Stephen Cribbett's blog

So I’m here in Paris for a few days working at our clients office. It’s a nice break from London which I gather is very very wet. Alas, it’s just started raining here!

En route via Eurostar we joked about the number of electricity pylons there are in Northern France. I’ve ever you’ve read Purple Cow, then I think we need Purple Pylons!  Imagine if France’s most famous designer, Phillipe Stark, were let loose on on. It’d be awesome. They already look like giant characters - well nearly - so just imagine a huge phallus, or better still as a giant dog on the landscape. We could then do a face-off with Anthony Gormley!

I’ve had a pitstop for the last few weeks. It seems that childcare, business care and me-care has taken over from blog-writing and all other social media activities. Tis ok though, because it’s nourished me and given me more to share.

I’ll be back soon, just after I return from Paris where I’m heading in the next hour. In the meantime, I couldn’t resist leaving you with a picture of the adorable Hermione, my new baby girl!

Technorati Tags: fun

Twitter is the micro-blogging service that is catching on, fast. If you’ve not used it before.  The service allows you to broadcast small messages - of no more than 140 characters, since this is the limit that you can send on one US SMS message from your phone, so I’m told - to your followers, whom you gather over time through networks.

A lot of people use Twitter to drive traffic to their blog sites, by posting the blog title or a question, followed by an interactive link. More often that not, these links are Tinyurl links. Tinyurl is another web-based service which takes what might appear to be a very long site address (url) and assigns it a shorter tinyurl-style url. Neat idea, and works well with publishing when space is a premium.

So here’s what bugs me slightly. Since the user doesn’t know where the tinyurl link is going to go until he clicks on it, he is more inclined to click on it out of intrigue. From experience, more often that not it leads to an uninspiring, or unauthoritative site or blog that is of little or no interest or relevance. So, the tinyurl becomes a mask for the good, the bad and the ugly, which I’m not sure is in the name of openness and honesty…

Am I alone on this one?

Living in London for over 15 years now, I’ve seen some weird and wonderful things about town. One of the most memorable has to be bumping into the giant walking elephant two summers ago. En route to Dubstars‘ last softball match of the season however, I came upon this brown ‘thing’.

I’m asking, can anyone tell me what it is, or what purpose it served? It looked as though it could have been a temporary event space, but then again it could just be a walk-stopping sculpture. It’s not often that I’m lost for words, but I couldn’t place it. It was very well-built, and sturdy, but it’s angularity was so random that it just couldn’t explain itself.

Has anyone got an answer for me, or can anyone make up a good one?!

Technorati Tags: fun

On Thursday this week, I experienced my first English test cricket match. England were playing South Africa at The Oval. It was the final test in the series, and despite England losing the series already, it was a big occasion due to the unveiling of new England skipper Kevin Peterson, or KP as they call him.

The two things that struck me were that cricket pitches aren’t really as big as you think when you view them on TV, and the absolutely terrifying pace of fast bowlers. In fact, I had more chance of seeing Ian Botham walk out onto the crease as see the ball when bowled by Steve Harmison!

What a great day out it was though, a very social affair, mixed with a bit of singing and a few mexican waves.

Some friends of mine are seeking a new person to join their exciting and expanding business, UnderdogTV. If this is of interest to you, or your friends, feel free to get in touch with Jill Cross.

Underdog is a creative agency specialising in production, digital and print media. We tend to like crossbreeds who are fundamentally left brain creatives but also have a bit of that right brain logical, get stuff done part. We love curious people who are not afraid to colour outside the lines and break the rules.

Our studio is a fun and playful place to work. We believe above all else you should enjoy coming in to work everyday and if that happens, it naturally becomes a place of creativity and innovation.

Job Title: Digital Producer
Location: London
Salary: Negotiable based on experience
Job Type: Permanent

Underdog needs an energetic producer who has an organization fetish. Been known for being obsessive compulsive? Great! We love you for it. We are in need of a really solid producer with a strong technical background who doesn’t miss a trick. You will be responsible for the delivery of a variety of projects from small two or three day jobs, to large scale 6 month design & builds.

As an Alpha Dog in the team, you’ll be at the forefront of the rapid expansion of one of London’s most vibrant & exciting creative agencies. You’ll love making clients happy, but as well as that, you’ll be sure that the team’s creative vision isn’t compromised. And most of all you’ll be passionate about finding a way to solve problems and make things happen.

If you think you are up to the challenge, here are the skills you will need to steer the pack.

The ideal candidate will be a brilliant team motivator and manager. You’ll love the very detailed planning process and have the skills to lead a team to deliver on time and within budget. And as a producer your project management skills will be exceptional, you will have experience of working within a digital or integrated creative agency seeing work through from end to end. This will be working on the full scope of the project with the IA’s, creative and technical team to having experience in managing mentoring and recruiting junior members of staff.

Skills required:

Geek Skills

* Briefing creative, design and production teams
* Writing insightful and inspiring briefs
* Writing accurate and useful technical briefs
* Successfully managing project budgets and timelines
* Managing client expectations and developing key client relationships
* Managing third party supplier relationships
* Following internal financial and resource scheduling processes
• Supreme mastery of time scheduling
* An understanding or background rooted in development and video production
* Experience of managing teams of 10+
* A good grasp of both creative as well as the development process

Cool Skills

* Self-motivation and enthusiasm
* A passion for process
* Excellent communication skills
* A good sense of leadership
* Sense of humor, like music and able to contribute to office banter
* Strong client facing skills

This is from the sanctioned graffiti wall in Lambeth - the one that Banksy collaborated on. There’s a lot of good stuff, a bit of great stuff, and a lot of crap imitation! My fave was the scalextrix track because however much people had walked on it, it didn’t rub off. Simple but great. I think the artist of the last one has also done a wall near my house. Does anyone know who he is?

This has got to be my most goddam awful experience of the Summer so far, sitting outside Euston station, waiting for a train whilst trying to hunt down some ‘healthy’ food and drink!

The food on offer is rubbish - milky Starbucks coffee and overheated Cornish pasties that burn the roof of your mouth! To add insult to injury, you have to sit in a concrete jungle, with pigeons dropping their loads on you, or pecking your head! It’s a disgrace, so if you’re listening Network Rail - SORT IT OUT.

There are plans afoot however, though from the very shoddy visuals that I saw slapped on the hoardings, they don’t exactly inspire me. Where is the greenery, the people, the healthy food outlets, the inspiring furniture. It need only be fake grass, and you could invite Leon to hold a stall there, it’s that simple!

Technorati Tags: design, engagment

I ventured around Notting Hill last night, and stumbled across there newspaper flowers, in place of real flowers, to commemorate someone’s passing. I kinda liked the idea because it required real effort and thought to create them, rather than just dropping into the local Esso garage and buying the cheapest flowers available. They last longer too….

Being a new dad, there are a few new guilty pleasures. Tonight, for example, I actually sat in my living room on my own with Elbow (if that’s possible) and my newspaper.

It’s nothing too daring or extraordinary, but with a crying baby upstairs, I did feel a bit guilty! But I loved it. I wish I had more time for music and papers.