Constellation Media News

INTERACTIVE E-MAILS & E-BLAST

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000Z

This time we won’t speak about the latest news in CM; in this post we’ll speak about our new products: E-MAIL, E-BLAST and V-BLAST.

Most of you probably think we’re all about making top-quality corporate films and animations. Of course we are, but there’s more to us than just that… In this post we’ll cover the interactive e-mails and e-blast feature.

E-mails are a great way to make closer contact with customers. It doesn’t rely on your customer remembering to visit your site, or seeing a print advertisement. You can personalise emails to suit the particular interests of that customer, instead of sending a generic brochure. Also, it’s a great way to get the film you have spent time and money making in front of the right people.

We don’t just design and prepare these e-mails – we can also send them out for you.

One of the frustrations with many marketing activities is that it can be very hard to tell what is working, and what is just costing money. When you conduct e-mail marketing with a system like ours, however, you can see very quickly what is working and what is not. An e-mailer is completely measurable, cost effective and immediate.

The benefits of outsourcing your e-mail delivery are:

- Easily measure the success of your campaigns: if you know who opened your e-mails, what they clicked on, who bounced and who unsubscribed, you can start to understand who your audience really is, and what they are interested in.

- Save time: you can subscribe and unsubscribe request, deal with bounced e-mails and spam complaints, and avoid hold ups on your own mail servers. Also the link activity reports makes it so easy to see what your subscribers found most interesting as well as who clicked and who did not.

- Secure, reliable and supported: With biometric security, uninterruptible power supplies and environmental control units, our physical security and reliability is state of the art.

- Focus on your customers, not your technology: in some cases, you can use your own e-mail client or some other in-house tool to add subscribers and deal with unsubscribe requests and bounces from bad e-mails all day…

To many people the term “e-mail marketing” automatically conjures images of e-mails intent on one thing – selling. In actual fact, there are number of types of e-mail communications you can use which are not directly sales related but can certainly contribute to their bottom line in other ways.

There are different types of e-mails…

VIDEO E-BLAST: Making films for our clients is really only half the story. A film is no good if no one knows it’s there. At Constellation Media we are committed to helping our clients get their film out to the people who need to see it. After all that’s what we made it for! A video e-blast is a great way of doing just that in an engaging and exciting way.

Quick Announcements, often called postcard emails – these are simple…

E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS: The primary intent of an e-mail newsletter is to further develop and nurture the relationship you already have with your customers.

CATALOGUE E-MAILS: A catalogue based e-mail is fairly self explanatory, being an electronic version of a print brochure listing particular products, with the primary goal to encourage customers to purchase.

PRESS RELEASES: If you have a list of media contacts that have given you permission to contact them, e-mail press releases can be a great way to attract news coverage.

So we’re not just another one-trick pony!

That’s all for now.

CM Team

@cmediauk

GOOD NEWS!!

2012-01-18T15:13:00.001Z

Today we want to dedicate our blog spot-light to our Super Sales Team. They’ve been working very hard since they started in October and we’re already seeing great results!

Tom started us off in December with a deal with Bristol-based Rapport Digital. They help small and medium businesses transform their results by using internet marketing and social media. We are currently doing some animation work for one of their clients.

Cathrine has followed Tom by landing a big deal with Alderley Plc. A big player in the oil and gas industry, Alderley design and manufacture bespoke metering and oil in water treatment solutions. The boys will shortly begin filming in Gloucestershire and Dubai. Ben has already started packing his shorts (we hope he’ll leave his Speedos behind).

Needless to say, we’re all very pleased with our new team. And this is just the beginning…

Back in the office, January is proving very busy and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down one bit. Already this week the boys have been filming with Taunton School, M&N Electrical and will be filming the last piece for our BBC Inside Out West programme on Friday. Exciting stuff!

We’d also like to announce that this Saturday is Michelle’s birthday! Our Operations Director will be turning 25 and we all want to wish her a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Hopefully she’ll survive the weekend…

CM Team

@cmediauk

Happy New Year!

2012-01-10T14:08:00.004Z

Happy New Year!! Hopefully you're all back behind your desks, full of hope and expectation for a strong 2012. Here at Constellation Media we are looking forward to some good times and interesting projects over the next few months. In corporate speak- "our pipeline looks good".

We've got a few projects on the go at the moment, incluidng the inaugural Wallace &Gromit's Children's

Foundation Charity Golf Day at Bowood Hotel, Resort&Spa on May 11th. There are a few places available, plus many sponsorships opportunities, so if you want to get involved please email Ben at ben.white@constellation-media.com. Many teams have already signed up, so don't wait too long to register if you want to be part of it.

We're also in production on a film for BBC Inside Out West, about a well-known local figure down here in Somerset. We're shooting the last piece of the programme next week, and it will be on TV in February. We'll keep you posted on this, when a transmission date is confirmed.

Finally, we are hosting a series of seminars at the Business 2012 event in March at the O2 in London. Quite a few people have registered, and we're excited about the event. For more information have a look at the website: http://www.business2012.com/exhibitors/constellation-media

Back to the office, last week we were filming for Kawasaki with keynote speaker Nick Drake Knight ( Performance in People) and we will be filming at Taunton School most of next week on another exciting project for them.

That's all for now! Here's to a great 2012!

CM Team

@cmediauk

December

2011-12-19T10:44:00.001Z

Christmas is getting closer and as with every year some members of the team attended the Bristol Pub Rally . This year's lucky drinkers were Isabel and Cat. Our fancily-dressed team, headed by Lloyds Banking Group's Mel Joseph was called “Rockin' around the Christmas tree” and was made up of two snowmen, two Christmas trees and two Christmas Angels. In the Rally we had to follow clues to find six pubs and take part in party games in each one: plus we had to share a special performance of our own - which involved pole-dancing and putting as many sweets as you can in your mouth. Our performance improved every time, probably due to the increasing drunkenness.

Also, last week we did Dan’s Christmas Quiz. The quiz had 71 questions and 6 rounds: Slogans, General Knowledge, Movies, What Am I?, Movie Posters, and Music.

The winner of The Christmas Quiz 2012 (predictably) was Ben with 42 points. He's still waiting for his prize... could be waiting a long time...

Finally, the last week Luke Scholefield joined the team for a bit work experience … he is very a lucky boy because on friday we were braving the weather by going to Exeter to shoot the first part of a piece for the BBC… if you want to know what the film is about, you'll have to follow our blog over the next couple of months…intriguing eh?

That’s all for now. Remember that you can still book a place for your team to be part of the 2012 Wallace & Gromit Golf Day the 11th of May at Bowood resort.

Email Ben: ben.white@constellation-media.com

CM Team
@cmediauk

Tea Party

2011-12-09T12:42:00.001Z

Last Wednesday we had the "CM Tea Party" to raise some money for Wallace & Gromit Children's foundation. We've been working with them during the last few months so we thought that this was a good way to help them.

We all baked cakes, Michelle brought in a coffee machine and we also got out our special Yorkshire Tea teapot to brew up a proper cuppa.

We had lot of different kind of cakes, brownies, passion cake, chocolate cake, cheesecake, apple cake and Flapjacks. It was quite difficult waiting till 3pm to start the party with all the cakes staring at us from Cathrine's desk!!

The party was very successful, we had lots of fun!! About fifteen people joined in and together we raised £101!!

We're thinking we'll have a party every Wednesday - but maybe we'll get too fat!

Have a look at some of our party photos. Maybe you want to join us in the next one.

Also this week, we've been filming for NHS and we all have our brand new business cards.

That's all for now. Remember that you can still book a place for your team to be part of the 2012 Wallace & Gromit Golf Day the 11th of May at Bowood resort.

Email Ben: ben.white@constellation-media.com

CM Team

@cmediauk

Business 2012 !!!!

2011-11-30T12:50:00.007Z

Over the last couple of months our sales team has been attending an array of different networking events hosted by Creative Bath, The Best of Bath, The Best of Bristol and The Bristol Business Growth Show.

To keep this momentum building, we have decided to get involved with Business 2012 which will take place in March 2012 at the O2 in London. With more than 35,000 expected visitors and keynote speakers Lord Alan Sugar and Sir Richard Branson, this is promising to be the business event of 2012 so don’t miss out!

Get your free delegate ticket before they sell out!

You can see our official exhibitor profile with our two exclusive show packages here:

http://www.business2012.com/exhibitors/constellation-media

This time we want to be involved in all the activities on offer, so we have decided to hold two seminars of our own as well. We are still working out the details, but the first ideas are:

- How video can enhance your brand

- Choosing the right destination for your video

What do you think? Would you like to go to any of them? Book your seat on the website now as they’re on a first come, first served basis…

We will be updating all the news here for the event.

Also, this week we’ve been filming for M&N Electrical in the Hampshire town of Havant, and at Taunton School.

As always, stay tuned for regular updates via twitter: @cmediauk

CM Team

NEW CLIENTS

2011-11-24T09:32:00.006Z

Over the last couple of months we have landed quite a few new clients, including (in no particular order!)...

M&N Electrical, who are specialists in providing wastewater filter applications and services for the industrial and municipal wastewater treatment sector. We're filming with them next week for a video e-blast.

MJ Wilcox, a solar panel installation company. We're designing and building their new website, as well as making a promo film to go with it.

Kelston Sparkes, always offering experience and commitment to the quarry and construction industries. We are designing a new website for them.

And last but not least, we've done a few e-blasts for Ogilvy Fastforward, and infographics for Ogilvy Health PR.

As you can see, we've got a wide variety of clients!

Also this week we were filming for the Osteoporosis Society at St James's Palace, and at the Wallace & Gromit Tea Party with top TV cook Mary Berry. You can see a picture of Sam getting all dressed up to meet The Duchess of Cornwall on Twitter. We thought he looked quite a bit like a certain 007 agent... or maybe a waiter. You decide.

Last week we had crews shooting in both Edinburgh and London for Lloyds TSB. Busy time for all of us!

Finally, a reminder to all of you that you can still book a place for your team to be part of the 2012 Wallace & Gromit Golf Day the 11th of May at Bowood resort.

Email Ben: ben.white@constellation-media.com

CM Team
@cmediauk

Wallace & Gromit Golf Day 2012

2011-11-18T13:09:00.005Z

It's been a hectic week in the office with one film crew out in London and another all the way up in Edinburgh. Judging by our calendar, next week will be just as busy - but at least we'll have our Christmas party to look forward to!

We have also started planning our big event for next year - the 1st annual Wallace & Gromit Golf Day. Together with our good friends at the Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation we will be raising money for sick children in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK. The event will be hosted by Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf and will take place on the 11th of May 2012. Several teams have already signed up, so if you want to take part please email Ben at ben.white@constellation-media.com. You need four golfers for each team. We will supply you with a bacon roll and coffee upon arrival, hog roast in the middle of the day and a wonderful dinner with entertainment and fabulous prizes!

If you don't play golf but still want to support the charity, don't worry - there's plenty of things to do at Bowood. As a hotel guest you get full access to the luxurious spa resort. Alternatively, you could sponsor anything from a hole to a banner, or you could sponsor a prize for our evening raffle. If you're unsure how to contribute, contact Ben and he'll find the ideal package for you or your company.

We're already very excited about this - especially the Constellation Media golf-enthusiasts. Please help us spread the word and get your teams signed up!

As usual, follow us on twitter for the latest news and updates: @cmediauk

The CM team.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!!

2011-11-01T17:04:00.006Z

Today we celebrated the first anniversary of the move to our "new" offices in Stanton Drew. It's been an interesting year, packed with change for Constellation Media and the parent group.

When we made the move we were a team of just 5, and a year later we are now 8 - including a Spaniard and a Norwegian... and the acquisition of Goult Creative means the bar bill at this year's Christmas party is going to hit the coffers hard! As the great John Lennon said: "strange days indeed, most peculiar mama."
So the Prosecco has been downed today, and the chocolate cake scoffed. Thanks to all of you for supporting our endeavours,and here's to another year and who knows, maybe another move...aaaaaargh!

In other news… last week the very lovely Georgie Spinney came in for a couple of days work experience with us to learn about the business. We even took her to the Pelly for a (non-alcoholic) drink, and look forward to seeing her again soon.

Play Me!

2011-10-24T13:39:00.005+01:00

After six months of hard work our DVD Rom is finally here.

It's green, of course, and features an animation showreel, testimonials, virals and our newest product - the video e-blast! We're currently doing a special offer on the latter so you can say Happy Christmas to your customers in a creative way.

The DVD was produced by master designer Nathan from our sister company, Goult Creative. They've also designed an amazing booklet to go with the DVD.

As you can probably tell, we're very proud of our new marketing tool. Some of our lucky clients have already received it and the feedback so far has been more than positive. Cathrine will also be handing it out at the next Lloyds Business Breakfast...

If you want to check it out, email Cathrine (cathrine.svendsen@constellation-media.com) or facebook us and we'll pop it in the post for you!

Stay tuned for regular updates via twitter: @cmediauk

The CM team.

Growing Up!!

2011-10-17T16:35:00.022+01:00

In the last few months CM has grown significantly, with a new sales department made up of Cathrine and Tom.

Pressing ahead with our quest for pan-European domination, Cat hails from the wintry shores of Norway. Her role is to secure a pipeline of work, through sourcing and meeting potential clients. Heading up the sales efforts of Constellation Media is naturally a dream she has always had, and now that dream has come true. A graduate of Bath Spa Uni, Cat is going to be knocking on a door near you very soon.

Tom works alongside Cat in the Sales team, targeting potential clients to drive the business forward. An experienced team player, and the leading light of Chew Magna Football Club, Tom knows literally everyone in the Chew Valley, bar none.

Also, our office is becoming more homely every day; we've got two new desks and new sets of shelves to store all of our equipment. If you have never been to our office, here are a few pictures.

Stay tuned for regular updates via twitter: @cmediauk

CM Team

The Constellation Group Announcement

2011-10-05T10:14:00.005+01:00

Constellation Media's parent company The Constellation Group Ltd. is delighted to announce the acquisition of Goult Creative, a digital design agency based in Nottinghamshire. Goult Creative brings complementary skills to the Group's existing brands- Constellation Media and Teevisual.

Mark Scoble, Managing Director of The Constellation Group Ltd., said: " This acquisition allows us to help our clients to find the best delivery platform for the films we produce for them. Bringing these skills under the Group umbrella gives us greater flexibility, and enhances our overall offering to clients. Producing video is at the core of our business, and now we have a fantastic in-house solution to delivering these products, which makes the future extremely exciting."

Nathan Goult, Creative Director of Goult Creative said: "I'm really pleased to be joining forces with The Constellation Group. We've been working together for some time, and the synergy between our businesses has always been clear. Having the opportunity to formalise the relationship is fantastic and my team and I are relishing the chance to collaborate more meaningfully. We look forward to sharing our skills with their clients, and equally bringing their experience to our clients."

SPORTS MONTH

2011-08-09T10:16:00.003+01:00

It's been a busy month of post-production here at CM HQ.

Last weekend we were filming the British Eventing at Princess Anne's home Gatcombe, with Chinese Olympian Alex Hua Tian and Fred (his horse). They finished 3rd in the Novice Championship.

If you don’t know Alex, he is China’s first Olympic Rider. At just 18 years old he was the youngest equestrian rider at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Check out his website to find more information: http://alexhuatian.co.uk

Also, this month we’ve been filming some aerial shots of a major local golf course for our partner company Teevisual. You'll find out more information about this in our next post.

Finally, a combined Constellation Media/BBC Bristol Cricket team took on a team from Chew Magna a couple of weeks ago, and saw the opposition off without too much of a problem.

CM @cmediauk

Sweet Dreams

2011-07-15T13:28:00.001+01:00

Hello everybody!

Last Saturday Constellation Media was at the Chew Valley Bed Race - the first staging of the race for several years.

If you were there you probably saw Jonty filming from the back of the car dodging eggs and flour, and Isabel going around the place taking some photos.

Congratulations to the winners, it was a really good event and we are sure that next year will be even better.

Below you can see our promotional film so ∑ if you weren‚t there you can see what you missed!

Also, you can see some photos on our Facebook page.

In other news, Constellation Media has a new uniform! You may well see us sporting our new black shirts and green coats. We're quite the dapper company you know.

Finally if you go to Southmead Hospital in Bristol today (and we naturally hope you don't have to!!) you might see Dan and Sam filming the new NHS Hospital.

That‚s enough for now!

See you soon!

Constellation's Media interview

2011-06-23T12:45:00.001+01:00

Our esteemed leader Mr Mark Scoble was a guest on Dr Phil's Saturday Suergery on BBC Radio Bristol last Saturday.

Here is the interview, with Ben's astonishing animation, discurssing Wrong Trousers Day.

Early Summer update

2011-06-21T11:43:00.006+01:00

Morning all,

I'm sure you need no reminding that June 24th is Wrong Trousers Day. In fact I'm sure you already have your dubious pantaloons at the ready. Hopefully you've all seen our extremely well-received viral film celebrating Wrong Trousers Day in association with Wallace and Gromit's Children’s Foundation, a film most notable for shots of Mark Scoble in a tutu.

Big thanks to all the people who were part of this project: Bristol Children's Hospital, QEH School, The Pure Feed Company, The Pelican Chew Magna, and Lucy and Harry!!

If you haven’t seen it yet, shame on you. But here it is:

Also this month was the launch of the “Hot Drinks Harm” film for the North Bristol NHS Trust. The film was made to highlight the risks of tea and coffee scalds on children. Amazingly, burns injuries from tea or coffee account for 60% of admissions to the South West UK Children's Burns Centre at Frenchay. Hopefully this short, powerful film will help raise awareness, and save a few families from this kind of traumatic experience. It was featured on BBC Points West, and ITV West, demonstrating the powerful marriage of the PR machine and compelling film-making.

Also, our teams have travelled to London and Switzerland over the last couple of weeks with our client Ogilvy 4D. It wasn't all work work work though, as you can see from some photos of the wonderful views of Lugano on our Facebook page.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for regular updates via twitter: @cmediauk

The CM team.

Coffee, Cheese and Racing Beds

2011-05-19T15:47:00.005+01:00

Afternoon friends,

Well the sun has got his hat on, and we're all singing hip hip hip hooray, ignoring the fact that the plants in our gardens are suffering. Ho hum.

We've had a good Spring from a work perspective, and are heading into the Summer months with our usual positivity and optimism. Things to look out for from CM Towers in the next few weeks include:

This weekend Jonty and Mark are filming at the Bath Coffee Festival, for our new client Taylors Of Harrogate, who are the main sponsor of the event. If you're heading down there make sure you find the boys and say hello. Jonty (who doesn't drink coffee) is full of beans at the prospect of working latte into the night, and Mark is promising to wear his tweed (cappu) Chinos. You won't fail to spot him if he's there.

Also today was the first shooting day on our viral for Wallace and Gromit's Children's Foundation. These guys do amazing work to raise money to improve the lives of sick children across the UK, and we are delighted to be playing a part in raising awareness for their forthcoming "Wrong Trousers Day". During production we will be actively posting updates and amusing photos on Twitter (@cmediauk) and our Facebook page, so stay tuned.

Elsewhere, we also want to congratulate our friends at AGD Systems, who have been awarded the Queen's Award For Enterprise in the Innovation category for the second time. We have a series of films in production for AGD, which will be launching soon.

Last but not least, we are proud to be the official media partners of the 2011 Chew Valley Bed Race. If you're unsure as to what this is, it's a load of beds having a race. Genuinely. Click on the name for more info.

That's more than enough for now. As I said, follow us on Twitter for regular updates, and a new blog will be heading your way soon.

The CM Team.

What our latest client says about us...

2011-03-17T09:05:00.003Z

Good morning all. We always like to hear what our clients think of us, and fortunately the feedback is usually positive! Recently we have completed an animation to support the launch of London-based Sub2 Technology, who are going to be serious movers and shakers in web technology as their business grows.

We have worked closely with the Sub2 guys to find a way to get their message across in a simple way to their prospective clients, and judging by this message from Managing Partner Tony Lawes, they're pretty happy:

"Here at Sub2 we wanted to enable potential clients to get a quick understanding of what our technology does. The scope of the technology is large, but Constellation Media made it understandable and succinct. We did not realise that a 90-second animated video could could be as effective as it has been. We now open all our meetings with the video, and the conversation then moves quickly onto the next level. It has helped us to effectively win more business and get more people engaged with Sub2 Technology."

Buenos dias mis amigos!

2011-02-24T14:04:00.005Z

Here at Constellation Media we are strong believers in forging relationships with our European neighbours. So much so that we have been joined for six months by Isabel Fernandez, as part of the Leonardo programme. Isabel hails from Zaragoza, and studied at the Blanquerna Universitat Ramon Llul in beautiful Barcelona.

Amongst her tasks over the next half-year are to teach us how to say more in Spanish than “dos cervezas por favor”.

As you will have previously read, we also have a new boy: Jonty Egginton, who is from the somewhat less glamorous East Grinstead (apologies to anyone this may offend). We can now unveil a photograph of Jonty, as well as Isabel. I think you’ll be able to work out who is who.

Other news from the Stanton Drew HQ: we’ve got several projects on the go at the moment, for clients such as Lloyds Banking Group, AGD Systems and Bath and North East Somerset council.

We are about to embark on an exciting project with cutting edge London technology gurus Sub2 as well, which will form part of the initial marketing collateral of their newly formed business.

Also we have just completed the main film for the new Winchester Cathedral website, which goes live on February 28^th, featuring an introduction from the Dean of Winchester, the Very Reverend James Atwell.

So, lots of exciting stuff going on to keep us off the streets, and some more projects in the pipeline that we will be sure to keep you posted about.

Adios mis amigos, y buenas noches.

New CM Team Member!

2011-01-27T10:06:00.001Z

he growth of a business brings many challenges, not least the management of an ever-increasing workload. Constellation Media started out as a team of three people back in the Autumn of 2007, and each year we've added a new team member to bolster our capabilities and improve our offering to clients.

Michelle has settled in to the team very quickly, and in February we are being joined by Jonty Eggington. Jonty is a young man of many talents (at least that's what his CV says), and we're all looking forward to working with him.

Another way of improving our offering has been to introduce improved animation options for our clients. This opens up different methods of communicating their messages to their global audiences, and is fast becoming a core part of our business offering.

Also, preparations are underway for the SNAP 2011 Charity Golf Classic at the Manor House, Castle Combe. Last year Constellation Media 1 finished a close second, so we're aiming to take the title this year. Results will follow later in the year!

Happy New Year

2011-01-11T13:43:00.005Z

Well the snow has melted here in Somerset, and Christmas is fast becoming a distant memory, but that's OK.

2010 was another successful year for us at Constellation Media, with 100% growth on the previous twelve months for the third consecutive year. But retirement is not on our personal agendas just yet, and we hope 2011 brings further growth for the business.

We believe strongly in supporting our people and investing in our team, and we are pleased to announce that three of our key team members have been rewarded for their commitment with the opportunity to become shareholders in the business.

This internal reward is also something that we feel benefits our clients. By making efforts to secure our team we know that we can provide the best possible service and top class products to the organisations we do business with.

So, we wish all of you a prosperous 2011 and hope to hear from you soon!

Constellation Media Autumn Update!

2010-11-22T16:10:00.008Z

The more observant of you may have noticed our shiny new Constellation Media car travelling the highways and byways of Europe over the last couple of months. And not only do we have a new set of wheels we’ve got a lovely new HQ as well, nestled in the Chew Valley village of Stanton Drew. Seriously, we’ve got cows and everything.

Here is MD Mark killing two birds with one stone by modelling the new motor in front of the new office.

In between relocating and whizzing along in the Citroen, we’ve also been doing a lot of business, which is obviously nice! The boys have been all over the place in a good way – Stockholm, Denmark, Birmingham… making films for the BBC, Watermeadow Medical, and Lloyds Banking Group, amongst others.
We’ve also been working with some new clients, including Circuit Hospitality, which involved filming at Villa Park on Europa Cup night, which was great fun. Another new client is Redwood Strip Curtains…you’ll never guess what they do!

We must be doing something right, because plenty of our valued clients over the last months and years are also coming back for more work. We’ve produced a series of training videos with the inspirational Nick Drake-Knight at our old pals Performance In People from the Isle of Wight, as well as a couple of charity films with the North Bristol NHS Trust and their partners Barnardo’s and Shine.

As we approach Christmas we’re busier than ever before, and can’t wait for even more success in 2011. Thanks to everyone who has worked with us, and we look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Constellation Media Summer Update!

2010-07-27T20:55:00.000+01:00

Constellation Media is pleased to announce a new arrival… we’ve been joined by Business Support Manager Michelle Stark, pictured here. Michelle brings a wealth of experience to the team, having worked at Chepstow and Hereford Racecourses as a Marketing Executive. Her arrival marks an exciting new era for Constellation as we build on our positive first half of 2010. Feel free to welcome her by sending an email.

One of our new clients this year is dynamic healthcare communications company Fishawack. We were delighted to win some exciting work with them on location in Italy, and look forward to building a strong relationship over the coming months and years. Thanks to Jeanette Harrison and Martin Callaghan at Fishawack.

Through our ongoing alliance with mystery shopping organisation Performance in People we have also recently completed our first job for Mazda. This involved a two day shoot at Romford Mazda in Essex, to create a film and interactive training programme for their showroom staff, featuring an introduction from Jeremy Thomson, Managing Director of Mazda Motors UK Ltd. Many thanks to Amarjit Shokar and his team at Romford Mazda who made us feel so welcome.

Another new client this year is Nutwell Logistics in Westbury, manufacturers of the ResponStor™ body storage system. This amazing piece of equipment can be deployed to mass fatality incidents, theatres of conflict and natural disasters around the world, as well as being used as temporary mortuaries by NHS Trusts across the UK. Sounds pretty grim, but nobody was hurt during the making of the film. Thanks to Scribe Marketing in Bath for their introduction and collaboration in making this a successful product.

On a more light-hearted note (if that is possible), July also marked the annual SNAP Charity Cricket match, this year staged at Chippenham Cricket Club in Wiltshire. The BBC West team took on SNAP patron Amanda Parr’s XI, which featured Constellation’s Mark Scoble and Ben White. The BBC won the game for the second consecutive year in spite of an excellent individual performance from Will Hammond (son of Dr Phil Hammond, who incidentally was out first ball). The teams are pictured below, and thanks to the Chippenham Rotary Club and all at Chippenham Sports Club for helping make the day fun for all concerned, and importantly the event raised several hundred pounds for the SNAP charity. Thanks also to Richard Bailey at Avery’s Wine Merchants of Bristol for donating bottles of wine to the highest performing batsman and bowler on the day.

SNAP Golf Day Part 2

2010-04-19T09:26:00.004+01:00

l-r Bob Coomber, Tom Deller, Damian Connop, Dan Coomber.

SNAP Golf Day

2010-04-19T08:33:00.002+01:00

The sun was shining (more than usual), the birds were heckling from the trees, and Constellation Media 2 were crumbling under the pressure of the cheers coming from the vast crowd that followed Constellation Media 1 around the course. Much like last year, CM 1 (Scoble, White, Twentyman and Cross) gave CM 2 (Coomber, Coomber, Deller and Connop) a good whooping, and finished 2nd of 23 entrants, having gone round The Manor House in 63 (nine below par).

And now, for your delectation, here are some images of this great victory! More to follow...

Springtime!

2010-04-08T17:14:00.002+01:00

Only a week to go until the world-renowned Constellation Media 1 and Constellation Media 2 golf teams compete in the prestigious SNAP Charity Golf Classic at the Manor House, Castle Combe. Some big names this year: CM1: Mark Scoble , Ben White, Matt Cross from Scalable Communications and Geoff Twentyman, BBC Bristol Sports Editor. CM2: the Coomber Brothers (Dan and Bob), Tom Deller from B&NES and Damo Connop from Double Art.

Watch this space for a results update and confirmation of CM1's victory.

Elsewhere, we can also confirm that the film we made for the Jelf Group is now up and available to view on their website. PLAY. This is a B2B film that is used across the various parts of the Jelf Group. And we liked what they offered so much we have even signed up for the product...

Celebration...

2010-02-25T09:20:00.003Z

We're delighted to announce that we've been awarded a contract with North Bristol NHS Trust to provide a series of films over the next twelve months. We've raided the cupboards and managed to assemble a celebration breakfast consisting of half a pint of prosecco each and three pains au chocolat. Nice.

Vodafone Viral Reaches Landmark!

2010-02-17T13:57:00.002Z

Our 2009 viral video for Vodafone (apologies for the V heavy sentence there) has received in excess of 2 MILLION HITS!!

If you are one of the few people who hasn't seen it yet just click PLAY to see what all the fuss is about.

New Year, New Clients

2010-02-17T13:46:00.005Z

We're well into 2010 now, and are delighted to be working with a number of new clients. We've made a series of internal communications pieces for Lloyds TSB, and have recently started work on a film for Isle of Wight-based mystery shopping company Performance in People.

We're also merrily bouncing along with some returning clients, including our lovely friends at Tourism South East, At-Bristol, and Taunton School.

Stay tuned for more news!

Happy New Year

2010-01-07T11:53:00.003Z

Well, the festive period is over, and we're back to work in spite of the so-called "Big Freeze" that has gripped the South West. So, here's a little taster of what we're experiencing in Chew Magna this morning. Quite nice really isn't it?

Working Into Winter

2009-12-08T11:33:00.002Z

No rest for the wicked team at Constellation Media. We're busier than ever, working with new clients and (in the nicest possible sense) old ones as well. So, here's a brief update for all you fans of our work...

We've just made a piece for Tomahawk Radio, with our good pals at Double Art, putting an entertaining spin on the rebranding of Original 106.5 in Bristol. In the space of a few days this video has become the most-viewed in the history of the Bristol Evening Post website. Check it out: PLAY VIDEO and click on the Mike Ford on Original window. Stars Jed Pitman. Ooooooooooooh.

Right, so what else... we've just completed our first piece in partnership with Bath creative agency South, for JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee). The film is about the increasing use of digital technology in academic research, and is presented by our good pal Dr Phil Hammond. Check it out: PLAY JISC VIDEO.

Also we're mid-project with both the North Bristol NHS Trust on a series of Patient Video Diaries, and Allocate Software on the implementation of their e-rostering system in various NHS Trusts. So watch this space for more news on these jobs.

In the meantime, good friends, here is a little festive treat for you all. Have a very merry Christmas, and hopefully we'll all share in a prosperous 2010.

PLAY CHRISTMAS TREAT

October update

2009-10-28T15:18:00.009Z

It’s been a busy month for us, with plenty of filming and editing, and new work coming in. We have done some more filming for the Tourism South East Fresh Skills for Chefs project, including a Chefs' Tour of Hastings, taking in a vineyard, a bakery and a dairy amongst other things. Less pleasant was the very early (6am) start at Billingsgate Fish Market, and the smell that went with it! We have also started a new project for TSE about Customer Care, and we basked in the October sunshine whilst filming at the Olympic rowing site Dorney Lake, and nearby town of Windsor.

Dan has been particularly busy this month with our ongoing work with Taunton School, filming and editing several videos for them. This has also led to several other schools requesting quotes for similar work.

One of the two BBC jobs that we have been filming recently went out on Monday 26th October on Inside Out West. We followed local explorer David Hempleman-Adams’ quest to win a second successive Gordon Bennett Balloon race. Keep your eye’s peeled for our next piece due to air in early December.

This month also saw the delivery of the first of four videos for Winchester City Council. Our festivals film, set to the music of Iglu and Hartley, can be seen here. Next weekend we are off the bonfire celebrations in Winchester, and we are in the process of editing there second film: conferences.

Broxton

2009-09-29T16:15:00.002+01:00

We recently made a video for Broxton, a Cirencester based company who provide precision sheet metalwork. Sounds dull?! Not at all! Their incredible machinery is quite mesmerising, and we filmed every element of their production, from design and development, to assembly and integration. Thanks to all the members of staff who braved on camera interviews. The results will soon be visible on their website:

http://www.broxton.com

Wedding Bells

2009-09-29T16:08:00.004+01:00

There's been a mood of celebration around the Constellation Media office for the last few weeks. Firstly Dan and his wife Ruth had their first child, then, at the end of the very same week we got rid of Ben on honeymoon for three weeks. Here he is with his lovely bride Amanda. A grand day was had by all at Wells Cathedral, then at Lady Farm, helped in no small part to the gallons of scrumpy that were available. One of the key moments was the world premiere of Benny Manilow's "Mandy" which you can watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3oVgWDSkFk

This was Ben's personal tribute to his new wife, with guitars by Drew Lawery, and a Constellation Media-produced video! Amazing stuff....or something...

The Mystery Dining Company

2009-09-02T17:20:00.009+01:00

This week we have been filming with one of our new clients, The Mystery Dining Company. As their name suggests they provide brand, service and food benchmarking services to the hospitality industry, by way of mystery diners. For more information on what they do see their website:

https://www.mysterydining.co.uk/

On Tuesday we packed up Dad’s (Mark’s) car and headed off to the big smoke. We were filming at The Old Laundry, in Marylebone. It’s a fantastic space, full of funky furniture and quirky décor. We were also inundated with delicious food and a well stocked (soft) drinks fridge.

www.whatifinnovation.com/

But that is not what we were there for! We were interviewing several clients of the MDC, getting their thoughts on mystery dining, and how their companies have benefited from using MDC.

Not everyone can get in front of a camera for the first time and act naturally, answer questions, and avoid looking down the lens. However, we were blessed on Tuesday with some very good interviewees, who did themselves and the MDC proud. Many thanks to the following companies for coming along:

http://www.pontis.co.uk/

http://www.dimt.co.uk/

http://www.foodandfuelpubs.co.uk/

http://www.coventgardenrestaurants.com/

Yesterday we sheltered from the glorious sunshine inside Wagamama’s on York Buildings in Bath. We made a ‘Question of Sport’ style mystery diner video. Big thanks to the staff there, and in particular Didou our star waitress, and the chef’s who cooked up a couple of delicious meals for our diners. To experience the culinary delights of Wagamama’s find your local restaurant at:

http://www.wagamama.com/

At-Bristol!

2009-09-01T11:56:00.009+01:00

Last week we spent the day playing, I mean working, at At-Bristol, the interactive hands on science centre in Bristol. We are making a video to appear on their new website, and we had a fun filled but hard working day covering all the exciting exhibits and activities.

The new Animate It! experience gives visitors the opportunity to make their own animation, creating characters, story boards and show reels, and also allows this to be emailed to friends and family and accessed from home via their website:

http://www.at-bristol.org.uk/explore/Animateit.htm

Ben was very proud of his piece ‘Man and Fox’.

Our favourite part of the morning was definitely the tv studio, although it felt a bit surreal filming kids filming each other!

The highlight of the day however was a surprise visit from none other than Wallace and Gromit, who were very obliging and let us have a photograph with them! Ben was overwhelmed with emotion after a hug from Gromit!

We ended the day in the Planetarium, which is a stunning space that has hourly shows providing a journey through space. Thanks to At-Bristol for accommodating our filming and letting us ‘try out’ some of the exhibits!

http://www.at-bristol.org.uk/

Howzat? SNAP Charity Cricket Match

2009-08-17T11:16:00.007+01:00

The weather held, the birds were chirping in the trees, and Dr Phil Hammond was chirping in the slips. Sunday August 16th was the inaugural SNAP Cricket Match, between a SNAP XI led by our own Ben White, and the BBC Bristol All Stars, captained by Steve Brodie. Simply by looking at the two team photos you can probably judge who won - yes, the team without the beer...

Yes, it was a defeat, but a spirited performance at Long Ashton from the SNAP XI featured notable contributions of 54 from Drew Lawery, (back row third from right) and a stunning 37 from Constellation Media's gaffer Mark Scoble, (top photo, front row, centre).

The aim was to raise money for SNAP (the St Nicholas School Appeal for a Pool) , through donations and burger sales. The burgers were a great hit - flipped by BBC starlets Amanda Parr and Charlotte Callen, with some fine cups of tea coming from Points West reporter Jules Hyam (when he worked out how to use the urn).

"Mark Scoble disconsolately leaving the pitch after giving his wicket away cheaply..."

A great day was had all round, and the SNAP team is already eyeing the opportunity for revenge in 2010.

Thanks to all who took part: SNAP - (Ben White, Mark Scoble, Drew Lawery, Matt Cross, Jerome Kariyawasam, Mike Gough, Colin Moore, John Coughlan, Phil Hammond, Will Hammond, Chris Tellegen.) BBC - (including Steve Brodie, David Passmore, Richard Angwin, Sabet Choudhury, Andrew Plant, Rob Scanlon, John Bennett, Mark Kirton, Damian Derrick).

The Supreme Mary Wilson

2009-08-05T09:44:00.016+01:00

All images: Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council
Dresses from the collection of Mary Wilson Enterprises, Inc. “Supreme Legacy”.

The Supreme Mary Wilson

Our old friends at Bath and North East Somerset Council are currently exhibiting ‘The Story of the Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection’ at the Fashion Museum. As part of their promotion for this fantastic display of more than 50 original stage costumes worn by the Supremes, we were lucky enough to film some of the exciting parts of the weekend, and work with the legend that is Mary Wilson.

We kicked off with an early start on the Saturday morning to make a quirky short film with Mary and the gorgeous Gemma Dallimore from B&NES, who was Mary’s guide for the weekend. Mary arrived fashionably late, and was everything you would expect from such an icon of the music world, a true diva but in the nicest sense of the word. She was very accommodating to our filming, and even threw in a few suggestions of her own; I think she might be after a job with us! To see the fruits of our labour use the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNVmV6Fo7UY&feature=related

We returned on the Sunday to shoot ‘In Conversation with Mary Wilson’ hosted by Paul Gambaccini, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. During this interview we were also treated to some of the Wilson lung power, as she sang snippets from the old Motown classics. This was followed by the official launch party at the Assembly Rooms, featuring Bath’s Vocal Works Gospel Choir singing hits from the Supremes. A video of both the interview and the launch party will be available shortly on the Fashion Museum website. The exhibition, which this year is celebrating Motown’s 50th Anniversary, runs from the 25th July to the 31st August and is well worth a visit!

http://videos.constellation-digital.com/supremes/

All images: Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Dresses from the collection of Mary Wilson Enterprises, Inc. “Supreme Legacy”.

New Work

2009-07-23T17:28:00.000+01:00

As well as our recent BBC commission, we’ve also won some repeat work from our good friends and longstanding clients AGD Systems. The team will be heading up to Gloucestershire in August to shoot their latest innovative product in the world of pedestrian detection systems.

Also we are delighted to start work with a new client – the Mystery Dining Company. We’ll be shooting soon, and are very excited to embark on an exciting new relationship with their team.

HTC Magic

2009-07-23T17:24:00.004+01:00

The recent viral advert Constellation Media produced for Vodafone and GGMR has accrued in excess of 2 million views! The video, to promote the launch of the HTC Magic handset has been a great success. High quality production and great acting – always a winning combo!

Winchester Festivals

2009-07-23T17:11:00.007+01:00

We’ve been working with Winchester City Council for the past few months, gathering material for use to promote the great city as a tourist hotspot, conferencing centre and shopping paradise as well as highlighting the fantastic festivals the city offers.

We’ve filmed acrobats, street performers, ukulele jams and all kinds of bizarre and wonderful things over the last few weeks. It’s like a second home at the moment, but the people have been great and the hoteliers of the area extremely welcoming! We were even given permission to use a 35 foot crane in the middle of the Cathedral – which as we all know is the longest medieval nave in Europe.

Here are a couple of shots of the team in action just to prove how hard they really do work!

Gordon Bennett 2009

2009-07-23T17:08:00.001+01:00

Coming Soon! Our good friends at BBC Inside Out West in Bristol have commissioned us to make our 5th film for them. This one will feature the presenter of our 2008 film about the mysterious death of the Victorian explorer John Hanning Speke – David Hempleman-Adams.

In 2008 David won the prestigious Gas Ballooning event the Coupe Cordon Bennett, but flying non-stop for more than 4 days from Albuquerque in New Mexico to the USA/Canada border. Hardcore.

This year we’re following DHA as he tries to retain the title, flying out of Geneva in Switzerland, and landing… well, literally wherever the wind takes him.

The event takes place from September 5th, and the piece will be going out sometime soon after. Watch this space…

New Production Office

2009-07-23T16:45:00.011+01:00

Space and fresh air are just two things that we human beings love, and the Constellation Media production team have moved into swanky new offices in the village of Chew Magna (just south of Bristol for those unfamiliar with the geography of this area). In these photos we see just how much it means to Sam to have windows in his office. Like a child at Christmas!

The divorce from our Sales team was very amicable though, and we have granted them visitation rights to the new place if they need a break from the Bath Office.

Bath Spa University Fashion Show

2009-07-23T16:13:00.012+01:00

Constellation Media was commissioned to film the 2009 Bath Spa University Fashion Show at the magnificent Assembly Rooms in Bath – appropriately the home of the Fashion Museum. Dan and Ben positioned themselves at the end of the runway – best standing room in the house if you ask me – and were forced to film loads of models strutting elegantly towards them. It’s a tough life, really. But it was a great event, the students put some serious work into creating some amazing couture, and loads of credit must go to lovely Louise Pickles at Bath Spa Uni and her team for organising the event. Can we come again next year? Pleeeeeeeeease?

BBC Poetry Piece

2009-07-23T16:08:00.003+01:00

Our intrepid cameraman Dan can’t resist carnival time, and when BBC Points West asked him to shoot and edit a poetry piece with Miles Hilton Chambers at Bristol’s St Paul’s Carnival, he dived straight into his Day-Glo hot pants and dusted off his bongos ready for action.

Click here to watch the finished piece, which was extremely well-received by the Points West team. PLAY.

In Search of England's Green and Pleasant Land

2009-07-01T10:12:00.005+01:00

Our programme, In Search of England's Green and Pleasant Land, airs this week on BBC4.

The programme, hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, has been chosen as 'Pick of the Week' in the Radio Times who said...

"This is not just a simple celebration of the rural idyll... the film is a heartfelt polemic in defence of the Green Belt that protects the fields from the urban embrace of Bristol"

The transmission date for this programme is Thursday 2nd July, 7:30pm, BBC4

Snap Golf Day

2009-04-24T15:28:00.006+01:00

The winning Constellation Media team at the 2009 SNAP Golf Day - a charity event at the Manor House, Castle Combe for the St Nicholas' School Appeal for a Pool. Our good friend Amanda Parr is the patron. Pictured (l-r) Ben White, Amanda Parr, Mark Scoble, Mike Gough, Ian Hind.

The losing Constellation Media team. Pictured (l-r)Damian Connop, Tom Deller, Amanda Parr, Dan Coomber, Robin Coomber.

Blogarithm

2009-04-24T15:12:00.002+01:00

Afternoon all.

First blog for our new website. Hope you like the rebrand, we're very happy with it, it makes us feel like a 21st century media outfit. Mark wanted the green bits of our logo to be tweed, but we fought our corner.

Nothing to say really. It's Friday afternoon, the office is roasting. Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach, as Don Henley correctly opined.

CM.