Castaway

Castaway is my latest London drink-up – held sporadically for agency folk to network, share ideas, clients and gossip. Digital, design, marketing, ads, publishing, web…

Since being ‘off-air’, we picked up an accolade as one of London’s most interesting networking events, without even trying. Click Oli Barrett’s blog – It’s all due to the company I’m keeping (that’s you interesting peepol, not me solo!).

This time, we’re kindly being hosted in Covent Garden by Steak Digital, run by Ollie Bishop, FD’d by ol’friend Jane Latham, non-exec’d by Mother FD Matt Clark. Steak was in the Sunday Times Techtrack as the UK’s 15th fastest growing tech business – they must be doing something right as they are also a Digital Media Agency of the Year! It’ll be fun to see their operation.

Spare desks at Steak are being kept warm by digital recruitment specialists Futureheads (www.wearefutureheads.co.uk) and a Loewy breakaway. I helped hatch Futureheads and I can categorically confirm the breakaway boys didn’t want me involved. First I knew of it was seeing them hotdesking next to the Futureheads.

Usual rules apply – Bring a 4-pack of beer, an influential friend, come at 6pm… be bold in chatting to complete strangers that do very similar things to you. Be cheerful and chase the blues away.

Venue: Steak Digital, Shorts Gardens, London WC2

Date: Wednesday, 21 Oct, 2009

Time: 6pm onwards

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 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!