Our Year in Review: 2023

We’re a little late with our year in review, but we needed a break from what was a BIG year for C81. We’ve summed up as elegantly and simply as possible below.

🏆 We picked up our first award. 

👯 Worked with 15 freelancers and we smashed out some serious content. 

🎥 Equipment hire shot up 55% this year, we like helping younger creators have access to equipment and our gear has been used for so many cool projects from music videos to product shots and documentaries. If you need any gear for shoots, please get in touch.

🎥 Started the year making some short films for the LeedsBID AGM. With a total of 14 short films, a month of filming, a long trip to Cheltenham, a day on the water taxi, various motion graphics, a commissioned animation, a Kevin McCloud, a light box, hilarious outtakes, willing volunteers (actors), ‘some’ borrowed footage, and voiceovers from a wide variety of freelance journalists, this project was a delight to work on and tested some new skills.

🏙️ Welcome to Leeds, a project funded by LeedsBID, really found its feet and produced 100’s of pieces of content, including viral successes, collaborations with Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Knights, Leeds Festival and more. We have interviewed everyone from Leeds’ boat bookshop to Jedward. Instagram saw followers go up 57%, engagement going up 276%, and Impressions are up 581% from 2022. Facebook saw fans up 12%, engagement up 1000% and impressions up 2300%. As events go, a Magical Night at The Queens, saw 100,000 people watch the incredible animation from Onionlab, with an audience of millions online. 

🌟 Leeds International Festival of Ideas recorded its biggest year ever. The sellout year increased audience attendance by 50%. The PR had over 200 pieces of coverage with an AVE £122K, reaching a national and regional audience. Social media saw big growth, Facebook grew 9% on fans, Engagement was up 132% from 2022, and impressions were up 172%, Instagram saw 35% audience growth and brand awareness up 266%. We launched LIFICAST and LIFITV too, with big plans for growth. 

🎶 Worked with Superstruct UK on Photography, managing an online gallery to use for advertising use, we also created reels and a video from each festival. A summer of fun (with some serious downpours). 

🥩 Flat Iron opened up in Leeds, and we organised local media (130 pieces of coverage and counting), hospitality, culture, friends, and family visits. Over 300 people queued to get in as they gave away Wagyu steaks, the restaurant has been fully booked since.  

🌮 As Chow Down entered the year, we looked at bringing in new-style events. Wing Fest and Taco Festival were born and proved to be the most popular events at Temple Arches. 

🏙️ We started working with The Junction. Initially,  we helped out on their Light Night activation, which included street food, art installations, and the incredible Feel Good Club, projecting messages onto the side of the building. Was an incredible moment of the arts festival. 

⚔️ At the beginning of the year, we finished a typical visit to the Royal Armouries film, which was used as a paid campaign. It’s also the header for the museum’s new website. We also audited their paid-for channels and advised on the launch of Standing with Giants. 

🧑💻 In May, we filmed and streamed the All Day – Conference at Everyman in Leeds. Despite the challenges of venue, this job is very rewarding and is a brilliant conference for those involved in the tech sector (designers, software engineers). All day filming, then editing on the night so that the conference can post highlights the next day.

🚌 At the beginning of the year, we also worked with First Bus in York and West Yorkshire, providing photography and helping shine a light on smaller businesses in both areas. We loved doing this and helping smaller businesses have access to good photography. 

🔨 We started making showreels for End Point Creates and Hedonist Events and now help with social media and PR. We are looking at helping more on this one as they merge both companies into one, IMPACT COLLECTIVE.

👯 Women of the World Festival in Rotherham received more broadcast and print coverage than ever before, and an increased audience attended the festival which moved to a city centre model. 

🩺  Thackray Museum of Medicine recorded its biggest year of visitors, won awards and celebrated with brilliant exhibitions Private Parts and On The Bench. We helped make films for the European Museum of the Year, exhibition films, and launches. We also helped traction for their busiest Christmas yet, doing paid-for, marketing and PR. We concentrated on growing the Instagram and TikTok Audiences, Instagram grew 56% in audience. Since we fully took over, TikTok video views up 4,700% , Profile views are up 2800%, Comments are up 33K% and likes are going up 9,000%. We have also been helping launch the online shop properly, more news on this soon. Manic year! 

We have also enjoyed working with Milim, Tilt People Practice, Boutique Events, Bazaar, and Braincup Media. 

What a year, and thank you so much for reading!