New BioBox – a truly green solution

March 10th, 2010

bio_smallThis month we are incredibly proud to introduce AGI Amaray’s Biobox. The case that is not only recyclable and made from recycled materials but it is 100 times more biodegradeable than other plastic cases.

The market-leading brand have researched and launched a truly green solution on three levels:

1. The case is made from recycled plastic The materials used are free from the heavy metals sometimes found in recycled plastics and adhere to EN71 Toy standards so are fit for use by children.

2. The case is easy to recycle as it is made from a single type of recyclable plastic clearly marked with the correct recycling symbols.

3. The case it biodegradeable when placed landfill or in the soil. If a proprietary mixture is added to the cases in landfill conditions the complex polymer chains can be broken down by bacteria.

It’s an impressive product and the future of recycled packaging.

Spring summer store strategy

March 10th, 2010

dottys_bigReady for the Spring/Summer 10 season we authored Dorothy Perkins ‘Model Store’ DVDs.  The DVDs are a one stop information centre for store managers and retail assistants and takes them through the seasons trends and dressing techniques, store layout and strategy.

The discs contain an easy-to-follow menu system that leads shop staff through the season, ensuring each store is set up perfectly to maximize the forthcoming sales opportunities.  Staff are further engaged with competitions that test their recollection of each new trend preparing everyone for what will hopefully be a successful and sunny Spring and Summer!

Sainsbury’s Active Kids DVD

March 7th, 2010

sains_bigWe’ve seen the adverts, we’ve collected the vouchers now we’ve authored the DVD.  Sainsbury’s Active Kids is back in its fifth year, giving more young people the chance to learn new sports and develop new skills.

Active Kids has raised over £85 million so far, with £16.9 million raised last year.  Popular items include the rainbow skipping rope, tents ideal for Duke of Edinburgh awards and the ever popular wooden spoon, for the bakery and cooking classes.

The DVD will be sent to schools and groups to encourage them to participate in this worthwhile scheme and features teachers, youth leaders and even Olympic Gold medalist Dame Kelly Holmes the Appeal’s dedicated figurehead.

Redbush ‘Make Time for Tea’

March 6th, 2010

redbush_bigThe Redbush Tea Company are very proud to sponsor the Eve Appeal’s annual ‘Make Time for Tea’ campaign.

The campaign raises awareness of Gynecological cancer in women and funds vital research in the search for a cure.

To promote their involvement and help raise awareness of the important campaign we helped them create USB press packs to distribute to the press.

The USB sticks contain a range of resources to boost the campaign, including promotional pack shots, press releases and details of the tea making packs and raffle prizes that Red Bush are donating, helping the fundraising tea parties be a stirring success.

The 2010 VOD arms race

February 25th, 2010

logos2

‘Now that iPlayer has lit the blue touch paper under catch-up TV, effectively creating the mass market for video on-demand, 2010 will be the year when a glut of competing services vie to be one of the UK’s main VOD aggregators. They can’t all win, so here’s our bet on who has the biggest likelihood of succeeding…’

For in-depth analysis of the main players and evaluation of the leading contenders we recommend reading the article in full at paidcontent.co.uk

Their predictions for 2010 are below -  the race is on!

  1. BBC iplayer / YouTube
  2. Canvas
  3. Skyplayer
  4. SeeSaw / MSN Video
  5. BlinkBox
  6. Hulu

Eagle lands 100 million views

February 22nd, 2010

eminiem_largePopular YouTube channel Eagle Rock TV celebrated an incredible 100 million views this month. The channel has over 28,000 subscribers and is home to live music and video from some of the world’s greatest bands.

Featuring a diverse collection of artistic talent, including Alicia Keys, Iron Maiden, The Beatles, Tupac and Andrew Lloyd Webber, it’s no wonder the channel is so popular.

Eagle house their digital library at re:fine.  Each track is edited and transcoded before the Eagle TV idents are applied and the tracks are uploaded for the millions of fans to enjoy.

Search for tracks at   http://www.youtube.com/eaglerocktv

iTunes uploads – big names, big films, big hopes!

February 21st, 2010

love_largeJennifer Aniston’s latest comedy Love Happens hits iTunes this month via re:fine. Co-starring The Dark Knight’s Aaron Eckhart, Love Happens is about redemption, truth, loyalty, love and above all things… hope.

And if anyone is experiencing hope this month it’s Carey Mulligan.  British newcomer Mulligan stars in the Oscar-nominated An Education, playing a schoolgirl who has a destructive affair with an older man, practically ruining her chances at a higher education.   Mulligan won this year’s BAFTA for best actress and has been nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, so a lot of hopes rest on March 7th for the team behind An Education.  See it the day after – it’s released on iTunes on March 8th.

Twilight New Moon – on Playstation Networks

February 19th, 2010

Twilight: New Moon, the latest instalment of the smash-hit vampire series, is now available on the Playstation Network thanks to re:fine.

twi_largeNew Moon is the second film in the extremely popular series following the lives of ill-fated lovers Edward and Bella, but this time with an added helping of abs-flashing werewolves and the introduction to the red-eyed Volturi.

The Playstation network is becoming an increasingly important platform for viewing and downloading SD and HD content, with recent statistics from the BBC suggesting that PS3 owners account for 8% of iPlayer traffic. As more fantastically popular films such as the Twilight franchise appear, it looks as though the Playstation Network is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Cutting it – with Steven Carey

February 18th, 2010

carey_largeVideo of Steven Carey’s world famous hair designs is now available for viewing on line.

London hair designer Steven Carey is famous for his avante garde styles, and provides hair styling and art direction at The Collections showcases as well as in the pages of such industry-respected magazines as Vogue, Elle and Harpers.

Steve Carey hosts seminars and hair shows as well as running his exclusive Mayfair salon. For the first time his tutorials and inspirational styling can now be viewed on his website.

re:write – the re:fine metadata tool

February 17th, 2010

ollys tool_largeFrom this month clients delivering their titles to multiple platforms can make use of our online metadata interface.

The intuitive new tool was developed by one of our in-house programmers.  Cast, crew, sales and release information can be submitted once for fast and accurate delivery to video on demand platforms such as iTunes and Hulu.