In London-centric Britain most cities get mocked, derided or just plain forgotten. And poor old Birmingham manages to suffer from all three. Yet it is the second largest city in the country with an incredibly young, multicultural population and perhaps surprisingly to those not in the know, a blossoming arts scene. As part of our series on living arts on the ground, Searchlight … [Read more...]
50th Anniversary Song: Keep the Searchlight Shining
For the 50th Anniversary of Searchlight Magazine, we collaborated with our go-to singer, Stella, to commemorate the occasion. Whilst its first public performance wasn’t exactly a success (we forgot to bring Stella with us. Seriously. This is not a joke), the song’s an absolute belter. Keep the Searchlight Shining Music credit: Ivor Novello It was May 1964 And the … [Read more...]
Part IX: The Rise of the Bee
Rising plucky from our seats before the gathered throng We addressed the noble 56 who governed true and strong Mike articulated gamely, his speech was just sublime The Leader of the Council barked, “Now is not the time.” “I questioned you in writing, please let me have the floor…” Before Mike Franks could finish, we were marched right out the door “Do not be … [Read more...]
A Quick Pint with Sir Walter Raleigh
We got the call late… far too late to do any proper research. With just a few hours grace to get to the venue and meet one of the most famous explorers the world has ever seen, we were a bit daunted to say the least. … [Read more...]
Episode 3: The Party Conference
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. The clock at the front of hall beat out a slow steady tattoo. This was the last day of the United Liberation Party (ULP) conference and the place was still rammed to bursting point. For the moment, throngs of the converted were taking a moment of well-earned rest from all that cheering. The naysayers’ tongues were momentarily silenced. And even the … [Read more...]
A Strange Augmented Reality of Bumblers & Bunnies
BeeLine is a new interactive platform which blends augmented reality, cutting edge holographic technology and CGI to take families on a true interactive journey. Kathryn and Nick meet the company’s Founder, CEO and Inspirational Director, Brendan Caroo, at his Dream Studio in deepest Kent for a bizarre, inaugural peek inside a new universe. A smartly dressed woman with a … [Read more...]
Part VIII: My Epic Quest
With inspired fervour I cast out my net And snared a great horde of potentials to vet The journey that followed was completely unplanned And it feels like I’ve travelled every road in this land I met a Brummie in Bracknell who thought he was Jesus A roofer in Rugeley enticed me with cheeses Two sisters in Stafford had planned a new town… But only for white folk, no … [Read more...]
Could Fiction be the Next Step for Marketers?
Global businesses are increasingly turning to content, and more specifically, Content Marketing, to maximise brand engagement, but do they really know what consumers want? After all, 30% of organisations surveyed in the IMN 2014 Content Marketing Survey described activities as ‘ad hoc’. Kathryn and Nick trial Outbrain’s PPC content discovery system for two weeks and discover a, … [Read more...]
P.R.I.V.A.C.Y Song: A Eulogy to Facebook
After Googling herself and being mortifyingly embarrassed at some of the things she’s said and done over the years… Stella is demanding the return of her data footprint. And she’s not doing it quietly. Song: P.R.I.V.A.C.Y Music credit: Dolly Parton My Facebook page is six years old and knows all about me It's been my friend through thick and thin, I'm sure we'd both … [Read more...]
Episode 2: Hang ’em High
“The problem with our mainstream image,” began Harry Ra’Basche, pacing the floor of the United Liberation Party’s communications room, whilst casting a casually inconspicuous glance into Sam's low-cut blue dress, “is that every time we make any headway with the popular press, some silly councillor I’ve barely heard of shoots his mouth off about hating women, loving Hitler, or … [Read more...]