNowFilm made its debut at last year’s GAUC Climate Youth Summit and was also screened at COP26 as well as at the UN Biodiversity Conference and Climate Week NY.
Octopus Films creative director Ellie Edwards said: “We were honoured to be part of this hugely important project. Climate change is an issue our team feels passionate about and our foundations in sustainable film production align so well to the ethos of the film.
Our hope is for this to be a powerful way of illustrating the impacts of climate change over the lifetimes of generations, and a way of giving a voice to those that would not normally heard.”
Based in central Bath, the full service video production company works with clients including Dyson, the BBC, the NHS and Cambridge Zero, Cambridge University’s response to the climate crisis.
UWE Bristol has unveiled its new immersive Sound Shower experience at Bristol’s Cribbs Causeway and Cabot Circus. Showing a mesmeric snapshot of campus life, the film was created by Skylark Media.
Filming took place at the university’s Frenchay campus and city with the support of student contributors. Multiple locations include the Atrium cafe, Centre for Sport, student union, library, as well as at the Arnolfini in the city centre.
Stephanie Lee, Marketing Communications Manager at UWE Bristol says, ‘This is a really exciting film project with Skylark Media where we’re creating a film for a specific sound shower unit which will sit in Cabot Circus and Cribbs Causeway shopping centres to promote the university and bring campus life to the people of Bristol, so they can get a real immersive experience and sense of what it’s like to study here on our campuses.’
Skylark Media MD Jo Haywood adds, ‘For a unique out of home experience, we came up with a fully immersive concept using an Insta 360 camera on an extendable pole. It sits within the stitch line which then becomes invisible in post-production. The result is a fully immersive film that mimics a FPV drone – flying around from location to location or locking into subjects for detail. Diegetic sound is added in so that the viewer can eavesdrop into those private moments.’
You can experience UWE Bristol’s immersive Sound Shower at Cribbs Causeway or Cabot Circus this month.
Samaritans is launching an ambitious fundraising campaign to get people talking about the ‘S’ word. The charity’s winter campaign, which runs from November through to January, includes a TV ad created by Skylark Media Bristol and Campfire Agency.
#BreaktheSilence is a fundraising campaign where Samaritans is calling on supporters to donate and share their support with others via their social platforms. The campaign includes a series of short videos featuring callers and listening volunteers and a television advert to run in unison with the campaign. Skylark was appointed to handle creative production which included all live action content and photography for the integrated campaign.
Bristol based Skylark Media MD Jo Haywood says, ‘Talking about mental health and supporting each other is important within the Skylark team. So we are delighted when the Samaritans asked us to deliver their winter campaign, #BreaktheSilence. We hope that the impact of the emotional storytelling in the TV ad, ‘Silence is painful’ and the authenticity of the callers and listeners in our short video series will encourage people who feel isolated to break the silence and reach out to the Samaritans this winter.’
Paul Power, Creative Director at Campfire Agency adds, ‘I know that all of us at Campfire Agency are proud to be working with Samaritans on their Break the Silence campaign – because silence really does cost lives. When you think that someone in the UK dies by suicide every 90 minutes, it brings it home how it important this winter campaign is.
With the cost of living crisis, it’s going to be a tough few months for so many people, so there couldn’t be a better time to launch these powerful communications, from DRTV and direct mail to digital and social.
With distinctive photography, powerful stories and hard-hitting messaging about suicide, we believe this integrated fundraising campaign will create an emotional connection with millions of people across the UK.
If it encourages one person who’s reaching crisis point, to start talking about suicide, then all the hard work will have been worth it. If we can raise nationwide awareness and essential funds for Samaritans on top of that, then we know the Break the Silence campaign has been the success we all hope for.’
Samaritans Executive Director of Income, Sonya Trivedy says, ‘The #BreakingtheSilence campaign is an opportunity to drive the conversation in these times of continued uncertainty, with issues such as loneliness, isolation and the cost of living crisis, meaning it could be a challenging winter for many people.
“Hopefully this new campaign will reassure people that Samaritans volunteers are here for people to talk to when they are ready to break their silence. Mental health, wellbeing and suicide are things that affect every one of us. With #BreaktheSilence we want this bolder messaging to encourage people to sit up, take notice and be moved to take action so that we can work towards our vision that fewer people die by suicide.‘
‘Silence is painful’ airs from 9th November on ITV Digital, Sky Media amongst other channels. The campaign runs until January 6th. For more information visit www.samaritans.org.
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, were commissioned by leading engineering consultancy firm Hoare Lea to celebrate the arrival of the National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF).
As unseen stewards of communication, man-made satellites keep us safe, informed and entertained, and their voyage into space demands phenomenal technical skill at every stage.
World-class science research, expertise and innovative testing transports them from concept to lift-off, and the unique design of the NSTF’s ‘cathedral-like’ facility means the chaos and challenges of space can be recreated here on earth.
Specialist equipment shakes, bakes and blasts satellites in the final phase of their ground development, testing them to their limits and arming them with the best preparation possible before their final journey into the unknowns of the cosmos.
JonesMillbank worked with Dr Jackie Bell, PhD, an aspiring astronaut and theoretical physicist who featured on BBC’s Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?, whose own journey through the space industry has tested her in every way imaginable.
The film was shot on location at the facility in Oxfordshire with support from RAL Space.
Visit https://jonesmillbank.com/work/hoare-lea/national-satellite-test-facility to view the film and https://hoarelea.com/2022/11/03/the-national-satellite-test-facility to find out more about the project.
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JonesMillbank are a passionate full-service video production company
They work 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, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
The importance of nurturing the region’s exceptional creative talent, alongside innovation, diversity, and sustainability were highlighted as priorities by industry experts and the audience at the first day of the inaugural Bristol and Bath Screen Summit, yesterday (2 November).
More than 100 people attended the event at Arnolfini, which was hosted by broadcaster Carol Vorderman and The Outlaws’ Gamba Cole.
Showcasing the city region as a leading global production community, the Summit was opened by the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees. Guests heard from programme makers from some of the world’s biggest brands, including Bristol’s Grant Mansfield, founder and CEO of Plimsoll Productions, and Julian Bellamy, managing director, ITV Studios.
Lynn Barlow, Assistance Vice-Chancellor Creative and Cultural Industries Engagement, said: “A clear message from the first day of the event is that people are key to the industry’s success, and the incredible talent base and amazing track record of TV and film in this area is continuing to drive growth. We should celebrate what we have already achieved, but there is still much to do, particularly pushing innovation through creativity and technology, but also ensuring the industry is representative of all audiences by creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
“Thank you to the panellists who kindly gave their time to speak at the Summit – their insight really demonstrates how much the region has to offer as we look to the future.”
The creation of the Screen Summit is a key recommendation from research by UWE Bristol’s Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC); it found that while the screen industry in the city-region is booming, more could be done to overcome the political and economic challenges its facing.
As day two of the Summit gets underway today (Thursday 3 November), academics from UWE Bristol’s Digital Cultures Research Centre and the University of Bristol, will join regional and national policy makers and industry leaders to explore potential interventions needed to sustain clean inclusive growth in the city region’s production community.
In particular, they will discuss ways of supporting and extending the emerging indigenous film and television drama in the area, considering the benefits of creating a ‘regional production fund’ and access to investment packages, either to companies already based here or to those looking to bring productions to the area.
Speakers from other regional screen agencies, including Liverpool City Regional Production Fund, will share best practice and provide an insight into its key learnings and successes.
With attendees including representatives from the West of England Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, the BFI, and Screen Skills, the aim will be for a working party to oversee both how funding might be leveraged and how it could be used most beneficially once the resources were in place.
The first ever Bristol and Bath Screen Summit, showcasing the city region as a leading global production community, takes place in Bristol on 2 and 3 November.
The UWE Bristol event, hosted by broadcaster Carol Vorderman and The Outlaws’ Gamba Cole, will celebrate the significant cultural and economic contribution of the screen industry to the area, as well as exploring the action needed to further boost its development and expansion.
The creation of the Screen Summit is a key recommendation from research by UWE Bristol’s Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC); it found that while the screen industry in the city-region is booming, more could be done to overcome the political and economic challenges its facing.
The event, held over two days at Arnolfini, begins on Wednesday 2 November with a series of compelling panel discussions featuring programme makers behind some of the world’s biggest brands. The speakers will reflect on current issues but also on the city region’s future as a screen centre: how the industry can become more sustainable, reduce its carbon footprint, improve its inclusive talent pipeline and secure more funding.
There will be expert insight from speakers including Grant Mansfield, founder and CEO of Plimsoll Productions (recently appointed Visiting Professor at UWE Bristol), who’ll be in conversation with Julian Bellamy, managing director, ITV Studios.
Exploring ‘Are we still world beaters?’ will be Wendy Darke, founder of production company True to Nature, alongside Jo Shinner, executive producer at BBC Studios Natural History Unit, plus Vanessa Berlowitz, co-founder and chief creative officer of Wildstar Films, Huw Cordey, executive producer at Silverback Films, and James Honeyborne, creative director at Freeborne Media.
Other sessions include ‘The Future for Creative Technologies’ with experts from the UK’s leading animation and VFX studios, and ‘A view of scripted and non-scripted productions’ with speakers from regional and national television production companies.
Tickets for Wednesday 2 November cost from £10 per person and are available via Eventbrite.
Day two of the Summit on Thursday 3 November (not open to the public), will bring together academics from UWE Bristol’s Digital Cultures Research Centre, the University of Bristol, and regional and national policy makers and industry leaders to explore potential interventions needed to sustain clean inclusive growth in the city region’s production community.
In particular, they will discuss ways of supporting and extending the emerging indigenous film and television drama in the area, considering the benefits of creating a ‘regional production fund’ and access to investment packages, either to companies already based here or to those looking to bring productions to the area.
Speakers from other regional screen agencies, including Liverpool City Regional Production Fund, will share best practice and provide an insight into its key learnings and successes.
With attendees including representatives from the West of England Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, the BFI, and Screen Skills, the aim will be for a working party to oversee both how funding might be leveraged and how it could be used most beneficially once the resources were in place.
Lynn Barlow, Assistance Vice-Chancellor Creative and Cultural Industries Engagement, said: “We’re delighted to launch this inaugural Screen Summit and I’d like to thank the highly-respected industry experts who have come together to consider the future of the sector.
“While the industry is bouncing back to pre-pandemic* levels and there are exciting developments underway, including the opening of the Bottle Yard’s three new sound stages, the Summit offers an opportunity for us to collaborate and find solutions to create an even brighter and sustainable future for the screen sector and wider creative industries in the city region.”
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, worked with independent marketing communications agency Golley Slater to bring its campaign for Save a Life Cymru to fruition.
It comes as data reveals that every year in Wales more than 6,000 people will have a sudden cardiac arrest and around 80% of those will happen in the home. New data shows that almost one in four of us (24%) have witnessed someone collapse and possibly need bystander CPR and defibrillation intervention.
Yet, less than half of adults in Wales are confident in performing CPR: however, when people understand that on calling 999, the call taker will talk you through CPR and direct you to the nearest registered defibrillator, 73% of adults said that they would feel more confident to intervene.
Survival rates fall by 10% every minute without CPR or by using a defibrillator, can improve a person’s chance of survival.
Golley Slater developed the campaign strategy and creative for Save a Life Cymru – Help Is Closer Than You Think – which aims to show that if you see a cardiac arrest, there is more support around you than you might realise and commissioned JonesMillbank to produce and create content across the campaign, including bilingual TV commercials, radio commercials and social adverts.
Supporting studio photography was also captured to roll the campaign out across digital, print and OOH.
“Working on the production of such a holistic campaign, let alone one for a good cause, was a fantastic opportunity and allowed us to add a huge amount of value and experience” said Russell Jones, Co-Founder at JonesMillbank.
“We already work with NHS England and a number of individual Trusts and we understand the importance of that value alongside impactful messaging”.
Dave Warfield, Creative Copywriter at Golley Slater said “the team over at JonesMillbank built a fun, creative relationship with us from the off which made treatments of scripts and finding inventive solutions enjoyable and painless.”
Lewis Clements, Senior Art Director at Golley Slater added “being so well organised on shoot days and accommodating in post-production kept the atmosphere upbeat throughout the process and made all the difference in bringing our ideas to life, exactly as we imagined them. Real patience, craft and willingness from start to finish.”
Production was shot on-location in Wales at Little Man Coffee in Cardiff and Firebug Studios in Barry.
Save a Life Cymru is Wales’ national organisation which aims to improve cardiac arrest survival rates in Wales. The Welsh Government-funded organisation promotes CPR and defibrillation within communities and encourages everyone in Wales to learn or to top up their CPR skills.
Visit https://jonesmillbank.com/work/nhs/save-a-life-cymru to view the campaign and behind-the-scenes stills.
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JonesMillbank are a passionate full-service video production company
They work 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, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
McCann supports Forth with the launch of ground-breaking female hormone mapping blood test
October 2022: McCann Bristol has created a new TV campaign to support the launch of MyFORMTM, a ground-breaking female hormone mapping blood test from Forth.
The ‘Warrior’ TV and social campaign fights against the societal pressure on women to soldier on and brush off any symptoms of the menopause they may be experiencing, highlighting how MyFORMTM can provide the information that women need to end any uncertainty around their symptoms.
MyFORMTM involves a two-step blood test which, when combined with AI mathematical modelling and clinical analysis, maps how the four key female hormones fluctuate across an entire cycle. Forth then provides a report on hormone function and ovarian responsiveness, which can indicate whether they are in perimenopause or not. The report can then be taken to a GP to support diagnosis and help manage any symptoms.
Melissa Down, Creative Director at McCann said: “We are thrilled to be launching a ground-breaking, category-first product in women’s health. Our ‘Warrior’ campaign shares a powerful and emotional metaphor, visually showing the lonely battle women face to soldier on through the difficult and confusing signs of perimenopause.
“We have an array of amazing female talent across McCann that we are fortunate to be able to draw upon, and for this campaign, we created a team made predominantly of women, including those who are of perimenopause age, in order to provide a unique insight into the product and a deeper connection and understanding with our audience.”
Sarah Bolt, CEO and Founder at Forth, added: “As a woman who has experienced perimenopause, I instantly connected with the creative idea behind ‘Warrior’. For too long women have been asked to suffer in silence and have been unaware of the changes happening within their bodies. Our mission at Forth is to empower women to become experts on their own body through scientific knowledge and understanding. The team at McCann instantly connected with our mission and showed their passion and understanding of the product right from our first meeting.
Louise Balmforth, Head of Growth at Forth, also commented: “With this being our first TV campaign for what is quite a complex product, the creative narrative had to be carefully curated. Not only is perimenopause still a sensitive topic for some women, but many do not realise their symptoms are due to this early transition to menopause. We wanted to create that light bulb moment in a sensitive way that positioned Forth as the light at the end of what can be a very dark tunnel for women. McCann impressed from the start, immediately getting under the skin of the brief and the challenge we are wanting to address in women’s health. We are very excited to see our product reach a wider audience of women who are living with the uncertainty of perimenopause.”
Creative credits
Creative Director: Mel Down
Art Director: Amy McGowan
Copywriter: Georgina Devonport
Producer: Kristen Clare
Director: Adam Riozzi
Production company: Fetch Films
Strategy: Jordan Adler
Senior Account Director: Alex Lake
Senior Account Manager: Abbey McGrane
Media: Chris Lucas
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, worked with Matter to help launch a Kickstarter campaign for their product, Gulp; the world’s first microplastics filter for washing machines.
Every time we do our laundry, up to 700,000 microfibres are released from our washing machines and pumped into our waterways.
Gulp captures these microplastics before the ocean does.
It’s the first, sustainable, long-lasting solution, with zero additional filter costs and no disposable parts.
JonesMillbank worked with Matter’s team, including Founder Adam Root and Product Director Lucas Horne to bring Adam’s story and Gulp’s technology to an audience across Kickstarter and social.
“Working closely with the team at Matter was a great experience; it’s always nice to work with a client who are open to and trustful of your ideas” said Russell Jones, Director at JonesMillbank, who was also scriptwriter and assistant director of the production.
“The fact that the story and product is green-purposed and aligned with our strategy and net zero credentials was a benefit to boot”.
Lucas Horne, Product Director at Matter said “JonesMillbank did a fantastic job in pulling together a compelling creative that really told the story of Gulp and Matter’s development in a captivating way and the campaign was fully funded in under 30 minutes.”
You can view and back the campaign at www.kickstarter.com/projects/aroot/gulp-self-cleaning-washing-machine-microplastic-filter and view the campaign content at jonesmillbank.com/work/matter/gulp-kickstarter.
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JonesMillbank are a passionate full-service video production company
They work exclusively in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, all the while telling authentic stories long before it was cool for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, IDLES, NHS England, The Royal Mint and Battersea.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]