An Insight to the staff at The Phoenix Partners

I am currently studying English and Film at Leicester University and have been working at The Phoenix Partners for the last few weeks to gain experience in Public Relations.

I asked the staff at the agency to consider their favourite films and if they have a favourite movie quote. I thought it would be interesting to see what their choices say about them, and if their choices reflect the role that they play within the agency.

Graphic designer, Matt Stokes lists his favourites as such films as ‘The 39 Steps’, ‘Good Will Hunting’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ – a selection that dates as far back as 1935. His favourite quote is “You’re legally allowed to drink now, so we figured the best thing for you was a car” (Billy McBride, Good Will Hunting). The list of favourite films displays his interest in serious, artistic works but the quote reveals his sense of humour.

Project Manager, Gita Bhatt’s list is even more varied, as some of her favourites are ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and ‘The Princess Bride’ but she also enjoys ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘A History of Violence’. Her favourite movie quotes are “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone” (Matthew, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and “Inconceivable!” (Vizzini, The Princess Bride). This varied choice of films reflects Gita’s open-minded and adaptable attitude.

Some of my favourite films are ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2’ and ‘Se7en’. Some of my favourite quotes from films are “Harry Potter…the boy who lived, come to die” (Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2) and “It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster.” (Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) Another of my favourites is “The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do.” (Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl).

Managing Director, Rachel Hargrave has a more limited list of favourite films – highlighting that she is a clear and decisive person. Her favourite films are ‘The Italian Job’, ‘The Third Man’ and ‘Fight Club’.

Rachel enjoys such humorous quotes as “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” (Charlie Croker, The Italian Job) and “In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed – they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The Cuckoo clock.” (Harry Lime, The Third Man). She also appreciates deeper, more meaningful quotes such as “This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time” (The narrator, Fight Club)

What’s your favourite line from a film and what does it say about you?

Charlotte Gill

The Phoenix Partners offers a wide range of video solutions, for more information contact Rachel Hargrave:
t: 01509 815026
e: Rachel@thephoenixpartners.com

Rachel Reaches Stella Point!

Congratulations Rachel! Our managing director and founder of The Phoenix Partners reached Stella Point, Kilimanjaro in the early hours of 22nd September.

We will get all of the details of Rachel's experience when she has recovered from her trek.

Rachel becomes Chair of IOD Leicestershire

Rachel Hargrave, our managing director and founder of The Phoenix Partners has stepped in as Chair for the Leicestershire branch of the Institute of Directors as the previous Chair has had to step down.

Rachel has been a very active member of the local branch for the last seven years and has previously acted as Chair and more recently, Vice Chair. She has stepped into the role and will stay as the Chair until next August when a new committee will be decided.

The Institute of Directors is Europe’s largest membership organisation for business leaders, supporting their 43,000 members through 44 regional branches across the UK and an international network that covers six continents. Its motto is ‘To support, represent and set standards for directors’.

The aim of the IoD is to provide members with a year round active business programme which offers members benefits such as high profile networking events and integrated regional support. It runs highly regarded professional development programmes and provides many training opportunities.

The next Iod event, the Annual Business Leaders Dinner is taking place on 22nd September in Nottingham.

For more information please contact:
Rachel Hargrave
t: 01509 815026
e: Rachel@thephoenixpartners.com

For more information on the Institute of Directors please visit www.iod.com/home/local-network/east-midlands

The Phoenix Partners to help launch charity campaign

We are very pleased to announce that we will be assisting International charity The Odysseus Foundation in launching a public appeal named ‘Penelope’ this month.

The Penelope campaign will encourage the UK population to check themselves and get to know their ‘Bits and Boobs’, and also to donate a breast and cervical exam for a woman overseas for just £16 a year.

To encourage UK women to care for themselves The Odysseus Foundation has created a free app available via www.bitsandboobs.co.uk. The app functions as a reminder to self-check and also offers a route to donate to the campaign.

Commenting on the aims of the charity, chief executive officer Justen Schafer Humes said: “We aren’t going to claim we can solve the problem and heal the world, but we are doing our bit. We are currently aiming to raise £1.6 million to screen 100,000 women for breast and cervical cancer by 2015. I am thrilled that The Phoenix Partners will be assisting us with the launch of the Penelope campaign.”

The Odysseus Foundation aims to work with women in countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe and South America who don’t have the opportunity to get checked for cervical and breast cancer, and provide them with free screening and awareness. Financial constraints, weak healthcare systems and a lack of trained professionals in the developing world all contribute to difficulties in preventing and treating cancers meaning that an estimated 88% of cervical cancer deaths worldwide occur in these areas.

For more information or to donate to The Odysseus Foundation please visit www.bitsandboobs.co.uk. Information is also available on Facebook www.facebook.com/FriendsofP and twitter page http://twitter.com/BitsnBoobs.

An insight into creating graphics for retail outlets

The agency has been commissioned to create a series of graphics by a global jewellery and watch brand.

Matthew Stokes our graphic designer, has been creating promotional images to advertise the new range of luxury watches and jewellery to be used in retail outlets across the Nation.

The illustrations will be used for a range of promotional pieces such as window displays, backlit pillars (Duratran), window graphics, counter backs, counter wraps, cobra pop up banners, posters and pillar wraps. Matt has been creating graphics and artwork for each space, adapting them to different sizes as they will be used for small graphics, large installations and larger exterior graphics.

The client provided Matt with a list of graphics to develop, using different styles of photography, and different models. Quarter three (autumn) uses autumnal colours and quarter four (winter) is predominantly red. Once approved they will be produced onto a variety of different racks and different plastics such as PVC and Vinyl.

For more information on how we can help you with your bespoke artwork needs please contact Roger Bradshaw, Head of Design at The Phoenix Partners on 01509 815026 or email roger@thephoenixpartners.com

How to Network effectively!

We asked Rachel Hargrave, our managing director and founder of The Phoenix Partners to consider the best ways of making the most of networking situations based on her own experiences. Rachel is the vice-chair of the local branch of the Institute of Director’s which hosts regular networking events.

These are her top tips –

1. Go prepared; know who’s going to be attending and choose who you’d like to talk to.

2. Research those you’ve chosen; don’t go in cold. Make sure you know something about them / their business to help the conversation start and move forwards.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; if you can’t find who you’re looking for, or you’d like a personal introduction – just ask the event organiser. It really is what they are there for!

4. Read the room; if people are standing facing each other then they probably don’t want to be interrupted. However, if they are standing in an ‘open two’ (shoulder to shoulder looking around the room, or at an angle to each other) their body language is saying that they are open to being joined by another. Go join them!

5. Have your pitch ready; when someone asks you what you do you need to be clear, succinct and most importantly – memorable! Work on your pitch and don’t be afraid to change it / ask for feedback on it.

6. Say ‘hi’ to those you already know; it’s all about establishing relationships so don’t ignore those you already know. Check in on them but don’t take the easy option and just stay with them!!

7. Follow up afterwards; always follow up those you’ve met afterwards no matter how interested they were in you / your business / your product or service. It’s not about now with networking but about now AND the future so …. Keep open the lines of communication. You never know who could become your next biggest recommender / referrer!!

For more information please contact:
Rachel Hargrave
t: 01509 815026
e: Rachel@thephoenixpartners.com

For more information on the Institute of Directors please visit www.iod.com/home/local-network/east-midlands

SPE Offshore Europe conference

Gita Bhatt, our project manager visited the SPE Offshore Europe (Society of Petroleum Engineers) conference last week as part of our ongoing work within the energy sector.

The conference ran from 6th-8th September in Aberdeen, known as the energy capital of Europe, with 1500 exhibitors across six halls and over 47,000 visitors.

The overall theme of the exhibition was ‘Securing Safe, Smart, Sustainable Supply’. One of the issues raised was considering ways of decommissioning old rigs in the North Sea both economically and in an environmentally sustainable way. Another aim of the conference was recruitment as there is currently a shortage of young people entering the industry.

Gita said: “Of particular interest to me was the opportunity to meet with UKTI representatives from around the globe on a one-to-one basis to discuss specific opportunities in their market.

“It was really beneficial that I had pre-booked some networking sessions as these were really useful. It was such a large venue and lots of people kept getting lost. However I found it quite a useful conversation starter with people on the stands when I did lose my way!

“Accommodation in Edinburgh was completely sold out so attendees had to travel in from hotels up to two hours away! Its best to book early if you ever go, and flat shoes are a must!”

For more information on how we work in the energy sector please contact:

Rachel Hargrave
t: 01509 815026
e: Rachel@thephoenixpartners.com