There is also a larger office available for around 6 people.

If you are interested come and have a look around, email russell@thewatermark.co.uk to arrange a time.

Sonic internet

Sonic Internet

Sonic Internet Ltd is a newly formed company striving to supply broadband to rural and poorly served areas.   Its directors Rob Benson and Mark Travis have their backgrounds in IT, telecom and related industries, and wanted to create a company that would provide them with a business opportunity and would also give them the satisfaction of improving people’s lives and businesses by providing reliable, cost effective, high speed broadband.  They also have a diverse range of alternative services such as IP security camera solutions, festival ticket support and telecom solutions.

The location here at The Watermark is fantastic, being in the centre of Preston has benefited us immensely.  Not only is everything immediately available to us but we have also had the benefit of using the roof space to set up our first broadband transmissions antenna. The location means that we can boost a broadband signal to the rural villages and businesses without problems, as the building is in the perfect geographical position.  The owners of The Watermark are very hands on and are always interested in new business ideas. They have helped and advised us when needed; this follows the philosophy they have developed as businesses within The Watermark are encouraged to be supportive of each other, with using the business services available within The Watermark.  It’s not always easy to start up a new business but it has helped to be in an environment where you are supported and encouraged.

Details of the areas we can supply and other services available can be found on our website www.sonicinternet.co.uk

skiddle.com

Yep it’s true, check out http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=loose%20women at around 1min 47 !

Award-winning animation duo Kyle Webster and Andrew Jolly, founders of Chog Zoo Animation have joined The Watermark party and we’re just a little bit tipsy about it. As if it wasn’t enough that they scooped this year’s European Entrepreneurship Video Award (under 25’s) and have been splashed across the local, national and European media, they’ve now leaped onto Insider Magazine’s list of the North West’s most promising entrepreneurs to watch: ’42 Under 42’. We may have to put down a bit of red carpet outside their studio at this rate! Has all this fame and glory gone to their head? Not at all, but it has given them the confidence to take risks and strike out from the pack:

“At this moment we’re moving against the curve by staying within 2D animation, when a lot of companies these days are working in 3D. This has worked quite well for us, because 2D is becoming more of a sought out medium. We don’t know many other companies in the North West doing what we do, which means we attract a great portion of the interest for our field.”

Friends since childhood, Kyle and Andrew graduated from UCLAN together (after scooping an animation award there too of course). Inspired by a combination of contemporary animation, old-style Disney and Japanese originals, especially the work of Studio Ghibli, setting-up their own studio seemed the only sensible option. After a six-month NESTA business development course, the boys successfully pitched for enough funding to create their business identity, before throwing themselves into the professional bear-pit of competitions and the real marketplace. It didn’t take them long to scoop another prize, this time with the help of some climate-change-conquering-koalas, and the good ship Chog Zoo Animation had been launched.

“People don’t always realize that a business like ours requires daunting investment in technology just to set-up”, said Kyle. “Talent comes first but to be really competitive and cutting-edge in this field, you need serious computing equipment.” Fortunately, talent usually finds a way and in this case secured the recent graduates the  ‘Manchester is My Planet’ / CIS Insurance competition cash prize and their first serious computer, setting them on their path to a pan-European business profile. Even so, software and hardware updates are a constant reality of this business. “That’s probably one of our biggest challenges now as a growing business”, muses Kyle.

Joining us from a converted studio garage, Stream Studio in The Watermark is quite a change for Chog Zoo. There’s so much digital media in The Watermark that there’s a really useful hub of computer knowledge, which is handy in such a technology-dependent sector. On the networking side, they’re now part of a community of  creative sector businesses and can even source collaborators and even new clients within the complex itself. Stream Studio is a new incubator programme developed by The Watermark and funded initially by Preston City Council, set-up to support creative entrepreneurs with innovative new ideas and recently started businesses to grow and develop into new markets and areas of work.

18 months after setting up, Chog Zoo Animation’s client base is strikingly broad, ranging from corporate clients to children’s workshops.  Encompassing character design to animated advertising, the studio pretty much caters for all those who need animation to boost their brand.  Clients have included JamPR, Farida Guitars, Loving Outdoors, The Debt Advice Foundation, Bluestreak Arts, The African Caribbean Society and of course CIS insurance amongst others.

We asked them how they balance the practical aspects of business life with keeping creative inspiration flowing:

“Sometimes we can base a whole idea on one thing that makes us laugh. I think if you start off with something funny it can inspire you to flesh out a whole concept. I’d like to think that we get inspired to create animations after we’ve seen other pieces that we consider to be really good, but you can sometimes fall into the trap of feeling that your work will never be as good as that! On the whole though, staying up to date with what everyone else is doing, and trying to make each other laugh are the two things that we constantly do to try and inspire each other to make better pieces.”

You can join the thousands of other people viewing examples of Chog Zoo Animations on their DailyMotion video pages and also on YouTube. Here’s a sneak peak:

Challenges and Rewards

Ali Kay, 2010

www.chog-zoo.com

chogzoo.tumblr.com

www.twitter.com/chogzoo

This was a Creative Profile by Piction Media

Sitting alongside Vivienne Westwood and hanging out on Oscar-winner Gabriel Byrne’s sofa – It’s a glamorous life for the silk cushions designed by The Watermark’s Judy Holme. Featured in The Sunday Times Style magazine, Woman & Home, She, Glamour, the press inclusions list goes on and on.

Judy’s Graffiti range has basked in telly-glory on 60-Minute Makeover and her fabulous Mannequin collection has been taking on a life of its own, featuring in the essential guide to all things hip Retro to Go and interior design blog Dotmaison. Harking back to the glamour of the 1920s, these 100% silk cushions feature the distinctive print of a model dressed in the high society fashion of the period. This design has so hit the interiors mood-of-the-moment that Judy has now extended the range to incorporate lampshades, wall art and table decoration, creating that stylist’s delight – a connected interior.

Everything available at Judy Holme Ltd is produced in the UK. Judy experiments with new techniques and technology to superb effect but doesn’t compromise on ethics. Her digitally printed wallpaper, Wood Block features a random selection of letters made from traditional wooden typesetter’s blocks. Like Mannequin, this innovative design hasn’t escaped the media lens and has even been featured on the design and decoration blog of the moment Domestic Sluttery in its popular Wallpaper Wednesday feature.

Judy possesses that precious combination of creativity, innovation and business sense. Understandably, we’re proud to claim her as one of our own. Joining The Watermark back in 2001 with her partner at One Box Productions, she brought the first audio-visual and creative sector business through our newly renovated doors. Attracted to “the creative vibe that you just don’t get in other office environments”, they’re still here and going strong.

You’ll have gathered by now that Judy is the epitome of multi-talented but then she is a graduate in multi disciplinary design and can turn her hand to photography, graphics and 3D design as easily as she can textiles. After surviving a brief stint as a darkroom assistant, she’s built an impressive 25-year-career portfolio in audio-visual design and for the last seven years this has been accompanied by her interior design studio Judy Holme Ltd.

Inspired in her design by the work of Magnum and innovations in typography, Judy also draws her inspiration from philosophy, poetry and calligraphy. We asked her about her favorite piece of work (always a tricky one for designer-makers):

“My ‘Eyes’ design on silk cushions and wallpaper because of the time invested in the artwork. I love the quirky appeal of eyes looking out at you…From a distance the eyes are not clearly discernable and so the effect looks like it could be feathers or squiggles which adds to the surprise and intrigue when you get closer.”

An exhibition of Judy’s work opens next month (October 26, 2010 to January 8, 2011) at Lancaster’s Gallery 23.

Ali Kay, 2010

www.judyholme.com

judy@judyholme.com

This is a Creative Profile by Piction Media

New boiler at The Watermark

The Watermark is doing its bit for the environment, by retiring our old boiler and  fitting the Buderus award winning GB162 commercial boiler in a compact multi boiler cascade kit, with a total capacity of 240Kw

With a wide modulation range to less than 19% of total output means the new boilers can be used effectively and efficiently in high output to provide all the heating and hot water needed in the Watermark

With net efficiencies of up to 110% and NOx emissions of less than 40mg/kWh the new Buderus GB162 boilers will provides clean low-carbon heating, reducing the Watermarks Co2 output by 39%

Matt Kay of piction.co.uk

How long have you been at The Watermark?

Three years.

Where did you come from?

Although we’re known as Piction Media now, we began as K Dimension with a loan from The Princes’ Trust. Originally we were based in the East End of London, round the corner from Spitalfields Market and the famous Brick Lane. This gave us an explosive start to our business life. It was great being in the heart of the London art-scene, and our location also gave us access to the big-brand client list which we have brought with us when we migrated to the North West. The Watermark has been integral to our continued success.

What sort of work do you do?

We have a very diverse portfolio, but at its core there are two distinct areas to our work: Visual Media and Content Media. The former combines design technology know-how with targeted illustrative techniques, and draws on our background visualising for brands. We work closely with art directors and project managers to deliver very high-end design solutions for the high street and online markets. Piction Content Media provides design, branding, web development, content creation and content management for the arts, charity and education sectors.

This arm of the business supports individuals and organizations to engage their target audience through appropriately pitched text and visuals, whilst retaining the integrity of research, brand or message.

Who are your clients?

You’ll find a lot of leading branding agencies from both the UK and rest of the world (Anthem Worldwide, Interbrand, TurnerDuckworth) on our client list. So we collaborate on the branding of some really well known products – the likes of Head & Shoulders, Relentless & SUSO drinks, Mr. Kipling, Glenffidich and other on-shelf brands. We also work for TV companies (BBC, Channel 4), marketing agencies (Armadillo Medical Communications); interpretation departments (ZSL London Zoo, Whipsnade, National Portrait Gallery); and a whole range of creative small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) that need direct access to high-end visuals and content creation.

What do you feel was your best piece of work?

That’s a tough one. Our recent work with Glenfiddich had great results. We collaborated with the London agency PURPLE CREATIVE (art direction by Gwyn Edwards). The challenge was to create some very rich ‘look & feel’ brand elements that could work on different scales and in different markets. One of the final pieces was a 5-meter-high illustration of a bronze stag head. The client loved this so much that they immediately shipped it to the Asian headquarters in Singapore!

If you could have one ‘work wish’ what would it be?

Our work goal is to bring a bit of London design spirit to the North West and encourage agencies, companies and brands to see the creative sector here as truly cutting-edge. We want to stimulate the creative community in Preston and the North There’s a lot of talent here – both in The Watermark but also coming out of UCLAN too.

What do you most enjoy about being based at The Watermark?

We really couldn’t have made our relocation such a success without The Watermark. It isn’t just a studio space. It’s a collective of people and businesses who all want to promote and support the creative sector. The people in The Watermark are all on the same page. We all want to have a work culture that is inclusive and ‘cross-pollinating’ in nature so that we can all benefit from each others success rather than being in direct competition. The more exposure any of us have, the better the overall prospects for the whole Northern creative sector. The Watermark is a creative resource.

What is your strategy for surviving the current climate?

We’ve recently re-branded and extended our skill-set because it’s important to keep moving forwards. As the needs of our clients change, we need to keep pace with that. Content creation using digital tools is essential for us. So many websites, product launches and so on have interesting design but are ruined by unprofessional text and visual messages. Clients are really cottoning on to this. Businesses and organizations pay for logo design and general branding but forget that their customers are also reading their websites and newsletters and forming opinions as to how professional they are based on this, not just the design.

Finally, small to medium sized companies can do really well in a tough economic climate. When clients start to watch their budgets, smaller suppliers like ourselves are their first choice. We deliver successful branding, excellence in execution, deadline fulfillment and of course value.… What we don’t offer is ‘cheap’ work. We offer the high-end service but we’re a smaller outfit. So, as we plan to keep delivering fantastic work over the next 12 months and beyond, we expect to continue expanding and increasing our turnover.