ShellsuitZombie Magazine issue 4

I S S U E

F O U R

S U M M E R

2 0 1 3

SUCCESS VS FAILURE .

IT’S NICE THAT VICE MAGAZINE

TOM NEWELL . JULIA POTT . DOUG RICHARD THE GUINNESS BOOK OF COCK-UPS . HARD TALK . JACKO’S FACE A MAGAZINE BY GRADUATES FOR GRADUATES . SHELLSUITZOMBIE.CO.UK . @SHELLSUITZOMBIE . FACEBOOK.COM/SHELLSUITZOMBIE

Illustration by Pete Murgatroyd

Oh. My. God. Ohmigod it’s summer. School’s out. Let’s go to Ibiza and touch some people’s genitals, right? After all, we handed in our projects, got OUR RESULTS AND SMASHED IT (or BARELY SCRAPED IT - don’t tell mum), the world is our oyster, the wind is on our backs, YOLO YOLO. What can possibly go wrong?

Not to put too much of a downer on it but... you could end up working in recruitment or behind a bar for the rest of your life.

Have a think about that.

This mini-issue of ShellsuitZombie is about success and failure. What is success? We would define it as getting paid to do what you love. And it’s fair to say that what you guys love is being creative as fuck. After all, why else would you be reading this?

Doubtless your parents or tutors will have told you it’s impossible to get into the creative industries: it’s too competitive ‘what with the state of the economy’.

Bollocks. All you need to do is actually try. So this summer, hows about you get an internship, locally or far away. Get a taster for your industry, albeit behind a photocopier or a lasso tool (we all have to start somewhere). Or perhaps make a plan to get featured in a magazine by the end of September. Hell, why not start job hunting right this second? You snooze, you literally lose.

We’ve given ShellsuitZombie to a whole bunch of graduates, just like you. Our vision is for the collective to be run by people that are the most relevant to young creatives, ie. other young creatives. They’re awesome and pretty sexy for the most part and we love them.

Our new Zombies are doing something extra, for no other reason than to create. That’s all we ask really, of our Zombies and of you.

Work hard, have fun and take your passion seriously. You only get one shot to be a creative graduate and it’s a great thing to be.

Remember. You’re lucky. You have a dream.

So without further ado, we welcome our new Zombies.

PT motherfucking O.

WHAT’S IN THE MAG? 5

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THE GUINNESS BOOK OF COCK-UPS

INTERVIEW WITH JULIA POTT

EARNING AND BURNING

Record breaking is a tall order – we look at those people who just fell short.

The British illustrator and filmmaker talks Brooklyn, Sundance Festival and life after uni.

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AGONY ASH

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TOM J NEWELL

WIFF WAFF WHAT? We play pub games and get cocky with the guys behind It’s Nice That.

More work from our brilliant cover star.

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THE INITIATED

SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE STARTUPS

Published poet Kayo Chingonyi writes us an exclusive poem.

Former Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Doug Richards gives us a brutal reality check.

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THE FIBRES OF SUCCESS Illustration lecturer Janet Woolley explains why fame and good grades aren’t everything.

HARD TALK The ins and outs of condom conversation.

A life resigned to working in your pants. It’s not all bad, or is it?

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WHODUNNIT New zombies and collaborators.

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A breakdown of our Boxpark takeover and New Blood shenanigans this year.

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COLLABORATE

MY ONLY VICE

BORN FREELANCE

Got creative problems but no friends to tell them to? Shellsuit’s very own agony aunt is listening. Sort of.

SHELLSUITZOMBIE X NEW BLOOD

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Our resident music expert takes a look at the state of an ailing industry.

We head to Berlin for Currywurst, Techno and a pint with the editor of Vice Deutschland.

Fancy jumping into bed with us?

Here’s how to join the madness.

EDITOR’S LETTER We’ve decided to base this diet-size issue around the theme of success, but also on

This magazine was made by a group of young creatives in their spare time who

failure because people don’t seem to talk about it nearly enough.

begged, blew and borrowed to make it happen.

The thing is, errors, mistakes and cock-ups are all a vital part of the creative process.

So stop drooling over Instagram’s new video feature, get off your arse and make

Or so Camberwell Uni lecturer Janet Woolley tells us in her guest piece for this issue.

something worthwhile.

SSZ founder Jonny Burch plays ping pong and draws scarily accurate cocks with the

Print is not dead. It’s undead, and it has a taste for New Blood.

creators of It’s Nice That, and Dragons’ Den old timer Doug Richard gives us a tough Ray Murphy

class in the realities of launching a start up.

Editor We also chat with some UK creatives that managed to make it abroad, including filmmaker Julia Pott, and the editor of Vice Deutschland, Tom Littlewood, whom we

Was issue 4 a success or did we fail miserably? Let us know what you think. Send your

meet after a night of mental scarring at the Berghain.

big-ups and put-downs to @ShellsuitZombie.

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THE GUINNESS BOOK OF COCK-UPS Words by Ash Billinghay, Illustration by Sam Ailey

W

ant to be a superstar but have no real talent? Messed up every

THE HUMAN TOWER THAT FELL OVER

attempt at fame you have ever tried? Well, fear not, you could always

Human towers are tricky things at the best of times. I once got forced into trying

try and break a world record. Record breaking is a road to stardom

one in PE at school, and because I was tall I had to stand at the back to hold

usually trodden by rednecks and people who have taken too many

smaller people up. Unfortunately for a bunch of Chinese people, there was no

drugs to realise that sticking clothes pegs on your face is a stupid idea. Just how many

such tall person to hold them up, and their tower fell over, live on national TV. In

hats can a person wear at one time? No one gives a shit, but I’m sure there’s a world

most countries that would be fine, but because it’s China they all ‘mysteriously

record for it.

disappeared’* soon after.

The art of record breaking has given thousands of overzealous middle-Englanders

If you’re going to try and break a record you should probably think about re-

and ex-Blue Peter presenters a reason to exist. Sure they may lose friends and

evaluating what’s important in your life. Yes, you could gain some minor celebrity

alienate family members in the process, but who needs companionship when you

status and earn your very own page in everyone’s favourite toilet book/last minute

have a mantelpiece full of trophies? But let’s not forget those who fell short of getting

Xmas gift. But you could also mess up in a spectacular fashion and end up getting

their name etched into the history books. These are the folk who just didn’t have the

laughed at forever more. By us.

energy on the day, or could only do it when the adjudicators had their backs turned.

They’re not just crap at actual life, they’re crap at record breaking too. Here are our

*They didn’t, they’re fine. Sorry China.

favourite failures: THE BLOKE WHO TRIED TO BREAK COCONUTS WITH HIS BARE HANDS Ever been stuck on a desert island and been in desperate need of nourishment? Well, this is not a man you would want there with you. He tried to break open a load of coconuts with his hands to prove how manly he was, but he didn’t manage to crack a single one. This doesn’t mean he isn’t macho, it just means he’s an idiot and that coconuts should be used to make body armour.

THE IRANIANS WHO COCKED UP MAKING A SANDWICH The saying ‘Get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich, wench!’ is one of many reasons why I am single and alone. It is also a phrase that might make these lads incredibly angry. Their attempt to make the world’s longest bread-based snack went wrong when onlookers started to eat it. Exactly how many medals did they win for this effort? Naan.

SOME PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T REALISE FIRE WAS HOT Wouldn’t it be ironic if someone organised a charity fundraising event, which resulted in the money raised being spent on treating the injuries caused by the event? That’s precisely what happened when a fire walking attempt turned out to be a bit of an arse ache (and a foot ache, probably) as a lot of the people taking part were unaware that fire might cause burns. If life was truly about survival of the fittest, these people would be dead by now.

A SPARROW WHO DID NOT CARE FOR DOMINOES Dear Dutch people. I feel no sympathy over the fact a sparrow knocked over your world record dominoes attempt. Of the 4,000,000 set up, a rogue sparrow only knocked down 23000, which doesn’t sound that bad, but I bet it was just as annoying as when you shave and find you’ve missed a bit when you’re on a night out.

THE MAN WHO FORGOT TO TELL ANYONE HE WAS TRYING TO BREAK A RECORD A chap in Russia decided he was going to sit in a plastic box for 50 days and not eat anything. At all. While this probably gained him the perfect catwalk physique and saved him a fortune in Tesco Express bills, it did not get him in any record books because no one knew that he was doing it. Schoolboy.

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WIFF WAFF WHAT? An interview with Will Hudson and Alex Bec of It’s Nice That Words and photography by Jonny Burch

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n every issue of ShellsuitZombie we’ve interviewed a talented duo while playing a

Will is now visibly annoyed. Alex had produced a long and impressively verbose answer

pub game. Having played darts, pool and, ahem, ten-pin bowling, the logical next

with no adverse effects to his game. Clearly deciding that power would overcome,

step was ping pong. The last interview was a cop-out. Ten-pin bowling is definitely

Will starts incessantly smashing every ball, with mixed results. 9-2 to Alex.

NOT a pub game. Tim Key is but one man. It seemed we’d ruined everything.

So were you surprised when It’s Nice That became so big?

But do not fear brave readers, under new management the interviews are back on track with a classic boozy sport, table tennis or ‘wiff waff’. Grasping our bats were

AB: Yeah of course! You never expect when you start a blog that 400,000 people will

Will and Alex from It’s Nice That. Two 2008 Brighton grads, this duo now run a media

start reading it.

empire with 26 employees, a magazine, a monthly readership not far off half a million

WH: We started it at a time when blogging was very complimentary – you’d get a lot

people worldwide and their own design agency INT works. Not bad eh. Arseholes. So,

of ‘via’ and ‘link from’, which meant we grew organically.

with sweaty brows, tight grips and intense glares, the boys began their epic battle – Before Twitter, right?

Alex starting off the scoring with a slightly pathetic serve. No-one would realise until later just how important this match would be for everyone present.

WH: No actually Simon Whybray registered @itsnicethat and ran it as an RSS feed.

AB: Did he?!

So who started It’s Nice That?

WH: Yeah. I emailed him and asked him if we could use it instead. He said ‘yeah cool WH: I started it as a response to a university brief. No grand plan, just trying to get a

go for it’, gave us the password and off we went. It was really nice of him to do that.

good degree really. It was a great way to remember people’s names and document the people whose work I was looking at anyway. We were working on a project called ‘If

Will, somehow, has hit some ‘good ones’, making Alex dive and grunt with his

you could’ at the time while at Brighton, having all these conversations with creatives

admittedly impressive returns. The crowd round the table is starting to grow, feeding

that we liked the work of at the time. But then we graduated and got proper jobs. It

off the restless energy of the ‘local derby’. 11-7 to Alex.

was the January after that, January 2009, that we say It’s Nice That officially started.

AB: Yeah that’s when I got properly involved.

Do you think It’s Nice That fuels copycat work?

It quickly transpires that my questioning isn’t helping Will’s concentration. With every

WH: I think we’ve definitely contributed to that discussion. But there’s a conversation

sentence he’s bleeding points, going down 4-0 almost immediately.

that should happen more about where the line between ‘influenced by’ and copying lies. It’s been happening for ever, it’s just easier to find now with the internet.

AB: We’ve occasionally come under fire for being vacuous eye candy but we’ve always

Wait, so when were you guys Hudson Bec?

made sure we add content to what we do. We try to put a spin on it but we never AB: Before that, but It’s Nice That was getting so much more traction that we eventually

claim that we’re educating people – it’s just nice stuff. We want people to understand

decided to put it all into that. At that point I was still doing illustration, Will was still

it but we would never claim to be educating people.

freelancing and we made the decision to go 50:50 and put all our freelance into that one bank account. If one of us happened to earn more money we’d talk about it but

Do you ever get frustrated that the It’s Nice That tone of voice doesn’t let you spill

we were pretty relaxed. I think a lot of people when they set up companies together

rage on the internet when you’ve had a bad day?

say ‘well what if I’m doing all the work’ etc. Wait until it actually happens because it may well not, it didn’t for us. Four years on it’s still fifty-fifty right Will?

WH: One thing I’ve realised quite recently is we got very lucky with the name. It’s

WH: Yeah something like that...

always put a positive attitude on anything.

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AB: We can still critique stuff in a positive manner but we’re not there to put up bad

WH: The magazine is a prime example – we stopped the magazine in its old form

work or blast people. We’re not like that, I don’t want to put shit stuff on the internet.

because we evaluated what we needed from it and thought there was a better way

The name has informed everything we put on there.

to do it. We’ve always been able to make decisions on what to start and what to stop

WH: We’ve worked hard to make sure the tone is accessible and all ego is removed.

and we will always remain independent.

You don’t need to go very far to stumble across ego in our industry, and we don’t want to contribute to that.

But with 16 people on the payroll, you can’t exactly shut down the blog eh.

Will appears to power up, serving well to win himself five straight points from his

AB: People say ‘isn’t it scary that you have to support all these people?’ I don’t think

serve. He wasn’t to know they would be his last. Alex returns fire with a serve so fast

it’s scary, I get to work with great people every day.

it breaks the window. The barman looks up and tuts.

The atmosphere is now, frankly, feral. Will has taken a second bat off the wall and is Do you never think ‘let’s just get rid of It’s Nice That’ and just run a straight up

performing Darth Maul-like gestures and noises. Alex is topless and has spread tomato

design agency?

ketchup on his torso like Bruce Lee. The Book Club has never been so full at 3pm on a Tuesday, thick with the smells of sweat, ketchup and testosterone. It’s jolly exciting.

AB: Ha no way. I see It’s Nice That as the sun – everything else would be dull without Finally, you guys have been put on a pedestal as ‘the graduates that did it’. Any

it. If anything else we look for things to add to it rather than take away.

pressure from that?

And you still love it like a son?

WH: Really? We don’t feel like that at all. The only time we notice our progress is AB: Yeah like an S-O-N! Will’s got a real son now! Will, who’s better? Your real son or

Christmas. When everyone’s gone home and we’re the last in the office we can look

It’s Nice That?

around and say ‘oh there’s a few more computers on desks than there were last year’.

WH: On record? Probably my actual son.

AB: For our events we always close the studio – everyone has to help lift bags and set

AB: I actually agree with you.

up. Everyone’s stressed out in the day but at the end of those days when we’ve done it that’s the most satisfying thing.

Do you have plans for the future that you can tell me about?

Alex finally finishes off Will with a choke slam, breaking table in twain and releasing a AB: First and foremost always keep doing what we’re doing as well as we can. From

shower of sparks that rises, meaningfully, to the heavens. Everyone takes a moment

the outside INT might feel established, but from the inside we’re always trying to

to think about what just happened, before lifting Alex aloft. There’s some confusion

improve and make it better. We also have this mantra across the HB group ‘Make it

during which the crowd dissipates, leaving just Alex, Will and this intrepid reporter.

better’, so hopefully the next thing we do will be about making the industry or the

The final score? 21-12. The victor, Alex.

world around us a bit better.

AB: Another game?

Do you worry about putting something out that doesn’t live up to the INT standard?

WH: Mate, we could play this all day. I’ve got to go.

WH: I don’t think there would be anything that’s dramatically under. What’s interesting

Thanks for everything guys!

about launching the magazine shop each under different names is that we can test INT: No worries, laterz.

it and make it its own without changing the perception of INT. I still think that the biggest thing we will do will be bigger than It’s Nice That. We publish to 400,000 people a month, which is great but there’s bigger audiences to be had.

You can visit Will and Alex at itsnicethat.com or stand in Shoreditch and shout until

AB: The problem with It’s Nice That is we will always be talking to a niche audience –

they answer. Check out the second issue of their new mag Printed Pages, out now.

if we can find something more universal and be nimble about trying new things then that would be great.

Alex drew Will, demonstrating that his style has become more expressionist of late.

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THE INITIATED Poem by Kayo Chingonyi, Illustration by Chris Wise

You come into your own at termini, after the fact, in the safe distance afforded those who remain behind stalled beside the point of action; brave enough to speak once the chances of failure, and success, recede: I was the man in houndstooth shoes you sat next to on the overground to Richmond at 2:05 on June 22nd, you wore a sundress and Ray Bans, rims the shade of your lipstick. Drink?

So many pages given over to this yen we have for laying ourselves open, so long as it won’t end in brokenness.

What you have to say of hope, hinges within the particular details: Flight 551 from Mexico, Seat 18C, the tallest of the Polish contingent, a palpable frisson in the queue at baggage claim.

You know an unbidden compliment for what it is. You can be distinguished from your opportunist counterparts by your tendency to qualify. Where brasher paramours, drunk naturally, might blurt, you opt for poise: Since what works in a film tends to fall flat in print, I don’t usually do this, but I was afraid you’d live your life not knowing what I’d give to know your name.

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THE FIBRES OF SUCCESS Words by Janet Woolley, Illustration by Jade Spranklen

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anet Woolley, leader of the Illustration MA at Camberwell College of Arts, has developed an unlikely view of successes throughout her decorated career in academia. She reckons that it’s not always measurable by exam results or the number of commission notches on a freelancer’s bedposts. Instead, it comes

through self-satisfaction and creative contentment. Here, Janet examines the idea of achievement and dishes out some useful advice for artists on what they should be using as their yardstick.

Take a journey back in time and try to remember what success meant to you as child. Pleasing parents or teachers, writing neatly, drawing engaging pictures that can be shared, being quiet in class and singing in tune, all in the quest for a shiny gold star or smiley face in your school book. Reward has always been an accepted way of motivating and educating children, ingraining acceptable modes of social behaviour such as gratitude, good manners, performance and empathy, in the hope that they will function in society and relate to their fellow humans.

What university student hasn’t said, at some point, that they wish to be successful? We encourage and commend this driven response, and why not? Eager to trigger conversation and debate within a group of BA Illustration students, I asked ‘What do you mean by success?’ Predictably enough answers including ‘make money’, ‘become famous’ and ‘achieve a distinction in my degree’ were among the most common replies.

At what point do we leave this reward-based mindset behind? As an illustrator or artist, we retain a natural desire to please, to communicate, and to be applauded for our work. But after pursuing what is deemed to be an unsafe career, how should we define success?

Reflection, research, risk and self-knowledge are all central to a good art education, and vital in the continual development of any creative individual. These elements should equip us with a confidence in our own abilities. The maturity to negotiate and, more importantly, the ability to say no; to draw a line that you will not cross, a point at which you will no longer compromise.

Many enjoy such input from others and the challenges that come with it. Others find this aspect of the field entirely objectionable and, as a result, decide to exhibit or self-publish in order to take control of their own outcomes.

“Success is having a career that you love with every fibre in your body.”

How an artist interprets success really depends on their own objectives. Making money, getting published or being in constant demand may seem appealing, but it is often short lived if unaccompanied by more fundamental elements. I would suggest that success is none of the above. It’s about life balance and feeling happy with your creative work, whether it is groundbreaking or merely commercial. Having your own personal artistic journey that runs parallel with the demands of the commissioned work is important too.

So what is success? I believe that success is when an illustrator has discovered who they are and where their passions and strengths lie. If they spend time each

Jack White

day on an activity that makes them happy and fulfilled, then they are on the road to success. If the creative world is a richer place after you’ve journeyed through it, then that is success in its truest form.

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BORN FREELANCE Words by Ash Billinghay, Illustration by Maria Pizzeria

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or some, freelancer is just a title used by the unemployed to escape ridicule

Freelancing, as dreamy as being your own boss sounds, is one of the hardest

and disappointed sighs from their parents. For others, it’s a real career and

things you could ever do. Yes you get to do all of the fun stuff you love, but you also

a seemingly profitable one at that (you know who you are, you tax-shirking

have to do all the crap stuff you hate. Have you ever filled in a tax return form before?

bastards). You work when you want, where you want and, better still, you

Get started. Have you ever used every spare moment trying to sell yourself to anyone

don’t have to pretend to enjoy making coffee for other people. However, it’s not all

who might listen? It’s time to start pimping yourself out. Put on a fur coat, shave your

Loose Women and chocolate fingers; there are downsides too. One of our very own

legs and go stand on a street corner outside an agency because that’s the extent

Zombies recalls the hurdles and hoops he had to jump through during his stint in a

you’re going to have to go to if freelancing is the future you want.

There are cons to it, definitely. And if someone came along and offered me

one man band.

a full time role [Editor’s note: Ash has now found a kind owner/employer], I’d bite their hands off and enjoy the poor digestion it caused in my new financially-secure

I didn’t become a freelancer by choice. Oh no, it wasn’t something that

stomach.

happened on purpose at all. You see, I had a job. A proper job. It paid me a regular wage and looked good on my LinkedIn profile. My friends even said things like ‘You

But there are massive pros too. All of the time spent worrying where the next

work there? Awesome!’ But it wasn’t awesome, not for me. The job I had made me sad

pay cheque will come from are totally worth it when you see something you’ve done

and want to jump off things, and that’s not something anyone should have to put up

go live. It’s just a shame how many people you’ll have to sleep with to get there

with for a prolonged period of time; it’ll drive a person mad. So I left that job and told

(metaphorically… most of the time).

myself that, with that experience behind me, the future would be easy.

I was wrong. The future wasn’t easy at all. Not only did it mean that I couldn’t afford to live within the shiny lights of London anymore, it also meant that my LinkedIn

SSZ TIP:

profile now had a word on it that scared people. That word was freelance.

People looked at the freelance me, not as a quick way to solve a creative problem but as someone who was using the word to disguise joblessness. ‘You left a

One useful piece of advice we often hear is that you

good job to follow your dreams, Ash? Yeah, like we’re going to believe that.’

should ‘dress for work’ when you’re freelancing, which

I didn’t just slip into a life of writing articles and poems for people the way I’d hoped. I wasted months thinking about whether I’d made the right decision, and

makes sense because only boxers and Hugh Hefner have

endless nights awake wondering how the hell I was going to afford to live from now

achieved anything decent in their dressing gowns.

on on. I spent hours in the day looking over job sites, contemplating other roles I wouldn’t enjoy just so I could pay the rent on another flat I wouldn’t want to live in.

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MA SH UP Mashing up Tech, Design, and Business.

Hyper Island is now running three of our innovative industry facing programmes in the UK. Applications are now open for 2013/14.

Full-Time MA in Digital Media Management Based at our school in Manchester. Next intake January 2014.

Flexible MA in Digital Media Management Combining in-school, in-work, and individual study. Based in London. Starting April 2014.

Digital Strategy Evening Course Running in parallel in Manchester and London. 8 weeks. Starting October 2013. hyperisland.com @hyperisland lewis.greener@hyperisland.com

INTERVIEW WITH JULIA POTT Questions by Sam Ailey, Illustrations by Julia Pott

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abelled as ‘one to watch’ in 2013 by Creative Review, British animator and

What was your first year of self-employment like after your MA?

illustrator Julia Pott has a very promising career ahead of her. In 2007, she

Because I moved to New York shortly after graduating from the RCA, it’s hard to tell if

graduated with a BA from Kingston University and went on to complete an

I’m learning things because I’m away from home or because I’m working full-time. The

MA in animation at the Royal College of Art (RCA) four years later. Shortly

whole experience has definitely brought me out of my shell. Things that used to make

afterwards, she decided to up sticks to New York, trading Oyster cards and decent

me want to vomit on my legs –like meeting clients or giving talks about my work– are

cheese for yellow cabs and sugared everything. Her achievements in the last 12 months

getting easier and easier. I’ve learned to always make what I want too. Don’t make

have certainly given her something to write home about, as she saw her short films

what you think the client wants to see or what is trendy at the time, because the work

get screenings at festivals including Sundance and SXSW. We spoke to Julia about

you are passionate about will always turn out better than anything you’re forcing.

about the challenges of working abroad and the benefits of a being a Brooklynite.

What can you tell us about your festival screenings? How important are international Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to do once you’d left university?

awards to you?

When I left Kingston, I was a little sleep deprived and not entirely sure what the next

When work that is so personal and important to you gets accepted into festivals and

step would be. I knew I wanted to direct animation, so music videos seemed like a

receives accolades, it’s the best feeling ever. It means you’re not crazy, and that those

logical step as it allowed a certain level of experimentation and freedom. I got in

months where you looked weird and couldn’t carry on a normal conversation weren’t

touch with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone about doing a video, and from there I

in vain. Some of my closest friends now are people who I met at Sundance and SXSW;

was offered projects with The Decemberists and Bat for Lashes. I loved both of those

it’s like summer camp for nerdy grown-ups.

experiences but I was keen to make more of my own short films again. Storytelling Do you have any tips for creative grads with a travel bug?

is the biggest pull for me and that time away from university helped me realise that.

One of the greatest perks of working for yourself is that you can pretty much do it Did you support yourself with a day job when in the years after uni or were you able

from anywhere. When I was living full-time in London, I often saved up all the money

to jump into creative work immediately?

I made and put it towards a sublet in a different city for a few months and worked

For the first few months after graduating from Kingston I worked in a clothes shop.

from there. You meet so many great people. Going outside of your comfort zone and

I would take on freelance commissions in the evenings and on weekends, and also

having those experiences all contribute to making your work more interesting. Do it!

opened up an online store. By the following November I had saved up enough to just Is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to in the remainder of the year?

work for myself.

I’m going to Annecy in France next week for their animation festival and I’m super You then decided to do an MA in a creative field, which is a big commitment. What

pumped about that. I have a couple of projects on the horizon that I’m really excited

did yours mean to you?

about too. Other than that I will mainly be spending my downtime eating donuts.

I went to the RCA to improve on the areas I felt weak in, and for me that was storytelling.

I wanted to leave there feeling that I had pushed myself and taken risks, regardless of how the films turned out. Being back in an academic environment was hugely helpful because you have deadlines, tutorials and friends who are going through the same weird two years as you.

After you finished that, why did you choose to move to the US? My mum is from New York and when I was growing up we would spend every summer here visiting my family, so it is very nostalgic for me. I lived in Brooklyn for three months between my first and second year at the RCA to develop my film called ‘Belly’ – that pretty much sealed the deal. I still feel like a tourist though. I love the extremes of the seasons and I get weirdly amped up about festive holidays.

How has living in the US helped moved your career forward?

I signed to New York-based production company Hornet Inc. when I moved out here and they’ve been a huge help. I’ve met a lot of interesting people here that have resulted in collaborations and I travel more, which I love. That being said, more than half of the projects I do are commissioned by companies in Europe.

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TOM J NEWELL Our cover artist Tom is the sort of illustrator we really love to keep our beady eyes on at ShellsuitZombie. His style is so well honed that it could probably give you a first degree paper cut, but we like that it shows where dedication to a unique style can take you in an illustration career.

You can see more of Tom’s work at tomjnewell.com or, if you happen to find yourself in Sheffield before the end of July, go see his current exhibition at The Old Sweet Shop, featuring the ink drawings of demons pictured here, plus a bunch more.

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SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE STARTUPS Words by Tom Ewing

T

here is no such thing as 10 easy steps to anything. In fact, any top 10 list

entrepreneurs of our time haven’t created something new, they’ve just improved on

that isn’t based on quantifiable statistics is, quite frankly, pure opinionated

something that already existed. “Every sector is ripe for disruption, just look at what

bollocks. Plus, 90% of the time (stats, nice) you’d be better off ignoring

James Dyson achieved with bloody vacuum cleaners,” Doug exclaimed. True that.

such a guide and carrying on about your day uninterrupted. Frank, honest

Sucks to be Henry right now.

and brutal advice is far more useful to startup hopefuls. In order to get some of this

5. Don’t shy away from doing something a bit boring. As Doug says: “Any

wisdom we got in touch with American investor and Dragons’ Den O.G. Doug Richard,

part of the world that annoys you or needs solving, that means you’ve got a market.”

6. It’s also important to “find out if the world needs what you want to create.”

and he took us back to school.

If you did want to spend £500 on taking those baby steps towards the big bad world If you’re still reading, then you must be keen for a little business insight. That’s

of business, then Doug reckons that this should be a key focus. Go to trade shows,

exactly how I felt when I phoned Doug Richard, the entrepreneurial extraordinaire and

develop a prototype or do a bit of market research. Make sure that your hunch is right.

founder of School For Startups. The organisation was set up to complement existing

7. Be realistic. We asked what the most common failings were in the

government support for entrepreneurs in the UK, and since 2008 it has welcomed

entrepreneurial world and Doug said: “A downfall I see in so many startups is over-

over 12,000 budding business men and women through its doors.

optimism.” Be realistic about the amount of time it takes to get things moving.

8. Protect your intellectual property rights. As Doug pointed out: “You can

We asked Doug to tell us how to start a worthwhile business with the money you might spend attending a music festival:

find a lot of good resources online,

around £500. “That’s not really possible,”

venture capital companies and open

he said. “It’s not enough money.”

source forums are a good starting point.”

It wasn’t quite the response we were hoping to hear either, but he’s probably right. The only thing £500 will definitely get you is a ticket to one of those get-rich-quick events – the kind that take place in the conference rooms of 3-star hotels and where, ironically, only the organisers make millions.

Luckily though, there are a few things

We asked Doug to tell us how to start a worthwhile business with the money you might spend attending a music festival: around £500. “that’s not really possible,” he said.

“It’s not enough money.”

A word of warning here though – a DIY legal job is likely to end in disaster, so call in qualified help where possible. Or start dating a solicitor.

9. Register as a business. It might sound obvious, but putting one little © next to your name isn’t going to hold up in court. Furthermore, if you’re teaming up with your buddies, you don’t want to

you can do in order to get your idea off

be squabbling over equity in the future.

the ground. Here are some of them:

Get it down on paper and signed.

10.

1. Get some friends to help you

Don’t

get

consumed

by

out. Two brains are better than one and, following the same logic, three brains are

numbers and figures. If you’re not an Excel hotshot but you think your idea has got

better than two. As well as the inevitable camaraderie and undying sense of adventure,

legs then fuck it, it’s worth pursuing. If you can sell yourselves and create demand

you can also share the workload of boring stuff. “People are far too precious and

for your product or service, then the rest may just fall in to place. “At seed stage the

protective of their ideas; small teams always have a better chance of success than

financials are always just guesses, so I never believe them anyway,” Doug suggests. “If

sole traders,” says Doug.

you’ve got a good story, it’s a start.”

2. Get a proper website. Not a Tumblr, your nine-year-old brother has a Tumblr.

11. I told you this wasn’t a 10-step guide and I’m sticking to it. The last bit of

A registered website is verified and publicised record of your work, which helps fight

wisdom Doug had for us was this: “Don’t pay someone to do what you can do for

against plagiarism. The first impression someone will get of you is likely to be through

free.” Sounds obvious but it’s true. There are lots of tools out there at your disposal

your website, so make it a decent one. “These days there are no businesses that can

and it really has never been easier to start your own business using only a laptop and

succeed without an online presence, whether or not they are physical.” Hit ‘em, Doug!

a little brainpower. Sure, there are lots of other people out there doing it, but who’s to

3. No matter how ‘cool’ your digital venture sounds, it needs to make money.

say that you can’t join the fun?

If you’re really keen to take your idea past the dream stage then get in touch

I asked Doug if he thought that the popularity of app development was justified. He

with School For StartUps at schoolforstartups.co.uk. Tell them we sent you and you

responded simply: “An app is not a business model.”

4. Don’t be afraid to enter a competitive sector. Some of the greatest

might even get a queue jump…

16

ILLO NEEDED (DOGBOY, SAM TO CHASE)

HARD TALK Words by S Heath, Illustration by Dogboy

Y

ou’ve done the tough work. The leer, the introduction, the small talk, the

have even expired. It no longer feels impulsive, it now feels repulsive. There’s a gap

pricey spirits, the arhythmic shuffling to that Daft Punk tune people won’t

that’s waiting to be filled and you need to attend to it. It’s 45 seconds long, which is

stop fucking playing, the brave suggestion,

roughly how much time it takes to find, open, pinch and

the answer, the taxi and the offer of a

roll on a condom.

caffeinated blah blah that never existed in the first place.

All is going well. You’re doing what people do all the time; it’s almost as if you were a normal person.

During a deluded moment on the way to the bedroom you think that you finally understand what those rappers on MTV Cribs were on about when they point at their memory foam mattresses and said ‘this is where the magic happens.’

Sadly there’s nothing magic about a painfullylong bout of dry humping, but it’s all part of the process. Before you can even think about trying that worryingly-aggressive move you saw in a BangBros

There’s a gap that’s waiting to be filled and you need to attend to it. It’s 45 seconds long, which is roughly how much time it takes to find, open, pinch and roll on a condom.

video, a dreaded phrase rears its ugly head to suck the

Silence is not an option in this scenario. Neither is humming, whistling, tutting or scatting. Any attempt at ‘sexed-up chat’ will probably result in laughter –the bad kind, where it’s aimed at you– and rightly so.

Don’t bother bringing up that piece you read in Monocle about that Chinese mega-city either, as ‘interesting’ facts hold no weight in this conversational vacuum. Chat about fashion, good design, food, apps and new pop-up hummus bars should be saved for work colleagues and housemates, if you resent them.

Comments on the token Buddha sitting atop their mantel piece, the dreamcatcher in the window or the French film posters Blu-tacked to the walls should also be kept quiet.

Instead, you should remember three solid jokes

fun out of the whole thing.

and pass them off as your own, recount your favourite

“Do you have a condom?”

trick shots in The Big Break or recite your favourite Jeff Goldblum monologue word-

Yes, as a matter of fact you do, and they’ve been gathering dust. Some may

for-word. Better yet, you could talk about this article. Over and over again.

17

MY ONLY VICE Words by Ray Murphy, Photography by Grey Hutton/VICE

V

ice has split opinions, started arguments and satirised the shit out of

His initial articles were so well received that the music editor gradually gave

everything for nearly two decades now. From its humble beginnings as

him more to do, before offering him a full-time editorial assistant role. “It wasn’t really

a DIY zine in Canada, it has grown to become one of the world’s most

paid, but because I was abroad anyway and was going to be studying, I had some

influential voices on counterculture, covering everything from fascist

financial support from the UK so I could afford to work for 18 months.”

This is an unusually fortunate scenario and one that most grads could only

rallies, to South American hallucinogens and ironic trips to Baleric foam parties. We

dream of, but Tom was clearly appreciative of that. “I was very lucky. Not just slightly,

sent one of our very own to meet the head of its German outfit.

but incredibly lucky that they were willing to invest a lot of responsibility into someone who was so inexperienced.”

“Are they with you?” I looked over my shoulder to see a camera man flanked by a boom operator and weary looking production assistant. “Nope. That’s just an

Oddly enough, he would be reluctant to hire someone like him now that he’s in

oddly timed coincidence,” I replied as I stuffed my city map back into my pocket and

charge. “I’m not sure I would take that same risk today, the company has grown a lot,”

pulled an icy hand from my gloves, still charred from last night’s firework celebrations.

he tells me. “Back then we brought out the magazine once a month and the website played a very small role in what we did; we were mainly about events.”

I’m standing outside of a U-bahn station in East Berlin with Tom Littlewood, the Chief Editor of Vice Deutschland. I’m hoping to find out more about the whole

Directives for the print edition of Vice come from the New York HQ. It’s then

operation and, more importantly, how a 28-year-old from the English countryside

up to the individual offices to pitch and produce their own articles that are later

came to be in control of it. We headed to a dimly-lit pub in Kreuzberg where Tom

consolidated in a US issue, which goes to press two weeks before any other territory.

greeted the barman with some familiarity, while I made a vain attempt to decipher the

Tom is then provided with the chance to pick any articles from this US edition to use

20-letter words that were strewn across the beer menu.

for Vice Deutschland. “It’s a nice position to be in, to have that opportunity,” he says explaining just how much content he gets access to.

Surprisingly, Tom didn’t learn to speak German until he reached university where all undergrads were strongly encouraged to learn a second tongue. Choosing

After the selection process, he only has a few days to turn around a product

to take up German classes instead of the oversubscribed Spanish ones was a no-

that will appeal to Berliners rather than Brooklynites. “I often replace the fashion

brainer he suggests. “In my year there were about 150 people learning Spanish and

content because we have our own clients that we need to please over here,” he tells

only three taking German, so I got to learn the language very quickly. It was just

me. “Also, some stuff doesn’t work; we can’t just translate the US issue into German

intense and very exciting.”

and expect it to be successful.”

As part of the course, he was able to study abroad for a year and was given

Despite the popularity of the print edition Vice’s website is now one of the most

the choice between Paris and Berlin. “I chose Berlin because it’s cheaper and I felt

important pillars in their global publishing model, so I was keen find out when this

like there were more opportunities here; I could learn more in a year than I could in

shift started to occur. “We realised that we had to change how we worked editorially,

Paris.” After a semester at Berlin’s Humboldt University, Tom became frustrated with

from monthly deadlines to daily ones, as the relevance of online media grew,” Tom

the teaching and decided to quit. “It was a big decision, but it was just really boring,”

explains. “We had to start reacting far more quickly as we became more of a news

he says. “So I used the opportunity to try and get a job instead.”

outlet than a magazine.”

Soon afterwards, he stumbled across a German edition of Vice at a friend’s

I’ve often noticed a disparity between the print and online versions of my

place and decided to take an impulsive risk. “I knew the magazine from England, so

favourite publications. I wondered how the style of Vice’s print edition influenced

the next day I went round to their offices and just introduced myself,” – a brave step

its digital content, if at all. “Vice started as a fanzine in Montreal, so there’s always

for a 21-year-old with little relevant experience. “It was the first time I’d really stepped

that kind of DIY and punk attitude which has translated very well into our online

into journalism at all. I’d written quite a lot creatively, but had never been published.”

operations,” he says. “It doesn’t mean that we don’t research our facts and get things right, it just means we’re more open to playing around with humour.”

Tom’s path into Vice was made easier because the company was still growing

If you’re inclined to believe in stereotypes, you might think that funny journalism

at the time. “There were only four people working back then, as they’d just started

wouldn’t be well received in Germany. However, this hasn’t been the case.

two months earlier,” he tells me. “They were looking for a general office intern to help

“[Humour] isn’t necessarily something that needs to be absent from a story; it

out, but then I started writing reviews for the magazine.”

18

can actually improve and strengthen the message,” Tom suggests. “When institutions

in Germany that maybe doesn’t in England, and it’s not sarcastic. It could just be

like Zeit start playing more with satire, then it’s almost a justification that we’re not

more honest, less bureaucratic; a more direct form of reporting that cuts through the

complete retards,” he adds, smiling.

convention and bullshit.”

This recognition has helped Tom’s team gain credibility with some of the

A common complaint made a about UK-based magazines and websites is that

country’s more conventional media groups including Der Spiegel, who they now

articles are often too London-centric. Was there a risk of this happening to Vice’s

produce video content for.

Berlin operations? “In order to expand and become more national, we targeted

Given the prominence of the VBS TV arm, I was surprised to hear that Tom

young graduates throughout Germany,” says Tom. “I’ve been watching a lot of The

and his colleagues only cottoned onto to the importance of video content three

Wire recently and there’s a quote from Kima saying: ‘You’re only as good as your

years ago.“Trying to tell a story through a camera is an art; it’s an exciting and very

informants’, and it’s kind of true.”

exhilarating process,” he says. “But the capital we were investing required a certain

So what does the interminable squeeze on staff numbers at big broadsheets

level of seniority and experience. We couldn’t just go and mess around with cameras

and other media outlets mean for aspiring informants and what skills should UK grads

because we had to deliver a certain quality and quantity of work.”

look to demonstrate? “Language is definitely important. But there is a distinction between German and international media companies,” he says, pointing out that you

The UK edition of Vice has earned a fierce reputation for its satirical and scathing reporting that, at times, seems to

don’t need to be fluent in the local dialect

take conceited pleasure in becoming cannon

to work on an English language publication.

fodder for forum trolls. Does this approach

Where you will face difficulties, however,

work with a German audience, and how did Tom learn to understand the Bavarian sense of humour?

“When I was managing editor it was my job to go over each article to make sure it didn’t sound ‘foreign’, but also to make sure it made cultural sense for Germany,” he says.

“You can’t make jokes about the right-wing, because people wouldn’t take you seriously as a media outlet.” I’m then told that irony also remains a hard-sell, and is mostly avoided.

In order to understand the target

“There’s an opportunity that presents itself in Germany that maybe doesn’t in England, and it’s not sarcastic. It could just be more honest, less bureaucratic; a more direct form of reporting that cuts through the convention and bullshit.”

is when you need to communicate with workmates and interview subjects.

Fortunately, the picture is a little more optimistic for those looking to pursue paths outside magazines and newspapers.

“If you’re working for a creative agency, as a copywriter or a producer, you’ll be dealing with international clients,” Tom adds. “There’s more opportunity for that now in Berlin.”

I wanted to touch on something Tom had mentioned earlier during our conversation, when he suggested he’d be reluctant to hire someone who was in his position several

audience better, Tom relied on the help of his

years ago. If he wouldn’t hire a young version

publisher to make sure they were hitting the right tone. “The content Vice UK produced for online was very satirical and didn’t

of himself, what exactly did he expect to see in a suitable candidate for a role at Vice?

come across well here,” he admits. “Had we carried on translating it, we wouldn’t have

“If I find some I like, who has a good perspective and who can talk about things in an

become what we are today.”

eloquent but funny way, then I’d always ask them to start contributing to our website,” he says.“You can quickly see if someone’s got talent or not [...] I think reporting in the

One of Vice Deutschland’s earlier editors once said that, sometimes, a writer

field is the best way to get that impression of someone.”

needs to educate readers to get the joke. “It’s a ballsy statement to make, but it’s something we’ve been trying to do for a while,” Tom says, admitting that it isn’t

The local reporting skills that are taught on many academic journalism courses

something that will happen instantly. “It’s a long process. I still think we’re trying to

seem to appeal to him, and he believes that ability to find an interesting story is more

find exactly the right voice.”

important than writing ability. “It all comes down to how good you are with people – can you get a good quote, can you see the potential in the story?” he says. “You can

It seems to me that the voice he’d like to be heard is more serious and sincere

learn how to write; you can’t learn how to see the world.”

in tone than the English one we know so well. “Ultimately, it just comes down to reporting the news differently,” he says. “There’s an opportunity that presents itself

19

EARNING AND BURNING Words & Illustration by Jo Church

F

rom LPs and CDs to P2Ps and MP3s, the way we discover and consume music

entertainment field, the band trusted customers to make a donation between £0 and

has completely changed in the last 30 years. Our man in the mirror Jo Church

£100 depending on what they felt the album was worth. Besides their loyal followers

reflects on the industry and the money flowing through it.

who paid for the album, a new generation of fans also discovered their music for the first time.

Michael Jackson repeatedly found ways to squander his hard earned fortune. After signing a contract with Sony in 1991 worth $1bn in retail sales alone, he eventually

My own understanding of music has also changed dramatically over the years. I used

left behind an estimated $500m debt when his life was sadly cut short at the age

to view music as something I just needed to know a bit about in order to keep up with

of 50. As he moved through the decades, he set vinyl and CD sales records that

my contemporaries. Nowadays, I’m rarely alone without it. Wake up, radio. Walk to

remain unbroken to this day; ‘Thriller’ still tops worldwide charts after shifting over

station, iTunes. Sat at desk, Soundcloud. Cook dinner, Spotify. Only in the past three

65m units. Despite his fame Jacko’s career had plateaued before the noughties, just

years has music become my lifeblood. Although I haven’t bought a CD since 2005, I

as technology began to grapple with the music industry and drastically altered the

still pay for music – I just do it in other ways.

way consumers invested in it.

During my final year at uni, the ease and speed of downloading music had a huge When iTunes emerged in 2000, music fans began to familiarise themselves with the

appeal. After just a few months of ‘right click, save as’ I was hooked on new bands and

idea of downloading and owning a digital album instead of having a physical disc.

DJs, going to more gigs and buying merchandise I would never have even considered

It wasn’t long before peer-to-peer and torrent sites surfaced allowing people to

in the past. Without the introduction of MP3 converter websites, I’m certain that I

download album after album of free music, leaving record labels and their artists with

would have carried on listening to my ‘MTV Select’ album from 2001 and wouldn’t be

lighter pockets.

nearly as engaged with the music market as I am today.

Over the past decade, some artists have tried to counter this with mixed results.

I appreciate the moral (and legal) implications of ‘helping yourself’ to something you

Radiohead shrewdly recognised the changes in the industry, and in 2007 they

haven’t paid for, but, in my case at least, downloading free tracks has had nothing

released their album ‘In Rainbows’ as a free download. Breaking new ground in the

but a positive effect on my involvement in, and interaction with, the world of music.

20

AGONY ASH

With Ash Billinghay, Illustration by Alex Vissaridis

G

Dear Ash: I worry that I’m wasting my creative talents in a menial job. Help.

ot a creative problem? Can’t get clients to pay up? Whether you’re teetering on the edge of madness because of a dull job, or drowning in salty tears due to bad briefs, our very own agony aunt is here to listen.

QUIT. IMMEDIATELY. There are far too many people in the world doing crap they

Here he is with some solutions that may help, or cause irreparable damage.

don’t really want to be doing. Yes, it might help pay the rent and your electricity will probably be cut off during the first few weeks of you following your creative dream,

Dear Ash: We keep redoing our book and we’ve seen loads of people for crits, but

but what’s worse? Not having power in your lights or not having power in your LIFE?

we still haven’t got a placement. We’re losing hope and money, what should we do?

Dear Ash: I’m working on a brief but the client keeps rejecting my most creative Hello reader! It sounds like you’re in a tricky position but you’re going about it all

ideas. I want to impress them but I also want my work to shine, and it won’t if I give

wrong. Keep changing your book? Nah, screw that! Just because one person said

in to their demands.

it was shit doesn’t mean it actually is. Stick to your guns, show ‘em who’s boss and stand menacingly outside the agency’s door until they let you have a placement out

Contrary to popular belief, the client is never right. However it is crucial that you

of fear of mugging. If they still say no, actually mug them*. Your money problems will

always make them think they are, so that their egos don’t deflate forcing them to

be sorted, as will your housing, daily meals, and 24/7 security.

throw themselves under a train to get over the misery of their existence. I once had a client insist I use a picture she created on MS Paint even though it looked like the

Dear Ash: I’ve done some freelance work for someone who still hasn’t paid me. I

work of an armless chimpanzee. I told her it looked great, completely changed it and

feel like they’re taking me for a ride. How should I go forward without losing them

sent it back to her claiming she was my inspiration. I no longer work for that client

as a client?

but it’s not for that reason.

Keeping the client friendly is important, but not as important as being able to afford

Need Ash’s help? He’s here for you, baby. Send your worries to team@shellsuitzombie.

food. If they aren’t paying you then action has to be taken. Send them an email. If they

co.uk and he’ll set you right or lose you your job. It’s the risk you take.

don’t reply, send them another one using swear words. If they still don’t reply, send them a decapitated animal head. If they don’t reply after that, decapitate them**.

*with kindness **again, with kindness

You’ll lose a client but gain everyone else’s respect.

WHODUNNIT Ray Murphy – Editor, @rymrphy

Pete Murgatroyd – Illustrator, petemurgatroyd.tumblr

Tom J Newell – Illustrator, tomjnewell.com

Alex Vissaridis – Art Director & Designer, @vizzee

Maria Pizzeria – Illustrator, @Mariapizzeria

Janet Woolley – Lecturer @ Camberwell College of Arts

Sam Ailey – Illustration Editor, @SamAiley

Jade Spranklen – Illustrator, @JadeSpranklen

Jonny Burch – SSZ co-founder, @Jonnyburch

Christopher Wise – Illustrator, @wistopherchrise

Andrew Muir Wood – SSZ co-founder, @muirface

NOTABLE ZOMBIES James Atkins, Chantelle Barton, Laurence Berry,

SPECIAL GUESTS

Stephanie Bonner, Christina Button, Robert Cross,

Ash Billinghay – Writer, @Ash_Billinghay

Kayo Chingonyi – Poet, kayochingonyi.wordpress.com

Christopher Cryer, Livija Dale, Jake Haynes, Becki

Jo Church – Writer & Illustrator, @jotothejo36

Dogboy – Illustrator, dogboy.co

Hemming, Amy Cecilia Leigh, Nathan Perkins, Emily

Tom Ewing – Writer, @tomewing

Grey Hutton – Photographer, greyhutton.com

Salinas, Matt Weatherall

21

SHELLSUIT ZOMBIE X NEW BLOOD

WE’VE GOT YOUR BOX. AND WE’RE NOT GIVING IT BACK FOR A WHOLE WEEK.

During the week we’ll be packing our temporary HQ with exhibitions, useful talks, creative workshops, live illustration and a bloody nice shop, so come see us, and keep an eye on our Facebook page or Twitter @ShellsuitZombie for special announcements.

SSZ tore Shoreditch in half with a raucous six-week festival of creativity last year. In fact, people enjoyed it so much they’ve let us do it all over again.

We’re uber hyped for the takeover and reckon it’ll provide a decent opportunity for To coincide with D&AD New Blood, we’ve hijacked a unit in London’s best pop-up

good looking creatives from across the country to show their work, to collaborate, to

mall from 2nd -7th July 2013 and we’re going to do weird things with it.

learn and to get really drunk. It’s business in the front, party in the back. Mullet over.

DarkMatterCollective, ShellsuitZombie’s live illustration brotherhood, are getting

CREATIVE SOCIAL TALKSSZ

ready to attack a 2 metre square canvas in a week-long drawing marathon at

Wednesday 3rd July, 6-8pm, Upstairs at Boxpark

LIVE ILLUSTRATION

Tuesday 2nd - Sunday 7th July, 11am-5pm, Boxpark, Unit 55

Boxpark. So come along, pick up a UV pen and join in the madness.

In collaboration with Creative Social, SSZ proudly presents Abi Ellis, Creative Director at LBi, and Alex Lavery, founder of Pitch and Sync. Abi will talk about how

FAT PENGUIN

you put a price on your skills and Alex will fill you in on the importance of failure to the creative process.

Tuesday 2nd July, 3-5pm, Boxpark, Unit 55

SHELLSUITZOMBIE’S ANNUAL FACE-OFF

We’ve called in some close friends to give you the mother of all pep talks before your private view at New Blood. Consider the ice well and truly broken.

NEWSJACKATHON

Wednesday 3rd July, 8-10pm, Upstairs at Boxpark

Wednesday 3rd July, 11am-12:30pm, Boxpark, Unit 55

Do you want the glory of being crowned the UK’s best speed briefing university

Newsjacking just won big at Cannes with Oreo’s Daily Twist. It’s time to get with the

2013? Yes, you do. Come along and represent your uni in the greatest creative battle

programme. Meet at 11am for a quick intro to newsjacking from Jon Buckhart, Head

of all time, or just hide in the shadows and watch the mayhem with beer.

of Social at Lean Mean Fighting Machine, followed by a creative challenge.

OFFICIAL NEW BLOOD CLOSING PARTY

HYPER ISLAND

Wednesday 3rd July, 2-3pm & Thursday 4th July, 2-3pm, Boxpark, Unit 55 A team from the legendary creative educators Hyper Island will be providing two

Thursday 4th July, 8pm-late, Concrete, Shoreditch

opportunities to attend a workshop giving you an insight into how to remain future

ShellsuitZombie are hooking up with the clever lot at Young Creative Council (YCC)

proof in a constantly changing industry.

to host the mother of all closing parties for New Blood 2013.

For more details and updates, keep an eye on shellsuitzombie.co.uk/newblood2013

22

COLLABORATE ShellsuitZombie is growing up quickly. We are looking to work with

the scenes to put together the very best content and opportunities

partners to help bring bigger, better forms of Zombie love to a

for other creative people around London, the UK and worldwide.

wider audience. But we don’t just want you for your cash! We want

Through our printed publication, website, regular events and

authentic, ongoing relationships with organisations that share our

workshops, ShellsuitZombie represents the young voice of the

vision and values.

creative industries.

ShellsuitZombie is a project run by and for the benefit of young

Want a piece of that pie? Here’s how:

creatives. We keep a group of creative minds working away behind

Advertise with us

Have us educate your students

Blogging/Social Media partnership

Our website, blog and social media channels average

Helping students transition into the cruel world of

The best thing about social media is that you can do it

over 10,000 unique visitors each month. You have just

creative work is topic #1 on our agenda. Over the last

in your pants. We can blog for you or you can blog for

read our fourth magazine; issue one and two reached

few years we have visited a number of universities to

us. Equally, we can shout you out through our social

2,000 readers, issue three made it to 15,000. We can

give unique seminars on real world issues such as how

channels or take over yours – who knows what we

give you access to this audience through our selection

to stand out in job interviews, whether London is the

could do together!

of advertising packages.

centre of the world, how to price your work etc.

Run an event with us

Send us free shit

Other ideas

Our events are attended by thousands of young

Being humans, we love receiving free stuff. And what’s

These are just some of the ways you can team up with

creatives each year and they are getting bigger and

more, if it’s good, we will write nice things about it

us. Get in touch and we can sort something out. It

better. We’ve done crazy parties in railway arches,

on our blog. If it’s not good or relevant to us and our

tends to work well if we combine multiple partnerships,

film festivals, an exhibition in a shipping container,

audience, you probably shouldn’t have sent it and we

such as running a print ad and doing an event with you.

contraptions at music festivals, web streamed quiz

may be forced mock you.

Whatever feels authentic.

shows and live illustration nights.

Interested? say hello to us here: team@shellsuitzombie.co.uk You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @ShellsuitZombie, facebook.com/shellsuitzombie And check out our website: shellsuitzombie.co.uk

ShellsuitZombie has taken all reasonable care to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate on the stated date of publication. It is possible that the information may be out of date, incomplete or the opinion of the author. Please verify any information from this magazine before relying on it. All content © ShellsuitZombie.

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