February 5, 2024
What have we been up to this January 2024?
January may seem like a quiet month to some, but for us at Chapter 81, it’s always jam-packed with events! This year, in 2024, we’ve been busy pitching ideas for several new projects and celebrating new milestones with our clients. Our Managing Director, Simon Fogal, even managed to fly to Sweden for a week (yes, we know it’s freezing and snowy there!).
Let’s take a closer look at how our January went 👀
Welcome to Leeds
This month, Welcome to Leeds focused on covering various art events. We visited the Grand for several press days and interviewed the Head of Costume at Leeds Playhouse for a feature story on their costume department.
We managed two new reel series for WTL’s Instagram, including ‘Leeds Best Eats’, featuring the best burgers, pizzas, steaks, and more. We also explored Leeds’ history with our ‘Look Up!’ series, showcasing the city’s buildings.
Finally, we welcomed new traders to Trinity Kitchen, marking the first ones of the year.
Impact Collective
Our clients Hedonist Events and Endpoint Creates merged together to create a brand new operation, Impact Collective. With a shared vision of delivering unparalleled experiences and a commitment to pushing creative boundaries, the union is set to bring about a new era of impactful and memorable events.
We helped them throughout the process of creating new branding and with the announcement of the merger.
You can read more about the merger HERE
Leeds International Festival of Ideas
The dates for LIFI24 are now confirmed, along with the topics and most of the speakers. We are currently formulating the communications plan and getting everything ready for the start of the announcements this spring. The launch event has also been scheduled for April, although we can’t reveal the location just yet. You might be able to guess it – we have used this location before and absolutely loved it.
Any hints? 🏊♂️ 🎸 🎤
In the meantime, take a look at LIFITV on YouTube, which was recorded during LIFI23.
Thackray Museum of Medicine
Things are never boring at Thackray with multiple events and announcements happening this time of year! We curated January sales on their online shop and continue filming their monthly ‘Insights’ lectures that explore the advances that have shaped how we look after ourselves, and each other. This month we also attended their training day to document their conference centre. More content days and exciting events are coming in February, which we are already getting ready for. Check their ‘What’s On’ page, you might find something for you.
Thackray’s TikTok, which we recently took over, saw the first almost-1-million views video with 796k views up to date. ‘Criteria for getting a lobotomy in the 1930s edition’ found its resonation with the audience. Take a look at how many fingers you will put down.
LeedsBID
LeedsBID are currently working on some major projects, with plans in the making and more announcements to come very soon. The Leodis Space Agency will be launched this Easter, while Monopoly will take over the city this summer in the biggest activation yet. These projects have been in development for a while, and we’re already seeing great progress. The official announcements are set to be made in March, but until then, we will continue with meetings and discussions.
Technology – DZOFILM Vespid Cyber 35mm
We love a bit of technology here, and when this Black Friday deal appeared for a lens which is on a long list of equipment we want), we couldn’t resist. A Cine lens, which can connect to a Lidar to help focus, seems like a dream, especially when the lens sits on a big gimbal.
So, the lens can output the focusing and aperture data, which can be applied in post-production and virtual production, which is slightly silly. We have used this a couple of times and love the look it gives to the camera. We plan on this being our go-to for the Canon C70 and gimbal set-up for many years.
You can see the Playhouse video here and here.
What coffee are we drinking?
As mentioned earlier, January has been a busy month for us and we have been consuming coffee beans faster than usual. Normally, we get a 1kg bag, but this time we are also going through different smaller packs. Currently, we are drinking a Colombia Chapata Natural by SkyLark Coffee, which we got from our local independent coffee shop, Miles & Co.
This single-origin coffee is a sweet, sugary Colombian fruit bomb with distinctive notes of summer strawberries, cherry juice, and sugar. What’s additionally interesting is that this coffee helps preserve nature on the Knepp Estate, subsidises sustainable farming in Ethiopia, and trains people for coffee jobs in Brighton.
C81 Radio
The playlist from our team (C81 Radio) is back to normal, so no festive hits. We also invited Larry Budd to include some songs that he is currently loving. It’s a cracker of mixed emotions. ENJOY.
CLICK to listen!
