The Enterprise: Belly Rub
As a party trick it is considered quite an achievement to pat your head and rub your belly. The mind is trying to concentrate on two seemingly contradictory things at once. Perhaps this is what inspired Stephanie Little and her colleagues to call themselves Belly Rub. The team are successful writers and performers of comedy, whose work came 4th in the BBC New Sitcom competition, will feature on BBC Radio 3 this October and has been performed at Edinburgh’s prestigious Pleasance Theatre. Belly Rub believe that great writing with an appropriate level of humour has as much of a place in the boardroom and briefing room as on the stage and that comedy, perhaps even a belly laugh, can really help a serious message to get through.
"Corporate speeches can be notoriously dull. They can also be scary to deliver. At Belly Rub we know that a great script gives the presenter confidence, we can also help with timing and delivery, all of which make the audience sit up and take notice. If you know that you have pitched it right and have a good chance of holding your audience and even making them laugh, you are going to give a much better and more effective speech. There is no reason why even the annual report should not be fun!" says Stephanie.
Whether putting together corporate speeches, brochure or website copy, or scripting a comedy sketch for the stage, the idea is to make the process collaborative and sensitive to the audience. You can watch the Belly Rub effect in action at The Bridge in Newcastle, where they are currently putting on shows which blend different comedy genres and good, live music and in which other artists have been encouraged to join them.
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"I think the most important thing is that GLEAM has given me contacts. I would never have met up with these people ordinarily and now, for example, I am working with some GLEAMers on various projects and we have created a sort of unofficial support group for each other.
The other thing I really value is that I have access to advice that I can rely on. I can ring up Wendy or Esther and get honest, well informed advice when I need it." |
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The Enterprise: Hart Design
Pamela Nord loves it when people visit her studio at Fowler ’s Yard in Durham and she does not mind whether they are so called "art experts" or not. She believes that art should be accessible to everyone, that no-one should be intimidated by it and that even those on a modest budget should be able to enhance their home and their lives with a piece of original art. Her pictures are vibrant and contemporary canvasses, which look great on a stark, plain, modern wall, but are equally at home in a more traditional room.
Pamela uses leather, suede, plastics, hessian, hand-made papers, hand-dyed fabrics, plaster and even nails to create a raised, visually interesting texture for her canvasses. "Everything I create is individual, because it is experimental. But I am happy to create something around a client’s interior, or chosen fabrics and even to produce a canvass which complements curtains or a carpet. If clients bring a picture of their living room I will create around it. For a sizeable project I might even make up a mood board, to inspire me and to help the client visualise the finished picture." she says Pamela is keen to point out that contemporary though the pictures are, they will continue to look good in a variety of rooms, as interior fashions change. " I do not want the pictures to date. I want people to be able to treasure them." she says.
Although she scans the interiors magazines, Pamela’s inspiration can come from anywhere. It could be a pebble, or the combination of colours in a flower. A single picture can take up to a week, but Pamela can find herself working on up to five projects during that week. On top of this, she creates mood boards for herself, putting aside pieces of fabric and materials that fit together and which she will work on later. She feels she has spotted a gap in the market and her vibrant contemporary canvasses are selling well, so she has lots of opportunities to talk to those visiting her studios and to listen to their feedback. Eventually Pamela wants to concentrate entirely on doing really experimental work. She would also love to own and run an art café where she can continue to interact with customers and create an atmosphere in which they feel relaxed and comfortable.
"Being on the course with like-minded people and having the support of Wendy gave me the confidence to set up my business.
I really enjoyed the whole experience and liked the people involved and I am sure we will all keep in touch." ..... Pamela Nord
The Enterprise: Textalot Mobile Solutions
How do you communicate at any time of day with the biggest number of people? Former GLEAM graduate and M.D of Textalot Mobile Solutions has the answer. In technical terms,Textalot Mobile Solutions is an SMS and wireless data service provider. In non techie terms, this means that they use mobile phones to send data very quickly through high band width radio waves. This is a rapidly growing area for two reasons. Not only is the mobile phone the accessory of choice and an indispensable piece of kit for most of us, it is also the one piece of communication technology that never leaves our side. It is therefore ideal for communicating quickly with large numbers of people.
Multinational corporations like Disney and Universal have been quick to recognise the business potential of communicating through mobile phones. This channel is especially effective with the youth market, who are the first to adopt and utilise the latest technology. Both these organisations are using Textalot to send trailer clips of their latest movies to mobile phones.
Textalot Mobile Solutions can make the speedy and effective magic of text messages work for all sorts of industries, from automotive and advertising, to public transport and retail. It can help companies communicate and connect with their work-force, giving them access to information within the business. Or it can connect the individual with a home computer, so that emails can be downloaded. Textalot have access to high quality mobile phone number data lists, with demographics to provide clients with a targeted direct marketing platform. They also have connectivity to UK, USA and European mobile networks for bulk text message delivery and reverse billed text message (where the mobile user is charged for receiving information via text message).
"GLEAM gave us a basic outline of the fundamental requirements for business strategy, providing a clear idea of the processes you need to go through to establish a business.
It helped me understand and identify the deliverables which would be key to my success." ..... Chris Imrie
The Enterprise: Steven Landles Creative Photography
Photography is not a job for Steven Landles, it is a passion. Having begun his career path with a GNVQ in Media Studies, Steven found that he had a talent for and interest in photography and went on to take his degree in the subject. This gave him the opportunity to work on self-negotiated projects and the leeway to develop his talents.
He is at his happiest when he can combine his passion for photography with his other great love, which is travel. Recently, the combination of these passions provided Steven with an opportunity to prove his mettle, as he entered the national Wanderlust Travel Photographer of the Year Award. To his delight, he was one of 40 short-listed photographers out of 3000 entrants and later became the only entrant with two prize-winning images in the competition. "I love the idea of using the camera as a tool to capture a chosen moment in time. Photography enables me to document the world as I see it." he says But Steven’s work is not limited to travel or documentary photography. His portfolio is very varied and he is just as happy working on a portrait commission, or a product shot, as he is with documentary, or landscape work.
When dealing with clients, Steven likes to work in a collaborative way. "It is a consultative process in which we discuss various techniques and possibilities. I try to give the client the option of a variety of approaches and we often develop a look in which elements of my own and the client’s style are merged." he says Steven’s studio provides a contemporary, open plan and relaxing environment in which to discuss the brief and Steven works closely with clients to gain an understanding of their needs and use his creative ideas and techniques to ensure that they get exactly what they want. He can even give the client a digital photographic preview of how the chosen style will look.
“GLEAM really helped me launch my business, giving me the background knowledge I lacked, providing a network of business contacts and a forum in which to meet with like-minded people. engaged in very varied businesses.
The whole process helped raise our self esteem.”
..... Steven Landles
The Enterprise: Samuel McGeever Sculpture and Pink Wedge Design
As a sculptor, Samuel McGeever’s mission is to bring excitement and vitality to a space. He draws stimulation from the collaborative process, enjoying working with commissioners to explore their expectations. Through Pink Wedge Design, he is able to combine this with making what he calls "personal furniture for public spaces". Sam is currently putting his ideas into practice through his work for the Doorstep Green Countryside Initiative, which matches community group funding to turn disused space in community areas into small parks. As part of the consultative process, Sam will work with the group to establish how they want to use the space and then produce a design based on these interactions. As he says: "This is a particularly satisfying commission because the group will actually help with the installation and the more active a role communities play, the more accepted sculptures and works of art are."
“Through GLEAM, I gained a broader understanding of the business world and how a business might run and I learned how to operate within that. This gave me confidence in dealing with people and getting my product out there.” Sam is also keen to use sculpture to enhance the working environment and specialises in making small spaces somewhere to breathe and re-charge during the working day.
"We all experience the need to get some fresh air, go out to clear our head when stress, noise, or weight of work impinge on our creativity and effectiveness at work. The trouble is that outside on that busy,  impersonal street is not always the best place to get those five minutes of peace that can make us all more productive. I believe that the cost to companies of creating a breathing space, it could be an outdoor space glassed in, can be more than repaid in increased productivity and well-being. Pink Wedge Design can help companies create, furnish and design that space most effectively."
“Through GLEAM, I gained a broader understanding of the business world and how a business might run and I learned how to operate within that. This gave me confidence in dealing with people and getting my product out there.” ..... Samuel McGeever
The Enterprise: Superkrush Productions
Chris Taylor works in an exciting, fast moving and very competitive industry. His company, Superkrush Productions, specialises in TV commercials, promotional and corporate videos and multi-media (CD Roms, video-streaming on the web). It is not surprising that talented, creative people are drawn to this industry. The moving image is capable of conveying so much, capturing the imagination and attention. To make a success in this competitive arena requires drive, a very individual style and absolute professionalism.
Chris Taylor has made a success and is involved in some very satisfying projects. He has just finished a behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of a new feature film called “School for Seduction”, which is due for release in Spring 2004. The movie, which was shot in the North East, stars Tim Healy, Dervla Kirwen, Emily Woof and Kelly Brook and charts the intriguing story of the Italian women who came to the North East to teach the Geordies the art of seduction. In connection with this, Chris has also just completed a documentary which shows the Pop Idol-like process by which “School for Seduction’s” producers plucked an unknown actress from Sunderland to star in the movie.
Its all the stuff that dreams are made of, but Chris takes a pragmatic view and believes that total commitment to quality output and the in-house production facilities at SuperKrush’s Pink Lane Studios in Newcastle have been key to his success. Using fully digital facilities, Superkrush can produce compelling moving images. The inhouse production facility enables him to produce versions of the project and refine work until he is fully satisfied with the quality, continuity and accessibility.
“The most invaluable thing I got from GLEAM was a ready-made network of 25 people. When you start out it is really important to build your contact base. Also, before GLEAM, I thought of myself as a technician, not a business person, an owner/manager. It is crucial to balance both sides to make a success in business." .....Chris Taylor
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