Category: News

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What a week it’s been!


(to borrow a phrase from @AlanCarr)
Saturday 4th September, Liberty842 celebrated one year in business! And the celebrations have lasted all week…

We are one!


On Sunday night, it was the series finale of Alan Carr: Chatty Man and we had a fantastic Twitter party from our respective sofa’s @chattyman with our 80,000 fans sharing Lambrini, Twiglets and laughs during the show.

On Monday we were cheering Alan Carr, Open Mike Productions and Channel 4 for winning the TV Choice Award for Best Entertainment Programme for Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

On Tuesday we were pitching in Soho and I was brainstorming ideas for The Archers 60th anniversary in W1. After which, we all met up again at David Downton‘s book launch at the amazing, set-in-aspic Dorchester hotel. We were star struck when we met Marie Helvin, Erin O’Connor and Carmen Del’Orefice (we can’t believe Carmen is 80 – she looks incredible).

David’s book, Masters of Fashion Illustration is, in his own words, about “a group of artists whose elegant, reductive line recorded and interpreted the world of fashion in a way that was unique”. The book is as gorgeous and full of the best fashion illustrations of the last century. David’s blog is soon to be launched, so watch this space!


Tuesday at the Dorchester for David Downton’s book launch

On Wednesday we took a peek at our new branding – which we’re VERY excited about (we hope to reveal all at the beginning of October). Then in the evening we were back with David at his book signing in Fenwick.


David Downton signing books in Fenwick

Thursday we were at a special birthday party and Friday was (almost) a day of well earned rest!


Happy birthday Mr Wan!

That’s not to mention last Friday’s trip to Manchester for a wonderful tour of the set of Coronation Street courtesy of ITV Studios.


At The Rovers, where I poured Newton & Ridley’s finest on my shoes, forgetting it was a working set!

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Monday – recorded and shared

We spent the day down in New Cross on Monday talking to the Metadesign students at Goldsmiths’ College. It was a fascinating day – it’s great to discuss what you do without it being a sales pitch! We discussed the merits of doing business in a highly networked world, and whether life really had changed that much since our respective childhoods – consensus was yes and no! The ubiquity of mobile phones and cameras has helped to create a world that is endlessly recorded and shared, but are teenagers, for example, really more conscious of their image today than they were a generation ago?

It was a bit of a family affair – Dad (his image recorded and duly shared below) spoke first about his long-running fascination (obsession?) with perspective and 3D imagery. His presentation was made up of photos, cardboard, pegs and mirrors – and very effective it was too.


Three dads – Peter Cresswell in 3D

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Happy Ada Lovelace day!

As two women who have worked with technology for over 15 years, it seems fitting to post today, to celebrate Ada Lovelace day. It seems right, in our first year in business, to celebrate all the women who have managed technology around the world.

LIBerty 8442 was our grandmother’s first telephone number and it inspired our name. As did the women who once worked in the telephone exchanges, who listened in and connecting callers. In the early days, they would have to remember all the numbers and match them with the names of people or businesses. (That’s our nan in the photo above.)

We found a lovely account of the work they did on the BBC WW2 People’s War Archives.

“We sat with heavy headphones on and like a trumpet attached to our chests… I had to sit at my desk and every call showed up in lights, there were lights at the bottom for incoming calls. They were white for private line and red for telephone boxes, so the private lines got priority. There was a large bank in front of me full of plug holes. When we answered the phone we used to say “number please” and then connect the callers.” (the account is by Edith Anne Simpson)

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Boards and dummies

– or how to run a corporation

Luke Johnson, chairman of Channel 4 has just written a thought-provoking article for the FT asking whether “replacing the entire board of directors of a major corporation with shop dummies” would make any difference to an organisation. He adds: “I’m confident most organisations would carry on regardless – and quite a few would unquestionably perform better.”

It’s an interesting idea – and one that’s particularly meaningful at a time when everything is geared towards leaner, fitter, more agile organisations. Liberty842 had a planning day yesterday and 90% of it was not theory but focused on getting things done. Building, making, creating. Granted, we’re not a major corporation by any means, but surely this is where the value lies.

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Filming Michael McIntyre

At the end of October, Daisy and I went up to Manchester to film comedian Michael McIntyre backstage at the colossal MEN Arena. From the footage, we created 10 mini videos to post on YouTube that aimed to give Michael’s fans a real insider’s view.

The content is directly related to Michael’s upcoming DVD, Hello Wembley – which was filmed on tour. It also supports the Twitter feed and Facebook group we’ve set up for Michael. All the videos are on our YouTube channel. Enjoy!

 

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Following the Twitterati boom

If you’ve followed the rise and rise of twitter, you may have noticed that it’s attracted a few celebs of late.

It’s now gone well beyond the digerati. Jonathan Ross (self-styled “Number One Twitter Detective”) is there using his celebrity contacts to cajole others to join. David Mitchell is now there (apparently Jeremy Clarkson’s “thinking about it”). You’ll also find the real Alan Carr along with Stephen Fry, Yoko Ono, John Cleeseand MC Hammer. Within six hours, the real David Mitchell attracted well over 1,000 followers.

Earlier this week, Ross asked for ideas for disguises as he had paparazzi camped in his garden. This authentic news (yes, it really is him) will help to put paid to the declining tabloids. However long their lenses, they won’t be able to see into the quirky mind of Ross – infinitely more entertaining than some blurry photo of Ross taking his dog for a walk – and free to follow.