Fettle Animation

An award-winning animation production company is seeking further glory.

Marsden-based Fettle Animation makes hand-drawn, 2D animation for broadcast, the internet and digital devices.

The five-strong company creates animated documentaries, children’s TV, music, videos, viral comedy and corporate promotional material with clients including the BBC, ITV, the Royal Armouries and the National Media Museum.

Run by couple Kath Shackleton and Zane Whittingham, the company has recently recruited graduate trainees supported by a creative skillset who have blossomed in their new-found roles and are helping the business to grow.

Fettle Animation has taken business advice from the Creative Industries Finance Scheme, from Growth Accelerator and from its bank to help the business expand.

Among this year’s highlights, Zane won a Royal Television Society Yorkshire One to Watch Award while the series Fettle Animation worked on with Children’s ITV – Share a Story – received a Children’s BAFTA.

The firm has been commissioned by BBC Learning to create a powerful new resource to help young people learn about the Holocaust. Children of the Holocaust is a series of six animations which bring to life interviews with elderly Holocaust survivors about their experiences of escape from the Nazis as children, plus short camera interviews about their lives subsequently.

The series is an online resource for schools and was broadcast during the autumn as well as being shown on BBC iPlayer.

Fettle Animation has also entered the project for a BAFTA and a series of international film and animation festivals. It is also finalising a deal to get the work shown on TV around the world.

Said Kath: “We are really proud of this piece of work and are getting great feedback and have delivered everything on schedule and within a tight budget.

“We have made a wide range of other types of animation, including animating the staff at Covea Insurance in Halifax for their annual awards ceremony, making a music video for Sheffield songstress Nat Johnson and a comedy music video for Alan Gregg, a musician from New Zealand.”

Kath said 2015 would see the company develop a new series with BBC Learning, pursue a new marketing and sales strategy with Growth Accelerator and enter its work in festivals in the UK and across the world.

She said: “We are genuine and passionate about what we do; we work hard to stay good at what we do and we work closely with the best people from the creative community around us. We are nurturing young graduates and helping them to grow and develop; we like people, listen well and we treat our contributors well. We respond quickly and provide good service to our clients; we network widely and keep getting out to meet new people.”

Paradigm Creative Ltd

A digital communications company in Huddersfield is working with some of the biggest names in business.

Paradigm Creative, based at Bates Mill, Colne Road, specialises in creating video content for clients including O2, Telefonica, Bupa, Arco and RSA Group to name just a few.

The four-strong team also links up with other specialist companies to deliver larger projects that fall outside its direct field of experience, enabling it to scale up to deliver projects that belie its size.

Katrina Cliffe, head of marketing, said: ““We work with clients to recognise the audience for their communications, what impact they are trying to achieve by communicating and to help them identify the correct channels to communicate through.

“We recognise that video is just one tool in any communicator’s box and that it is at its most powerful when deployed as part of a rounded communication plan.

“Our awareness of the context of the pieces that we create has helped us to add value to our clients by understanding the value of video before, during and after an event, the strengths and weaknesses of a corporate intranet as a communication channel and how to leverage social media to get the most out of any content created.”

Among its achievements during 2014, Paradigm Creative stepped in at short notice to organise a major event for Telefonica in London and Sao Paulo, Brazil – co-ordinating satellite feeds between the two venues, streaming the combined event from both locations over the internet to viewers in Europe, the US, Latin America and Australia and shooting and editing a video on site, which was available within minutes of the event finishing.

In another project, Paradigm worked with Provident Financial and partners to create a series of induction videos for new starters.

It also worked with the company to distribute tablets to its entire field-based workforce as well as creating a series of videos to tie in with the launch.

Paradigm Creative also worked with iCandy to provide product demonstration videos for the firm’s new baby strollers as well as working with the customer to provide social media content.

The next 12 months will see Paradigm Creative pursue a strategic growth plan following key appointments, including a head of marketing, an editor and an animator.

The company will target more blue-chip customers and increase its strategic partnerships with local and national creative and event agencies as well as capitalising on its knowledge of digital communications to advise clients, partners and other creative companies.

Said Katrina: “We’re a small, friendly and approachable team who love to do great work with interesting clients.

“There’s nothing that excites us more than a creative challenge.”

10 Associates

David Worthington of 10 Associates

They’re branding specialists who are “passionate advocates of intelligent design”.

David Worthington and Jill Peel set up 10 Associates in 2004 after working for some of the north’s leading agencies. After just four years, the company was named one of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK and both partners were listed in the prestigious Who’s Who of Britain’s Business Elite.

Among its highlights for 2014, the team at 10 Associates carried out a branding strategy for client AO.com, which has had a massive impact on the electrical retailer’s business.

AO.com floated in February with its shares soaring on debut by more than 40% – bigger in percentage terms than the Royal Mail flotation’s first day of trading.

David Worthington, managing director at 10 Associates, said: “Our ability to immerse ourselves in their business gave us the insight to truly develop a brand that reflects what their business represents and stands for.

“Through great design, clear brand architecture, major advertising campaign and a massive Facebook strategy, we have certainly made the difference!”

Following the news that 10 Associates played a big part in AO.com’s flotation success, the chief executive of Halfords got in touch – and the agency is now working on branding for the 450-store retailer. The brief was: “Please do the same with the Halfords brand that you did for AO”.

Mr Worthington said: “The attention that 10 is now getting and the opportunities that our Brandschool process is creating means that we have hit that pivotal moment in our 10 story.

He added: I believe that we stand out from our competition by the way we approach each branding project and our ability as a team to interpret the findings.

“Our process can work for any business. We don’t need to have had any previous experience in the client’s field, That’s truly a massive advantage in the competitive market we operate in.”

He said the agency, which is based at Wheatley Park, Mirfield, was now working on several other high profile branding projects and recruiting for additional members of the team.

Said Mr Worthington: “Our plan is to position ourselves firmly as a national branding specialist and continue to attract great brands to work with us as well as top talent to come and join us. We’re on an exciting journey that makes working here a pleasure.

“Down here at our fabulous Watermill in Mirfield, we have the opportunity to expand our office space if required.

“But we always maintain that what we offer is quality, not quantity. We work with clients that truly believe that great design is at the heart of their business.”