Media releases
Click on a date below to display media releases.
Sustainable design agency boosted by Journalism graduate
22.02.10
An award-winning design consultancy based in St Austell which aims to create exceptional work for clients using sustainable, carbon–aware products and materials at every stage of the design process has enhanced its team by taking the unique step of employing a journalism graduate through the Unlocking Cornish Potential scheme.
Unlocking Cornish Potential receives ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence investment. A Combined Universities in Cornwall scheme, it places graduates with businesses in Cornwall for up to one year and offers support including mentoring from experts in their fields.
24 year-old Chris Maynard was appointed as Leap Media’s Marketing & PR Co-ordinator in November 2009, with the company’s sustainable approach to business creating the perfect platform for Chris to push the conversation driven side of the company forward.
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly said, “It is exciting to see an already established and innovative company seize the opportunity to push its green credentials further. ESF Convergence support has allowed Leap Media the resources to realise its existing potential, whilst benefiting from the fresh approach that Chris has brought to the company.”
Established five years ago by former head of graphics for the Eden Project Matt Hocking, Leap has won several awards celebrating its green credentials and ethical standards. Most recently, Leap was recognised by The Ethical Company Organisation and was placed beside Marks and Spencer, EDF Energy and BT in the Financial Times when they won the Business in the Community Big Tick Award for action against climate change. Leap was also listed in the top five Small Business Recyclers of the Year at the National Recycling Awards. Leap is the first design studio of its scale to have their environmental management system accredited to the internationally recognised ISO14001 standard.
Matt Hocking said: “Chris was a gut instinct appointment. Here at Leap we have a lot of fantastic stories to tell about our own clients, interactions with the environment and the materials we use, but very little time as a small creative studio to tell them. Chris is now that storyteller in a variety of ways as well as being a very hands-on and practical part of Leap.”
Since joining Leap, Chris has been actively involved in one of Leap’s most inspirational projects to date, the Dott (Designs of the time) Eco design challenge - http://www.ecodesignchallenge.co.uk/
The project revolves around Year-8 pupils who measure their school's eco and carbon footprints using an interactive eco-calculator. After inputting figures for factors such as water usage, food miles associated with the school canteen and miles travelled to school, a Flash calculator then brings the school to life in an animated on-screen picture. The pupils are then supported every step of the way whilst they design a solution to reduce those figures with the help of a Dott appointed mentor. The project was run previously in the North East of England as part of Dott 07 and won much acclaim for the step-changes that it brought to the five prize-winning schools.
Suffolk-born Chris graduated in June 2009 from University College Falmouth - one of the Combined Universities in Cornwall partners - with a BA (Hons) in Journalism. After graduating it was his plan to stay in the county to get on to the career ladder.
He said "I first became aware of Leap in my second year at university when Matt gave a talk at Tremough about sustainable design. His passion and the whole ethos of the company really struck a chord with me and despite the fact that I had no creative design experience I felt that I had something different to offer the company.
“I was fortunate that the unique and innovative nature of Leap meant there was platform for me to bring my skills and knowledge to the team through a work placement, and when a permanent position became available through UCP I was over the moon. I always wanted to stay in Cornwall to continue my career, and UCP has enabled me to do that.
“As well as utilising my written skills, since working at Leap I have become involved in all aspects of the company, and recently completed my first pitch to a client. As the role has progressed my main involvement has been in the Dott Eco design challenge, which has allowed me to use my creative writing skills as well as develop knowledge on creative design.”
As well as working on the Dott Eco Design Challenge, since working for Leap Chris has assisted in producing website and promotional copy for clients including Resolve, the National Trust, ShelterBox, Low Carbon Futures and the recently opened eco-hotel The Scarlet, for which Leap, branded and produced all materials for, including custom Do Not Disturb signs made from recycled car tyres.
Louise Oldham, Unlocking Cornish Potential project manager said: “We expanded the UCP project to utilise Chris’s skills for the DOTT project. It has been an ambitious role but Chris has risen to the challenge.”
For further information contact:
Matt Hocking
Leap Media
01726 75551
http://www.leapmedia.co.uk/
Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
01872 241379 / 07973 813647
cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk
Editors’ notes:
Convergence helpline telephone: 0800 0280120.
In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the Convergence programmes are made up of European Regional Development Fund (£347 million) and European Social Fund (£153 million) Convergence Programmes will run until 2013 and follow the successful Objective One Programme and prior to that Objective 5b.
