Last night I attended the launch of BCP Film Office alongside approx. 199 other people at THIS Workspace in Bournemouth. Congrats to Amy Orchard, Claire Main and the team on a sellout success! Kudos also to Jackie Goddard who delivered a masterclass in event hosting. 👏
When I embarked on my AVCE in Media Communication and Production 20 years ago, it really could’ve gone either way in terms of which path I’d take, communication or production. As it happens, it was the former, but I’ve spent years around people working in the latter. I couldn’t do my job without collaborating with them.
In some ways I’ve become a conduit. When I taught at Bournemouth University, I developed a degree unit that taught the communicators soft production skills – the basics that have helped me to be able to appreciate the huge amount of work that goes into bringing our ideas to life and make us more effective (and respectful) when we’re briefing creative teams.
I’m always so proud to see this industry thriving in our local area. We’re truly spoilt for choice when it comes to accessing production services. This new initiative helps connect the dots, particularly for production companies outside the area looking to make use of both the scenery and talent we have in the conurbation.
In a parallel universe there’s a version of me who took the production route and attended last night as a local filmmaker working on their latest feature. In this reality I was there to represent Grapevine, our employee owned business, delivering managed IT & comms services and keen to support this sector wherever possible.
Liam Toms 