Castaway

Time for some summer drinking? I’d like to rekindle the camp fire of my Castaway network and hope you’re around to toast some marshmallows. It’d be very nice to catch up.

When: Tuesday 25 May 2010, from 6pm
Where: The Arts Theatre Club, 50 Frith Street, W1D 4SQ – http://www.theartstheatreclub.com/
Who: Design, marketing, digital, ad, PR, film, creative, writing, start-ups

There’ll be a host of interesting folk. I’d love to name names, but I don’t think it’s best to broadcast these… suffice to say that I recently took a call from the UK’s Wired magazine that’d heard this drinking session was the beating heart of London’s media scene. You know who you are: Dot.com dollar billionaire, scion of French presidential family, London’s hottest big ad agency shop-keeper, banker to the media majors, Charlie Parsons’ accountant, new media awardsters etc…

There’s plenty to talk about:

– Our collaborative Lib-Con future

– the ‘first digital election’ and how it caught fire with good ol’ TV

– what’s new in digital and how to navigate towards the loot

– is there really still snow on the caps of Cumbrian fells? Or is it just ash?

As part of the gig, I’d like to intro you to a couple of teams that I’ve been working with:

Futureheads recruitment launched last September to focus on linking talented digital folk to the best jobs in UX, digital design and project management. So far, we’ve tracked 250 vacancies in that time – there really is a battle to find and fill all the slots. We’ve helped place key people at multi-national PR, advertising and broadcast (as well as digital firms). We’ve also learnt much from the mis-matches. Futureheads are useful to know if you have digital gaps! www.wearefutureheads.co.uk <http://ww.wearefutureheads.co.uk>

O Communications is already Newcastle’s biggest PR specialist and they are looking to spread their wings – to work on national projects, to team up with London specialists, to learn from the wider marketing community. I’m taking founder Kari Owers on a mission to ‘get London’ in 24 hrs, including a wiggle in Soho with you. www.o-communications.co.uk <http://www.o-communications.co.uk>

Also, look out for ‘breakthrough’ firms, whom I hope will be coming along, from Oil Studios <http://www.c2h6.com/> , Earnest <http://www.earnest-agency.com/> , Nice <http://www.niceagency.co.uk/> , Sunday <http://www.sundaypublishing.com/> , Big Al’s Creative Emporium <http://www.bigalscreativeemporium.com/> , AllofUS, Someone, Odd, Speed, Start, Solt or Steak…

As ever, bring an influential friend – no need to bring a bottle to this venue as they have a decent bar!
What have I been up to?

I am having a ball in Newcastle building Geordieland’s answer to P.S.1 of Long Island… a fringe arts/creative/music/events space at http://houltsyard.wordpress.com and establishing a scene in Geordieland (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxe5Yxrk93M). My new best friends include Alaric Hammond who shared a studio with street artist Banksy but is now on retainer with ubercool Shoreditch agency Erasmus. Plus Dan Holdsworth, a Saatchi-collected photographer. And, our very own former Presidente who’s just rented an office from me. We have film festivals, beer festivals, WorldCup, dance, art and feature films. A reet meltin’ pot. Catch you soon.

Why?

Castaway is the ‘open office’ event for networking with all the movers and shakers in London’s marketing, digital, agency world. You get to see inside the doors of some cunning agencies and meet folk who are grinding their way through the credit crunch, just like you. At Castaway, you don’t need to put a brave face on it. You can tell it how it is and drown your sorrows.

Here’s another reason to commit to Castaway: I can count two dozen folks who are now beavering away on interesting projects that didn’t exist before they were becalmed on the Castaway desert island. Read: invoices in 2009!

Same rules apply. Bring your own booze and a snack. Bring an influential, amusing or beautiful friend. If you fall over, we can help you up again.

Background

We all work on little islands. Our offices float on a sea of urban flotsam and lots of other offices. We rarely have any idea who our neighbours are.

I’m picking up where the credit crunch has beached us. If we’re all lost, how can we band together to build some rafts and team spirit?

I give you Castaway. A beer-up with agency founders and general good eggs across digital, design, TV, advertising. No fancy speakers. Not even a fancy wine bar venue. Just a flashmob at someone’s office kindly laying on the first beer and peanuts. You bring the rest. Influential and/or interesting friends, a bag of booze and some optimism. Already I can report several agency-to-agency collaborations and money changing hands. We’ve had arguments. We’ve had tiffs. No snogs. But, lots of great cheer and nasty hangovers.

Sharing the love

My thanks to Big Al’s Creative Emporium for hosting Castaway1. And, AllofUs, who hosted Castaway2. Abig thank you for Castaway3 at FortuneCookie. Castaway4 was volunteered by the uber-friendly chaps at Someone. Castaway 5/6 hosted by VeloAgency. Cheers all!