Bristol Media
Bristol Media is a support network for the creative and media industries in Bristol. It has over 1700 members [1] across the Animation, TV, Film, Digital, Design, Marketing, Publishing, PR and Music sectors making it one of the biggest creative communities in the UK.
It is a community interest company (CIC) and is funded by the South West of England Regional Development Agency, Bristol + and Bristol City Council. It also has a small number of private sponsors.
The network's mission [2] is to:
- Promote and celebrate Bristol’s creative industries and the wealth of expertise, services and skills that are home in the city
- Encourage new business opportunities and new clients to procure creative services from Bristol companies
- Attract the most exciting and experienced creative talent to the city whilst helping to retain and support its brightest and dynamic new stars
- Support collaboration, innovation and networking across the creative sectors
Activities and Projects
0117 - Made In Bristol
A 250-page glossy publication profiling some of the city's most innovative creative companies and media entrepreneurs. First launched in December 2007, this publication draws together over 40 profiles and interviews of Bristol's key digital, TV, Music, Film, Animation, Design and Marketing companies and is distributed all over the world to support the raising of the city's international creative profile [3]
Light Up Bristol
A weekly event held each December where several of Bristol and Bath's design and digital agencies get together to project specially created festive light, animation and moving image across College Green, Bristol.
8 high spec projectors are used to throw 400 ft images across several buildings in Bristol including City Hall, Bristol (formerly the Council House), and Bristol Cathedral [4]
In Dec 2007 the team shipped in 4 snow machines which covered the venue in fake snow and on the final night of the festival a live VJ finale was staged by Anti VJ.
South West Top 100 Creative Companies League Table
In June 2009, Bristol Media launched the first ever round up of all the major TV, digital, animation, publishing, PR, design and marketing companies from across the South West, in one list, ranked by turnover.
The guide revealed that over £0.5 billion of combined turnover was generated by companies that features in the league table, making it one of the region's key business sectors.
Along with a list of Top 100, the guide also features the most respected companies and the most respected individuals in the region, as voted by all the companies taking part in the survey.
Current Board Members
- Paul Appleby - Current Chair, Senior Producer BBC
- Mike Bennett (businessman) - Chief Executive (Chair 2005-8), Founder E3 Media (digital agency)
- Fraser Bradshaw - MD of McCann Erickson Bristol
- Stephen Coombe - Partner Smith and Williamson
- Chris Jones - Founder Oakwood Media Group
- Pete Levy - (Chair 2008)
- Caroline Marshall - Co-ordinator
- Laura Marshall - MD Icon Films
- Gill Sandford, Dean of EnterpriseUniversity of the West of England
Background
Bristol Media came out of BRIC (Bristol Interactive Cluster) which launched in 1999 with the objective of bringing Bristol's TV indies closer to emerging digital technologies. Bristol Media was then relaunched in 2005 with a new Chair and a new board.
External links
- Bristol Media Web Site
- 0117 Made In Bristol
- Event site for the annual Light Up Bristol Festival
- Video of last's years Light Up Bristol event
- Creative Review coverage of Light Up Bristol
Notes
- ↑ Membership numbers recorded in Feb 2009 from the Bristol Media web site
- ↑ Bristol Media's web site http://www.bristolmedia.co.uk/about
- ↑ The Drum Magazine, March 2008 http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2008/11/07/8896--0117-bristol-s-new-publication-celebrates-city-as-creative-hub
- ↑ Creative Review 16 November 2007 http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/light-up-bristol/