Blog posts in “Interviews” ¶

Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Andy, I run a design and development studio called The Higgs Design Co. on St Paul's Square. We work predominantly in web, but do brand, print and graphic work too.

What was your route into this job?
I freelanced while I was at university and when I finished my degree, it was pretty obvious to me that although I was now qualified as an Industrial Designer, I was definitely more motivated to work with shiny fast-moving digital stuff than products. That was five years ago, I'm now 25, and I'm still doing it.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?
The folk at Rattle impress me time and again, and for this reason I love working with them when I get the chance.

Urban Coffee Co do online customer engagement really well (we only facilitate what they ask for), and they should be a model for any small business looking to embrace social media.

Buffer App is a fantastic little local startup for stacking up and regularly posting tweets, and much kudos to the guys running it. If you want to see how to setup and foster a web app properly, go checkout their stuff.

As for people I don't get paid to be nice about, I'm a big fan of what jkr say, what Apple make and what Virgin do.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?
Black-inked pens. Some kind of camera. Probably a kettle.

What events might we catch you at?
Since 2006 I've been a regular at Multipack (and spin off event Geek In The Park when it happens).

In recent weeks Hydrahack, BrumWebBeers and Likemind. I enjoy Popcorn Comedy too. It really matters to me is there is a thriving set of web and digital communities in the city.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?
Coffee-fuelled discussions and bottomless news feeds at breakfast help. Twitter is useful too, but I struggle a bit to filter out the noise on there.

Are there any emerging trends that you think people should keep an eye on?
Probably too far off to be an emerging trend, but at some point in the not too distant future, search engines will be able to contextually comprehend every bit of data they ever had any access to, no matter what, when or where. I'm not sure we realise the importance of this yet. Every ounce of context will be crunched out of everything we've ever done online. Things will be amazing. We will all reminisce about how naïve we were, even though right now, many of us think we are living in the future.

Describe your office/ workspace decor in five words...
Tech-laced mid-century mix?

Where do you tend to look for new team members?
Dan (our developer) joined me as my first full-time employee in February, and we came across each other via Multipack. That said, I had some interesting and good applications via both Jobplot and Twitter. I get quite a lot of CVs emailed to me too.

From the perspective of a complete novice at hiring, I think recruitment can be very tricky, and perhaps I was a bit lucky. Friends of mine who are looking to fill roles in their own businesses seem to have found it difficult to locate fantastic people who want to work in smaller companies. The best thing is that there are some very talented people around Birmingham, and some of the more long-standing business owners around here have been kind enough to impart to me their own experiences. That really helped and I'm very grateful.

Do you have any recommended resources for people trying to get into your industry?
It's less of a resource, and more of a tip. So many folk who are trying to break into web and who have done digital degrees seem to lack basic, up-to-date knowledge, mainly due to the speed a curriculum evolves vs. the speed the web progresses. You can't just rely on what your tutors tell you.

If you're not drinking or meeting with real web folk towards the end of your period of study, your knowledge is going to be at least six months behind the rest of the industry. There's no excuse not to meet interesting web people in Birmingham; they congregate in pubs and coffee shops. I should know, I keep meeting them.

Generally, I think that the people who engage most seem to enjoy their work, remain more informed and produce more interesting stuff.

Who are you and what do you do?

I am a Dj, Graphic Artist, Producer and most importantly food lover. I perform live with Hiphop artists. Recently I was djing for Big dada Artist Juice Aleem on his European tour. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-juice-aleem-jerusalaam-come-big-dada-1765063.html

I also do a lot of art projects with young people. The last was a Hiphop music projects in a young offenders institute where we taught them dj skills, lyric writing and music production.

On the graphic art front I started a project with a new character that goes by the name of P.Chiddy, there will be more from him later this year. I also blog about these things: http://www.moyma.co.uk/site/

What was your route into this job?

My brother got me into Hiphop culture when we were really young. When we hit late teens he bought decks and I taught myself the how to mix and scratch….by ear. No YouTube! I did a lot of gigs at university while studying graphic design and played down the Student Union bar regularly.

They liked me so much I ended up being asked to play the main slot at the Leavers Ball. Goldie was playing in the other room and I played a mix of independent Hiphop and Funk. After uni I worked as a designer for a year and hated it. I was thankfully made redundant and from then I pursued a career in music. Some great things happened since then like winning a BBC New Talent Award and having the privilege of djing in a lot of different places worldwide.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?

http://www.qubeseven.com/, http://www.associatedminds.com/, http://www.arearecordings.com/

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

I cant really live without my computer. I say that but it can cause me massive headaches so I would like to live without it sometimes.

What events might we catch you at?

I am in the studio day and night at the moment working on projects so I don't get a chance to go to anything. Its cool though I have some cool stuff being cooked up.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

I read some blogs but their is so much going on so I don't try and keep up and just carry doing my own thing. Hugh Macleod said it best : 'Ignore Everyone.'

Who or what inspires your work?

Other people who have really learnt their craft whether that is painting, dancing, music. You can see when some has someone has got skill when their work has a clear voice.

Do you have any recommended resources for people trying to get into your industry?

Youtube has a lot but it can be a bit sporadic, www.djtechtools.com has some good stuff on djing and music production. Future music is a good resource as you get a free dvd with the mag which really good sounds, tutorials and interviews.

Describe your office/ workspace decor in five words…in short

'minimal abode of aural pleasure.'

What would you like to see more of in your industry?

More artists taking control of getting their work out their rather than waiting for 'the big A&R deal.' All the tools are there to get your stuff out. 

Who are you and what do you do?

Steven Walls, Creative Director, Tomorrow People. We are full service agency with offerings across both print and digital. Our client list is diverse from a selection of national brands to SME’s. Our aim is always to create well considered responses to client briefs with the end results delivering a positive ROI for our clients.

What was your route into this job?

I started Tomorrow People straight out of university. In retrospect probably not the easiest route in getting started but at the time I was just hungry to get going.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?

Looking locally It has to be Clusta and 383 Project. Both have shown fantastic growth and their client list says it all.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

The Adobe suite and Google Docs.

What events might we catch you at?

I was recently a judge on the Graphic Design panel for B-Hive 2011, which was immensely enjoyable. The TPM team will be at BYPY 2011 and I have recently been invited to join the committee for Creative Republic 2011. In addition there is the Birmingham Future initiative regarding Community Development that we will be getting involved in through 2011.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

There are a number of blogs and websites I follow.

Have you got any tips for dealing with difficult clients?

Be understanding and constructive however having an open forum throughout the project with milestones, project aims and a clear sign off procedure should be enough to keep both agency and client happy.

What’s a recent novelty site/ app that’s been been circulated round the office?

The new MENSA app was thrown about the other week and the results are staying secret.

Who makes the tea at Tomorrow People?

Myself although the TP team will no doubt disagree.

Have you got any tips for potential employees?

Research your intended company thoroughly, be considered about the work you present and be yourself.

(Left - Kirsty, Right - Adrienne. "It's a beautiful portrait drawn for us by a 9 year old boy in Worcester called Lucas")

Who are you and what do you do?

Frilly are Kirsty Hillyer and Adrienne Frances.  

We're a participatory arts partnership... but that doesn't exactly explain what we do. At the moment we have a number of projects on the go including:

• PiCL projects (Stoke's Creative Partnerships branch) - creating an indoor and an outdoor learning environment using recycled materials and enabling children and young people to design the space and create elements within it.
• A project involving multiple partners from Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire where we're working with young people to create artworks which will be exhibited in outdoor locations exploring identity and linking in to Arts Award.
• We're just coming to the end of a pilot project for Birmingham City Council signposting young people to creative activities they can get involved in across the city.
• We've just been selected as participatory artists to deliver a project in Bilston - hurray! Back on home turf!

Alongside project work, we're constantly chasing our tails to apply for more projects across the Midlands and beyond, as well as trying to fit in more strategic planning for the future to ensure the sustainability of our current practice. As we receive no core funding from either Arts Council or anywhere else it means we need to be super proactive in applying for work and we always have to be thinking very carefully of budgets and finances.

What was your route into this job?

Our routes were fairly different. I [Adrienne] come from an artist background - did a degree at NUCA in Visual Studies - began an MA but relocated back to the midlands before completing it. Throughout I pursued paid and voluntary work in community/participatory arts as that's where my heart has always been. Since coming back to the Midlands I've worked with a range of organisations including Wolverhampton Arts & Museums, Staffordshire Arts & Museums, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Newhampton Arts Centre and most recently Multistory where I met Kirsty.

Kirsty studied Art History in Warwick and shortly after graduating worked for The Public. When they went through a process of administration Kirsty was kept on as part of the new team which became Multistory and became Creative Learning Manager in charge of a range of large scale projects and programmes of work.

Last year we were made redundant from Multistory, along with the rest of the artist/delivery team. We were determined to continue with the work we'd been involved in, and knew we worked well together so created Frilly last April and have been reasonably busy ever since! 

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?

We've a big soft spot for the Education team at Ikon - the work they've been doing with young people as part of their IYP programme is especially exciting and we can't wait to see the unveiling of their boat! (yes, we're being deliberately elusive here, but it's not our announcement to make!)

Shire Hall Gallery in Stafford continue to have interesting inspiring exhibitions in a relatively small space which seem to fall outside of a lot of people's radars - perhaps simply because of where they are? They have a fab little shop selling the work of independent makers as well.

We think Mudlark do interesting surprising curious things with technology.

The possible development of WMPAF could prove to be exciting and challenging for all involved!

Aside from this, we feel that the whole arts scene has been holding it's breath for the past few months (maybe even a year) because of all of the cuts etc. looming on the horizon. As a result, the sector has been adrift in a sea of uncertainty which has clearly impacted on the scale and scope of projects being delivered by other organisations.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

Macs, email, Canon DSLRs, brown gummed tape, the internet, scarf4art.co.uk, iphones, Berocca, coffee, Bubba the Vauxhall Agila, carbon paper, wire, PVA glue, Poundland...erm, the list goes on!

It's rare we duplicate the same project/ activity so materials etc. change every time - but we have a passion for using recycled materials (hence scarf4art.co.uk) and using things that are already at the venue/ location - eg. we transformed a classroom in Stoke but instead of throwing old furniture away we converted it into shiny new things using a variety of methods including covering/ butchering/ repurposing etc.

We DEFINITELY couldn't cope without our iphones, email, computers and coffee. And Berocca!

(without wanting to refer to him as a 'tool' we also couldn't do without Lee Allen of - who is on hand (because of sharing an office with us) most of the time to reality-check our crazy ideas, point us in the direction of shiny exciting things, document some of our projects when we're at a loose end, and when all else fails, his DIY building skills are second to none!)

What events might we catch you at?

As we're interested primarily in participatory work, we spotted this festival happening over in America: figmentproject.org - and think it looks intriguing and potentially exciting - although this year we may have to give it a miss but make it a priority to see (or take part in!) it the following year.

Kirsty has a fondness for all things ATP - particularly because of her links with Clutter Magazine.

Adrienne is in Yorkshire regularly to visit YSP.co.uk and their amazing exhibitions and craft workshops... but also likes to rummage through other people's tat so can be found at car boot sales, antique fairs, and all things DIY/crafty eg. Bust Craftacular London, and she's SUPEREXCITED about the Renegade Craft Fair coming to the UK for the first time this autumn!

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

Some obvious places, some less obvious:

• Arts Council Jobs and News email lists
• a subscription to a-n
• being proactive in becoming involved in blossoming networks such as Creative Remedies, Praxis, EMPAF and the future potential WMPAF
• other email lists include Turning Point West Midlands
• Staffordshire Arts and Museums Opportunities bulletin
• Warwickshire's Arts and Museums bulletin
• ENYAN bulletins
• Voluntary Arts Network bulletins
• Mailout bulletins
• CiB - obviously!
• and then other word of mouth information on blogs, Twitter, Facebook etc.

What qualities should new employees bring to the team?

Curiosity, tenacity, endless energy, ambition, dedication, an aptitude and willingness to learn new things on the hoof, to be keen to find solutions not problems.

Probably other skills too, but really the above list is pretty intimidating! Eek!

What would you like to see more of in/around your local area?

Locally, we're lucky enough to be based in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter which is an amazing neighbourhood which is often overlooked by visitors to the city centre. We've got great cafes, (newly opened!) coffee shops, and a really great community vibe where you really get to know your neighbours.

More broadly, we'd really like there to be more open access spaces for artists to experiment and take risks. We don't feel like Birmingham has that kind of facility currently. Adrienne has lived in both Norwich and Bilbao (Spain) both of which have good examples of this kind of thing:

Bilbaoarte - "It provides young creators with the means and infrastructures required to develop their artistic ideas, such as the availability of studio spaces, engraving and silkscreening workshops, digital imaging, sculpture, photography, a film set, documentation centre and projection rooms."

Norwichartscentre.co.uk - Norwich Arts Centre is situated right in the centre of Norwich and so is very easily accessible to all visitors.  Alongside their exhibitions and shows, they have darkrooms which anyone can access via membership and a small fee.  They also offer courses for adult CPD.

Whilst the Mac now has it's artist pass scheme as well as their amazing array of courses on offer, it's location is that bit further afield.  It doesn't feel like there's anywhere else central to Birmingham for artists to go and experiment and collaborate with media or technique.

Who makes the tea at Frilly?

We don't drink tea! We have a filter coffee machine which Kirsty normally pops on when she gets in (usually at the crazy'o'clock time of 7.30am!) and then when we have visitors we make tea if necessary. :)

Who or what inspires your work?

We love being inspired as often as possible. Notcot.org does an AMAZING job of showing us interesting/ inspiring/ curious things on a daily basis, and has lead to us stumbling across the work of lots of exciting artists and designers.

Recently we stumbled across the work of Yeondoo Jung. Their work is SO MUCH FUN and completely embodies our belief that the work of children can be both playful and taken seriously as an artform. Their transformations of children's drawings are intriguing, surprising and inspiring - but wouldn't exist without the childish scribble they begin with.

We reallyreally love Polarbear - we both spent 2 years working with him and early years kids, and we're continually impressed with the work he produces. We especially love the fact that he's awesome at working with little kids (without any snobbery or condescension over doing so), and at the same time is really genuinely COOL!

Whilst we agree on the above two, we also have slightly differing personal tastes.

Kirsty really loves FriendsWithYou - she enjoys their lighthearted combination of fun and spirituality!

Adrienne really loves the DIY/crafty scene - particularly when people do 'unexpected' things with traditional techniques - eg. Gelitin's giant rabbit or knitted vulvas.

Adrienne also really likes combining craft with technology, but not just for the sake of it - some of the work at last year's Lovebytes show was amazing, but some made her just go 'meh'. She reallyreally hates people trying to shoehorn things into a digital arena just for the sake of funding. Or to try to give relevance to something that isn't relevant.

- Take a look at Frilly on Jobplot.

Who are you and what do you do?

I am 23-year-old currently working in the field of graphic design. I like producing design that is simple, appropriate and which communicates directly to its audience.

What was your route into this job?

I have been employed as a graphic designer since graduating from university in 2008. I was keen to get a job within the industry and start learning the processes of working with clients and other designers to meet briefs. The aesthetics of my work is what acquired me my current position, but I have since then developed my design philosophy and refined the work that I produce.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at  the moment?

Moving Brands - Their approach to branding is very unique and is always results in interesting and effective solutions. The way in which
their work is displayed - telling a story and showing the in-depth, time-consuming process that is taken is a great way of showing the value of branding.
Studio Newwork - They produce a publication biannually called Newwork Magazine. The magazine consists of the latest works from a wide range of artists and creators in the fields of fashion, fine art, design, culture, and politics, all pushing the boundaries of their disciplines.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

A pen and a clean sheet of paper. I think no matter how small or mundane the task, it is essential to scribble down initial ideas and layouts. I believe it saves time and engages you to think about what you are doing.
My book collection. Although I like to draw my inspiration from things other than design, I thrive on having knowledge of design and designers; this then makes my book collection extensive and ever growing.

What events might we catch you at?

The Typographic Circle, Glug and any other talks/lectures that discuss the importance, effects and future of design.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

Twitter is a great way of keeping up to date with what’s going on and is a great tool if used correctly. I also use various blogs such as Tumblr which I use as a personal journal of all things that inspire and interest me.

What sort of clients do you like to work with?

A client that listens and understands that being a graphic designer is a profession. We the designers are presented with a problem that requires a solution, the best clients are the ones who trust our expertise and knowledge.

Are there any emerging trends that you think people should keep an eye on?

I have noticed a negative trend in logos and packaging over the last few years, which is over simplifying the original design making it less distinctive. Logotypes are constantly being changed from serif to sans serif - the short-lived Gap re-brand is a good example. Packaging designs seem to be trying to follow in the footsteps of Turner Duckworth and simplifying packaging, but it worked for Coca-Cola. I am all for simplicity in design, but not when it weakens it.

What would you like to see more of in your industry?

Designers who don’t just make things look pretty but actually create meaningful and conceptual design.

Describe your office/ workspace decor in five words...

Clean, tidy, minimal, comfy, books.

Ashley's website: www.ashleyobrien.co.uk

- Take a look at Ashley O'Brien on Jobplot.

Who are you and what do you do?

Lee Kemp Managing Director of Fullrange. We're a corporate film production company. Mostly we take business problems and turn them into well-produced, measurable films. Our clients include lots of small to medium local companies and a range of global brands. We were recently named as one of the top 50 corporate production companies in the UK.

What was your route into this job?

I started this company with 3 friends having worked together at another company. In March 2008 I took over from the previous MD.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?

I tend to like the big stuff so Cadbury's recent collaboration with yahoo and google to measure offline results from online marketing was superb. It will take a long time to filter down to most companies but it demonstrates that anything can be measured if you apply the right resources. The Old Spice campaign is a particular favourite of mine. I like it as a particular example of a good idea, well executed, that flies in the face of the general truth that social media is a waste of time.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

Google. From gmail, to maps, to calendar. My company runs on it and the one instance of downtime we've had in the past two years has been more than made up for by getting it for free or the tiny cost of google enterprise. A surprising amount of conversation in the office goes on via gchat too. Omnifocus is my task management tool of choice. I've just got into time tracking with paymo.biz. I started this because I was making one of my staff do it so I said i'd have a go and its had the peculiar effect of making me dramatically more efficient. It divides my day into tasks and one of my task labels is 'arsing around on the internet'. I can see how much time i've been doing that and get annoyed at myself, so I do less of it now. If i'm recording how I spend my time I find that I want to use it much more effectively. Finally I've just got Default Folder X. It makes saving and finding files on a Mac several orders of magnitude easier. Its such a tiny thing to complain about in the Mac ecosphere but the way Macs offer options for save locations is really dumb. This programme gets around that. In our Monday morning team meetings one item on the agenda is always App of the Week and one of our staff members is a former Apple employee who picks something cool for us to play with.

What events might we catch you at?

I don't tend to frequent too many 'creative networking' events because Birmingham doesn't have any good ones. I could genuinely count the number of useful creative networking events i've been to on the fingers of one hand shortly after I'd pulled that hand out of a blender. They're also not places I'm likely to find my clients. In terms of business networking I've found the Chamber of Commerce to be very useful and the Chamber Executive Club within that has picqued my interest. The Institute of Directors' Young Directors Forum have run some interesting events recently but I get the impression that the IoD don't take people seriously until they're 60. The creative industries needs to look outside itself and go to where the clients are. Birmingham Forward and Birmingham Future provide good local networking, particularly now that they're opening up beyond the professional services.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

Twitter's pretty good for showing me new, interesting films but its quite scattershot. Then we have a culture in the office of sharing interesting stuff we find amongst each other which builds on this. I get two updates from the FT every morning as well as Business Desk West Midlands, then when I get into work I browse my RSS feed (Helvetica Reader over google's reader) which has about 20 blogs I'm interested in.

Where do you tend to look for new team members?

We advertise on our blog, Screen West Midlands, the Producers' Forum and on Twitter. This has worked for the last three or four and as a manager, i'm fiercely proud of how well we recruit so I can say that this simple solution works for us.

What would you like to see more of in your industry?

Measured results and solutions to briefs that solve communication problems. Many companies just pander to clients and provide what the client thinks they want.

Who’s in charge of your blog/twitter updates at Fullrange?

I tend to write the blog but my colleague Rachel occasionally adds stuff. Individually all 7 of us have our own personal twitter accounts. People can tweet whatever the hell they like but everyone is mature enough to accept that there's an irrevocable link between somebody who works for a small company and that company. Our main corporate account is @thefrontdoor which tweets about people who visit us, listing who they are what they do and a link to their website. We use it to give our clients visibility. We have two more but they've sort of died recently due to the strength of individual's personal accounts.

Can you give an example of a creative/ memorable portfolio you’ve seen?

I very much admire the work of 383 Project in Birmingham, their growth has been extraordinary and their client portfolio seems to go from strength to strength. I'm also very impressed by Substrakt who've found a niche within architecture that they're consolidating very well.

- Take a look at Fullrange on Jobplot

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Will Grant, the Technology Director of Buto - an online video platform spun out of Big Button, a corporate video company.

Over the last few years I've switched the direction of the business from making websites (which we no longer do) into focusing on Buto, a 'software as a service' web app which lets organisations upload, manage and measure their web video online.

Day to day it's really varied. I can be working with the development team on features, designing stuff 'hands on' or attending sales meetings with the business development team.  

What was your route into this job?

I was hired by Big Button 4 years ago to run the web team. I was 'head hunted' by a recruitment agency from my public sector role. I'm still not sure how they came across me, but I had been doing a bit of public speaking at the time, so it might well have been that.  

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?

Hunch.com is just incredible. It's mission is to build a sort of mathematical map of your tastes - so it's able to predict things about you with incredible accuracy. Really smart stuff.

Also GiffGaff, the mobile phone company run by its members. It's owned by the same parent as O2, so I'm not sure how much is marketing spin, but if they're genuine about including members in marketing, strategy, features and support: then it could be a big deal. 

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

My laptop, Mac OS X actually. It's all about OS X - that's the really cool part. My iPhone gets hammered all day, every day, obviously. TextWrangler is awesome for writing copy or code. The usual stuff, Photoshop, Illustrator. I still do a lot of our UI design, so if I'm "on the tools" it will usually be at a pixel level.

Also our own tools. We build pretty detailed tools for ourselves to use for administering accounts, monitoring systems and so on. It's really important for a web app: get your best guys on your internal tools.

What events might we catch you at?

None. I really should go to more events.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

I just read a few blogs every day: again, standard stuff: TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb. I get the most by far from Twitter.

What do you look for in a good portfolio?

There's lots of good portfolios, it's the outstanding ones I'm looking for. I like the ones where the candidate has gone 'above and beyond' and built something in their own time, just for fun. If it's just work stuff that's fine, but if you can show you've put something together just for fun, or just to learn - that's way better.

Describe your office/ workspace decor in five words...

Plain, sparse, really, not, finished.

Have you got a hidden gem you’d like to tell us about? It could be a website, a person or a place.

That's a really hard one. There's a startup called Greplin who aim to be the 'other half' of Google search. They aggregate all your data from Twitter, Facebook, etc and let you search your social content. They're definitely very interesting and it could be a very big deal indeed.

Do you have any recommended resources for people trying to get into your industry?

Everything you need to become a top-grade web developer is on the web already, for free. Google, StackOverflow, Linux, PHP, MySQL - you can learn anything and build anything you like with just determination and focus. Stop thinking about it, go build it.

- Take a look at Buto on Jobplot.

Along with our series of resources and tips, we'll be quizzing Midlands based creative workers in our weekly Jobplot interview. First up, we've got Chris Unitt.

Who are you and what do you do?

My name's Chris Unitt and I'm the managing director of an agency called Meshed Media - we work with arts organisations on digital and social media projects. I'm also the editor of Created in Birmingham and one of the people behind Jobplot.  

What was your route into this job?

 I started off working at a large law firm in their litigation team but left after a few years to set up on my own independent consultancy. I used social media and social networks a lot, not only to promote that business, but to learn better ways of running things. I freed up a little time to volunteer with a couple of arts organisations where I could put my knowledge of social media to good use. Things have grown organically from there.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at the moment?

OneDotZero are interesting and their showreels are always great. I like the things that Rattle make and they way they talk about them too. In Birmingham, Made Media are quietly making massive strides at the moment. Hide & Seek continue to fascinate me - not only in the work that they turn out but also in terms of the partnerships they've created and how they build around and from their community.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

I'm reliant on so many things. Wordpress is a mainstay. Simple tasks would take so much longer without Skitch. I'd never know where I was if it wasn't for Google Calendar and I'd never know what I had to do without Remember The Milk. Simplenote is my most recent favourite and has allowed me to get rid of all the annoying little text docs that littered my computer. The list could go on.  

What events might we catch you at?

Anything concerning the meeting place of arts/culture and digital. We also look after the Birmingham Social Media Cafe, so I tend to make it along to that as often as possible. I go to a lot of events as I think it's really important to get out there and meet people face to face.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

I'm subscribed to hundreds of blogs. Anything else that's important invariably comes to me via Twitter.

Where do you see Meshed Media in ten years?

I suspect very few people know where their company will be in three years, let alone ten. I'd like to think the principles unperpinning what we do aren't likely to change too much though - serving clients by staying ahead of the game, collaborating with a wide range of others and taking a personal approach to building online communities.

What’s something you’d like to see happen in Birmingham?

I'd like to see more collaborative stuff coming out from the designers and illustrators around town. The Not My Type exhibition last year was ace, but there's not enough of that sort of thing going on. It's shame, because there's no shortage of talent around here.

What’s a recent novelty site/ app that’s been been circulated round the office?

Google Street Car. I thought that was brilliant.

(Photo by Lee Allen)

- Take a look at Meshed Media on Jobplot.