About

The Gloucestershire Media Group (The GMG) was formed in 2003 to support the development, integration, and expansion of media companies, freelancers and activity in Gloucestershire.

The GMG is a not for profit organisation that currently receives funding, along with 4 other clusters across the South West, from the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) managed locally via the South West Screen (SWS).

The group is governed by a board of directors. On a daily basis, the group is run by Jessica Marklew the EVOLVE Project Manager and Linda Smith the GMG Co-ordinator.

The GMG’s office is located within Llanthony Warehouse, Gloucester Docks. To view GMG’s Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Complaints policies, click here.

Jessica Marklew, Evolve Project Manager
Joining the GMG as a full time Project Manager in October 2008, Jessica comes from an arts project management background. Her early career ranged from training as a professional contemporary dancer, to becoming a Small Business Advisor with Barclays Bank Plc. After re-training in arts and events management, she went on to manage Arts Council funded projects, established an IT business in Philadelphia, USA, and then held the post of Head of Marketing for Bath International Music Festival and Literature Festival. Jessica brings a wealth of experience and is responsible for running all aspects of the Evolve training project at the GMG.

Linda Smith, GMG Co-ordinator
Linda has recently taken over from Holly Thomas as GMG Co-ordinator. Not only will she be providing key support to the day to day operation of the GMG but she will also be the primary contact for the GMG membership. Other duties will be to help engage the wider media community within Gloucestershire through the organisation of a range of new GMG events. Linda is 22, she has an interest in Business which has grown more and more since studying the subject at GCSE level and A level. She has just recently achieved a BA (Hons) in Business Management, through studying at University of Gloucestershire. She is keen to put some of the broad range of knowledge she gained at university into practice whilst working in a professional environment. In her spare time Linda loves going to concerts and watching shows at the theatre, she enjoys dancing and has been learning Street Dance since the age of 11.

Lee Stephens, Action Image Productions Ltd
(AIP); an independent production company based in Cheltenham. AIP have, for a many years, been delivering a wide range of productions, both locally and nationally, across the Private and Public sectors for household names such as C&G, Lloyds TSB, Nestle and Bacardi as well as the University of Birmingham, NHS and local Councils. AIP are currently working on a new internet TV channel for the Legal profession and this should be launch late summer 2009. Before moving fully into the media industry Lee spent many years in the private sector and this has provided him with a wealth of management skills and business knowledge which he has been able to put to good use. He is passionate about supporting the local creative sector and individuals applying this in his own business as well as supporting the GMG.

Greg Browning, Silicon 19 Media
Greg has his fingers in a number of carefully selected pies. Having completed his post-graduate training at the BBC, Greg worked as a Network Analyst for BBC Transmission (now part of Arquiva) advising an M&A team on broadcast and telecoms acquisition projects across Europe. In 2001 he founded Silicon19 Media Ltd, a boutique media services company specialising in broadcast and media production within the fields of arts and science. Clients include Channel 4, The Royal Society, Glyndebourne Opera and British Red Cross. Recently he has been involved with U-soap Media Ltd, a TV and online format development company based in Bristol, serving as Business Development Director and board member. Greg is also Senior Producer and MD at Polyphonic Films, recently exec producing their critically acclaimed debut feature The Full Monteverdi. The film has been broadcast across the globe and released on DVD by Naxos Global.

Andy Freedman, Cirencester Media Academy
Andy is Head of the Cirencester Media Academy which provides training for industry professionals, students and the community, and has been in partnership with the GMG since 2004. The Academy has close links with a range of local companies including Aardrman Animations, EHS Brann and is a partner in North by South West, one of the Skillset Media Academies.
Cirencester students regularly win video production awards and many former students now work in the industry. Andy continues to have practical involvement in some of the corporate work produced at Cirencester..
Previously Andy worked at Media Arts in Swindon (now Create Studios) providing training for companies, organisations and freelancers in screenwriting, finance and production management and set up UK’s first screenwriting residency. At various times Andy has been part of Bristol Film Makers Co-op, wrote scripts for BBC schools TV and was involved in Media education and training in Bristol and London. He represented the South West on the BFI’s Film and Video Forum, has been a consultant for the Film Council and is involved in a number of industry training projects. This includes writing media production units for Edexcel and training materials for publishers. Currently Andy is chair of the Gloucestershire Digital Arts Forum, a trustee of Stroud Valleys Artspace and an investor in the Stroud Brewery. When he is not in meetings, Andy likes to spend time up mountains, in the cinema or trying to catch waves.

Andy Ginn, Gloucestershire College
Andy Ginn is Director of Creative Academies at Gloucestershire College, Patron of Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, and a member of the Gloucestershire Design Network. Andy contributed to Gloucestershire First Creative Industries Task Force, is a member of GHURC Blackfriars Creative Quarter Development Group, and works with industry, schools, college and university partners within the North by South West Skillset Media Academy. He is currently working to help deliver the NEXUS project, a demand-led accelerator unit for Gloucester docks. Andy lives in Painswick and enjoys fiddling with or riding a Moto Guzzi motorbike and if that’s mysteriously temperamental, walking, mountain biking, reading and the arts instead. Gloucestershire College is an Apple, Adobe and Protools authorised training centre and offers a comprehensive choice of highest quality full and part time education and training at all levels. Industry-spec music recording, design studio and TV production facilities at the new Gloucester docks campus can be hired to professional, schools and community groups via Andy.

Andy Barr, 10 Yetis
Andy Barr has worked for a number of leading global companies in senior Marketing or Public Relations roles. This includes the likes of AXA, then the 15th largest company in the world, Fast Moving Consumer Goods company Uniliver, and the world’s largest surface passenger transport company, First Group.
Despite having never worked in a PR Agency before, Andy and his business partner Jilly formed 10 Yetis 5 years ago having got fed up of the fact many agencies charge for work regardless of the poor results achieved. They wanted to create an agency that relied on quirky angles and brilliant national journalist relationships to deliver the kind of return on investment that companies need from their public relations activity.
From a back bedroom business, 5 years on and the company employs 15 people and can now list big name brands such as IKEA Family Mobile, TotalJobs, Caterer.com, MyVoucherCodes and sunshine.co.uk amongst its client list. Andy is regularly asked to deliver talks on offline and online public relations and digital media tactics, and has done so across the globe and at many Universities.

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