It’s a well-known fact England is home to a coagulated, mega mass of creative individuals – with our industries bringing in a whopping £70,000 every minute for the UK economy; and employing 1.5 million people in the UK, it’s safe to say GB has enough creative juice to fill an Olympic stadium to the brim with life-size Danny Boyles.
Inevitably for us (as a small Production & Post-Production company) this means we’re pretty lucky to have an elaborate array of very talented graphic designers, photographers, directors, cinema 4D-ers, illustrators, and everything else-ers out there to chose from – but how do we as a sub-sect industry actively keep up to date with the best up & coming talent, new ideas and current trends, that are relevant to us and our clients? And we’re not just talking about taking a peek in Campaign Magazine every now and again, or watching a couple of Vimeo ‘Staff Picks’ – although we do do both of those things, rather a lot.
No, we’re talking about getting out there, learning, seeing good work and meeting good people – because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
And because sharing’s caring, here’s just a few of the ways we here at Sweet Images like to keep our friendly bunch on the ball!
Formally known as ‘The Reel Presents’, this wonderful once-a-month get-together sees a range of artistic soles packed into Brick Lane’s Cafe 1001 to view the latest unsigned, signed and commercially funded ads, virals, short films and animations. A great night filled with lots of laughs, big couches, free drinks and great work. And to top it all off, it’s completely free. BOO-YA!
Another Eastern option for all you trendy hipsters out there is The Book Club (cafe/bar) in Shoreditch. With everything from DJ nights to perfume sniffing events, gallery exhibitions and advertising talks, there’s a whole load of quirky events to keep you happily (if not slightly randomly) inspired. One of our faves? Well since you asked, it would have to be Screen Social – a night dedicated to music vs film, aiming to give an alternative cinema experience, combining film, music and people, with 4 screens and occasional live music.
Social Media Week is a global organization at the forefront of technology, bringing digital savvy, like-minded professionals together to educate and debate the opportunities social media holds for the present and future of industries. Last year saw London’s Facebook head offices host a talk, as well as ad agency Infernos and well known communications agency Imagination to name a few! This year kicks off again in September and we’re expecting a similar set up to last year – plenty of free drink, some free food and a lot of very good chat.
A bit on the expensive side, granted, but definitely a classic case of the old ‘you get what you pay for’. Advertising Week is filled with talks, networking, workshops and big industry names, making it a great way to socialize with the right people and keep ahead of the game with current industry topics. You’ve just missed this years, but we’re pretty sure 2014’s will come around ‘just like that’, so do make sure to put the date in your diary.
There are lots more where that all came from, but unfortunately we’d be here all day! If you have the time to we hope you get to enjoy at least one of these great events and hope to see some of you down there in the future!
