We've Started Cyclescheme - and We Love it

Cyclescheme is a great programme that offers employees 25% - 39% off the cost of a new bike. We are pleased to share that we have begun participating in the scheme.

Our Internships for UoB Students

Seven Years Strong

At Tinker Taylor, we have an excellent relationship with the University of Birmingham. To date, we’ve given twelve UoB students from the Film and Television: Research and Production Masters internships over the last seven years, with two more joining us in 2022.  We have given full-time employment to five of our interns, upon graduation, all of whom have thrived!

What We Offer

We really want those who do placements with us to feel like they've gained legitimate insight into the video production industry. We ensure that everyone who joins us for their 12 weeks becomes genuinely involved in making a difference to our company; helping with all stages of production; diving into social activities and joining crew on shoots whenever possible.

We know that valuable work experience is hugely advantageous to students. Whether you're freelance or full-time, actual experience is the most valuable tool you can have for building your career. Our connection to this Masters course has been a great way for us to help as many young people as we can to kick-start their careers, and we look forward to continuing with this productive collaboration!

We had to include this video because it holds a special place in our hearts - take a look at our 2021 Table Tennis Tournament, which our fantastic intern at the time, Sherif, joined in on!

Transforming our Security with Cyber Essentials

We are pleased to announce that we have been officially accredited with the Cyber Essentials Certification! Our cyber security has been totally transformed, with all internal security processes being updated and streamlined.

What is Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme that assists companies in protection against potential cyber-attacks. Accreditation is awarded once a self-assessment is completed; which includes the addressing of existing cyber security processes. This then proves that adequate measures are in place to protect a company’s internal systems from cyber attacks.

From a commissioning perspective, this is a noteworthy update for us. As of recently, a large number of government and public sector organisations are requiring suppliers to have Cyber Essentials in order to carry out services on their behalf. We are glad to be able to prove that our system is fully protected and authorised with this certification!

In line with our sustainable and responsible business pledges, it is paramount to us that we update our systems regularly and within government guidelines to ensure maximum security for our business, clients and supply chain.

We are looking forward to being able to collaborate with more public service providers and provide yet more engaging, inspiring and highly effective video driven campaigns.

Please do take a look at some of our outstanding work for the Police, Local Authorities, and the NHS and if we can help you, feel free to call the studio on +44 (0) 121 224 7709 or email use enquiries@tinkertaylor.tv

Tinker Taylor is Officially Listed on the CCS Communications Marketplace

Hot off the Press! Tinker Taylor Video Content Agency is now officially listed on the Crown Commercial Services Communications Marketplace. Not quite the stock exchange, but from a commissioning perspective, this is a real win!

What is the CCS Communications Marketplace?

Communications Marketplace is for the use of UK public sector bodies, including (but not limited to) Central Government Departments and their Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies; NHS Bodies and Local Authorities.

It is a platform that can be used to search for suppliers to provide specialist services on low-value work (under £100,000); an advanced contracts directory that can be easily used to invite suppliers to provide contract services, or to compete for contracts that are within their field of work.

Our move onto this framework will create an easier and more streamlined approach for these organisations to access our expertise.

How Does it Work?

In order to use the Communications Marketplace, you must firstly be registered on the Government eMarketplace. Guidance on how to register is available here. Access will then be granted to the contracts directory where you can search for our services.

Specifically, Tinker Taylor’s services fall under the following areas:

The portal allows you to contact Tinker Taylor for a quote, with the confidence and knowledge that we have passed the robust verification process.

We are looking forward to being able to collaborate with more public service providers and provide yet more engaging, inspiring and highly effective video-driven campaigns.

Please do take a look at some of our outstanding work for the Police, Local Authorities, and the NHS and if we can help you, feel free to call the studio on +44 (0) 121 224 7709 or email us on enquiries@tinkertaylor.tv

The TINKER TAYLOR Team Get Spooky

This Halloween, we had an absolute blast playing a spooky murder mystery before heading out into Digbeth for the evening.

  

The mystery, set in ‘Monster Mansion,’ was filled with dramatic twists and plenty of accusations before all was revealed - the vengeful Elizabeth Frankenstein was the guilty monster (played by our newest team member Sylvie!)

  

After some acting that can only be described as being up there with the likes of Dame Judi or Meryl Streep, Sylvie acted her way to the end (most people knew it was her). A dramatic finale saw Mina Dracula and Frankenstein (Sam Slingsby and Justin) both accusing Sylvie of murder, with only seconds in it!

We love having moments like this as a team - we're already planning our next eve out!

TINKER TAYLOR is nominated for a Drum award

We're thrilled to announce that we've been nominated by global awards programme The Drum Awards as a finalist in their upcoming Social Media awards! Working for West Midlands Police, our videos for the #WeNeedYourSkills campaign have been recognised as great practice in Social Media. The winner will be announced on 11th November and we can't wait to attend the event alongside some great agencies and brands.

In Spring 2021, we were approached by WMP to aid in the recruitment of approximately 3000 new officers. We created a campaign which includes 3 short films crafted and filmed by the Tinker Taylor team and Director of Photography James Stoneley. Each film presents a member of the public in distress, who is helped by a friend or relative - however as the story unfolds, it is revealed that the 'helpful friend' is in fact a police officer.

The impact of these videos was huge - after just 7 days of their run on social media, applications to the WMP rose to over 250 per week; a six fold increase on the week before. The success of this campaign illustrates how impactful high quality video is, for translating relatable issues and stories. Take a look at their full portfolio here.

Sam Taylor, Creative Director at Tinker Taylor explains:

“We are a team of film makers, moved and driven to deliver outstanding results for all our clients, however it is especially gratifying when our work leads to a positive, meaningful social change. Our HQ is in Digbeth and we are all members of the public that WMP serve, so this project was one we very much wanted to deliver. The fact that the video driven campaign has shortlisted for a national Drum award makes me exceptionally proud.”

To find out more about these awards and have a look at the nominees, see here.

Tinker Taylor's Pledge to Sustainability

According to a recent ALBERT Sustainability survey, nearly half of all young people ranked climate change and the destruction of nature as the most serious issue affecting the world today, more pressing than war or inequality (World Economic Forum, 2017). It’s also something that’s keeping them up at night. 62% of young Britons said climate change made them fearful for the future (Broadbent et al. 2017). 

The team at Tinker Taylor want to make changes, both big and small, to become more sustainable. We've pledged to use The Sustainable Print whenever we need printing services, such as our new business cards, made of biodegradable 100% recycled paper and eco-friendly ink and are carbon offset with the World Land Trust. 

We've also pledged to make changes to our production process, such as always sending documents electronically, rather than physically - and we now take iPads on location, with documents requiring signatures, being signed electronically. 

Two of our team are ALBERT trained, and everyone else will go through the training in 2022. This is an excellent scheme which gives insight and training for production companies who are making changes to be sustainable. It offers a bespoke carbon calculator to work out the carbon footprint of production, as well as proper instruction of how a company can reduce their emissions.


This is just the beginning of our mission to implement a system that is consistently mindful of sustainability. We will continue to learn and take on advice and pledge to make more decisions based on sustainability moving forward!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

And the next chapter begins...

I founded Tinker Taylor Video Content Agency eighteen years ago, after a whirlwind nine years in the television Industry. From humble beginnings as producers of beautiful wedding videos, Tinker Taylor has evolved into a highly respected business, with a reputation for excellence, creativity and results.

What has made the adventure all the brighter is the interesting people I have had the privilege to interview and work with - and no-one has inspired me more than the talented, bundle of energy that is Sam Slingsby.

Sam joined TT eight years ago as my apprentice. At age 18, fresh out of school, full of A level’s, ideas and ambition, she blew me away at her interview and after only a day and a half of her supposed week-long trial, I’d offered Sam the post. Undoubtedly the best decision of my professional career.

What Sam brings to the team, aside from her boundless enthusiasm and business acumen, is her outstanding work ethic. Sam works very hard and everything is tackled with effervescent positivity. Over the last eight years together, Sam and I, with the support of our awesome team, have grown the business into what it is today.

And so what is the big announcement?

I am delighted to report that as of April 2021, Sam Slingsby is now officially a Director of the company and 50/50 my business partner.

Sam has become such an integral part of the company, both in winning new work, account management and Producing and Directing videos, TT without Sam would just not feel 'TT'.

The business is undoubtedly stronger for the partnership and after the crazy ‘year that was’, it is an incredibly exciting way to start the new ‘post pandemic’ financial year.

From here-on-in, ‘the two Sam’s’ are officially at the helm. TT is now ‘our story’ and we are already super busy writing and producing the next chapter.

- Sam Taylor, Creative Director

21 Videos, Featuring 46 People, All Delivered Virtually in a COVID World!

Every other year, the British Transplantation Society & NHSBT join forces to deliver their Congress. This years theme was resilience and it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate their many successes in such a challenging year. 

COVID-19 prevented a face-to-face gathering, and so instead, the programme was delivered to delegates using a bespoke studio and on-line platform. This meant they could enjoy interactive plenary sessions in a studio environment, on-line parallel sessions and a full on-demand video portfolio.

TINKER TAYLOR worked closely with the NHSBT team to deliver all video assets for the Congress, which included 21 films, covering 8 different sessions and featuring 46 people, all delivered virtually within a short 7 week period.  

Many of our contributors were working long hours in a healthcare setting, and so we were unable to film face-to-face interviews and had to produce everything remotely.  Each of the 8 sessions were to drive a different initiative, and therefore, all 8 had to have their own look and feel.

So the challenge was to develop, produce and deliver 21 films with 8 different creative approaches, all from the comfort of our own home!

Here at TINKER TAYLOR, we love a challenge, so with Zoom our only ally, we got to work! 

Our virtual creative styles included a mix of presenter lead zoom interviews and screen recorded zoom interviews, self-recorded footage on phones and tablets, stock footage and a variety of animation styles, from simple 2D typography to full character animation.  

All of this resulted in a series of films that showcased the breadth of activities and exciting initiatives which are occurring in donation and retrieval, in an engaging, eye-catching and entertaining format.

The Congress was a huge success and our films played a pivotal role.

We also reversioned each film after Congress, which meant the high-end video portfolio can be used as legacy, educational and promotional assets, for years to come. 

If you have an event to take online, we are here to help. Get in touch!

Tinker Taylor x The Clean Kilo

The Clean Kilo is the largest zero-waste supermarket in the UK and we are lucky enough to have them as our neighbours here in beautiful Digbeth, Birmingham.  Their ethos is to sell plastic-free products, source as local as possible and reduce food waste. 

The Tinker Taylor team are so impressed with the enterprise, we decided to offer to produce a promotional film for them, free of charge, to help spread the word and raise their profile locally. See what you think!

Sourcing locally helps cut carbon emissions, keeps money in the local community and improves rural-urban links. Next time you're in town, make sure to stop by The Clean Kilo!