Tag Archives: charity

Media industry cycle from London to Brighton aims to raise £25,000 for NABS

Would you like to be part of a 63-mile cycle from London to Brighton in aid of media and advertising charity NABS?

On Friday 7 June, 100 representatives from the UK’s biggest media agencies and publishers will line up side-by-side to support and promote good mental health and wellbeing within our industry.

Sea Change for Mental Health is a shared mission, led by TLA, to raise more than £25,000 for NABS in 2019 through fundraising activity. Mental health affects 1 in 4 people, so we wanted to create an event whereby people can have a positive impact on the people they work closely to.

The London to Brighton cycle, which will be led by a professional support team, is open to teams and individuals of all fitness and ability levels. TLA will fund all riders taking part, so that 100% of the proceeds from their entry fees go directly to NABS.

Upon arrival in Brighton, there will also be medals for everyone and an exclusive after-party with music, food and a free-bar!

We’ve already received team sign-ups from Mail Metro, PHD, Haymarket, NABS and, of course, TLA. If you’d like to join us in making this a special event, head over to the charity microsite today and register your interest.

 

Industry bands to battle it out in Media Rocks charity gig

Media Rocks, the ultimate battle of the media bands, is back for 2019 and so are we as one of the event’s sponsors.

We spoke to Laura Pleasants, global director of marketing & PR for Captify (the tech company behind the charity gig) to get the lowdown on what people can expect on Thursday 7 February.

Hi Laura. What can you tell us about Media Rocks and why it’s taking place?

“The first Media Rocks was launched in 2017 by Captify’s CEO & Co-founder, Dominic Joseph and over 400 people from across the UK media industry came together to celebrate the industry’s musical talent.

Before starting Captify, Dom was a professional drummer signed to Polydor records, touring the world for four years and supporting world class acts such as The Chemical Brothers, Blondie and Fatboy Slim. With Dom’s love and passion for music, he decided to launch a music event that would bring the advertising, media and digital industries together as one united force to support a special charity.

On 7 February, Media Rocks, the ultimate battle of the media bands is back. We’ll be bringing the industry together for a night of entertainment with the aim of raising thousands  for an incredible charity, the Saltpond Education Project.”

How will it work on the night? Will it follow the same format as last year?

“Media Rocks is bigger and better than ever, this year we’ll be taking over the entire of Omeara, London’s hottest live gig venue. Six bands will take to a stage graced by the World’s finest musical talent, including The Maccabees, The Mystery Jets and Biffy Clyro.

Before the battle of the bands starts, eBay’s Sarah Helppi will kick off the party with an DJ set in Cantina bar, Omeara from 5-7pm. Last year’s winners, The Vials from PHD, will also return for an exclusive opening performance to get the crowd off their feet.”

Who are the judges this year?

“The band’s fate lies in the hands of the esteemed panel of music industry experts – returning to judge…Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett who is taking a break from his huge world tour, Radio X DJ, Maz Tappuni & Captify’s CEO & Co-founder, Dom Joseph. It’s down to them to crown the champions!”

What companies are represented by bands this time around?

“For the first time ever, Media Rocks is going European as we welcome two bands from Paris, with the remaining four bands from London. It’s set to be an incredible night of entertainment, just take a look at the epic line-up for yourself:

  • Manning Gottlieb OMD: CATALINA SKIES
  • Harvest: CONCRETE AGE
  • the7Stars: FAWKES
  • Jungle Creations: EMMA & THE FRAGMENTS
  • OMD: THE GRAND
  • iProspect: LAVAA

What type of music are you expecting from them?

“From indie rock to heavy metal, original material to rock ‘n’ roll covers, we’re really excited to showcase a variety of music talent this year. You can find out more about the bands here.”

Who can attend?

“Over 700 people from the European media industry will come together for this year’s Media Rocks – from agency friends to media owners to publishers to brand safety partners to global brands. The night is selling out fast, it’s great to hear that it’s raising buzz and excitement among industry folk, with many returning after the success of last year.”

Where can people buy tickets?

“With less than over two weeks to go, tickets are selling out fast! You can secure the remaining tickets here for just £15, with all proceeds going to the Saltpond Education Project.”

Is there anything else people should know about Media Rocks?

“All proceeds from Media Rocks will go to a charity very close to our hearts – the Saltpond Education Project. Saltpond is a small, grassroots organisation aimed at helping some of the poorest and most vulnerable children in Saltpond, Ghana. Without this incredible charity, these children would be trapped in poverty and wouldn’t have access to the education that they deserve. You can find out more about all the amazing work they do here.”

Good luck to all the bands!

2018 in Review: A year to remember for TLA

In 2018, we earned independent recognition, secured new clients, developed cutting-edge technology and raised a significant sum of money for charity. It was a special year for everyone connected with TLA.

2019 is well underway and our focus is firmly on the future, but it would be remiss of us not to recap on some of our biggest achievements of the last 12 months and say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped make them happen.

Awards

One of the most pleasing aspects of 2018 was the recognition we received from some of the UK’s biggest and most respected organisations. In the early part of the year, we were named in the Financial Times’ league table of the 1,000 fastest-growing companies in Europe. We featured featuring as the 56th highest-placed UK business in the FT 1000 and 363rd overall.

Soon after, we were invited to the Northern Tech Awards by Tech Nation to discover where we had placed in its Northern Tech 100 table. Our growth rate over the last three years saw us named as the 5th fastest-growing technology business in the North of the UK and the top-ranking company with Liverpool headquarters.

We followed those up with what are arguably the two of the most prestigious tech industry league tables in the country. We were named as the 50th fastest-growing tech company in the UK as part of The Sunday Times’ Tech Track 100 and 38th in Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50.

All four represent great recognition of our continued growth and commitment to driving performance through technology.

GDPR

Regular visitors to the TLA blog will have seen a lot of GDPR-themed content from us over the last 12 months – and with good reason.

As a company that generates, processes and distributes large volumes of consumer data, we have a huge responsibility to make sure we take an ethical and accountable approach. It’s a responsibility we have always taken seriously, but there was no doubting the ground-breaking nature of GDPR, which came into effect in May.

Our proactive approach begun almost two years ago, ensuring company-wide and top-down buy-in and taking decisive action to go beyond the regulation’s requirements. This included updates to processes, policies and technology that have all helped to make us a stronger business and partner to our clients.

The result was a GDPR programme that allowed clients to confidently continue with their lead generation campaigns, generating incremental sales at a critical time. Furthermore, our programme received great publicity, not least of all for the independent endorsement we received from ASE Global.

ASE’s report concluded: “What’s particularly impressive is that the work undertaken by The Lead Agency goes far beyond what the new legislation requires.”

Cutting-edge technology

One of the most exciting things for an employee at TLA is the commitment to continuous improvement. Our value ‘go beyond limits and expectations’ is something you see daily throughout the business as we push to be the best we can be as individuals and collectively.

We never top looking for ways to take our technology to the next level to provide a better service to clients and consumers. And in 2018, that resulted in us launching our new Landing Page Builder, Publisher Portal, Client Portal, Policy Management Portal and Quality Control Portal – all of which have led to improvements across internal processes and client results.

The biggest tech evolution however was our customer acquisition platform, which we’ve been working on over the second half of the year.

Built on the principles of transparency, effectiveness, simplicity and compliance, this new platform will transform how businesses generate incremental sales when it launches in 2019. Watch this space!

Charity

We’re passionate about creating opportunity. But it doesn’t end with our clients or staff. We commit to giving back to a worthy cause every year.

In 2018, we set an ambitious target of raising £10,000 for the NSPCC – a fantastic charity that deserves a lot of support. To achieve our goal, TLA and friends took part in a series of mammoth endurance challenges, including the London Marathon, Man v Lakes and a London to Paris Cycle.

We are immensely proud to have raised a whopping £10,450.40 and cannot thank the people who have donated enough. It genuinely means a lot to everyone here.

And finally…

We would like to extend that thank you to everyone who has played a part in what we were able to achieve in 2018 – including our clients, partners, suppliers and teammates. None of it would be possible without your continued trust, support and commitment – and for that we are immensely grateful.

We hope all of you enjoyed a great 2018 year and have made a successful start to the new year. We’re excited to see what it will bring.

Charity success: £10k target hit for NSPCC

After successfully completing a trilogy of endurance challenges, we’re extremely excited to announce that we’ve surpassed our £10k fundraising target for NSPCC!

A huge thank you must to all those who generously donated in aid of such an important cause. The donations will support the NSPCC as it fights to put an end to child abuse in the UK.

The challenges

Having set our ambitious £10k goal at the start of the year, we teamed up with friends of the business to take on a series of difficult challenges.

The first was the Virgin Money London Marathon in April, which Anton Hanley and Ed Whelan completed in soaring temperatures – a brilliant achievement and one that got our fundraising started.

In July, following the marathon, five members of team TLA took on the immense Man vs Lakes, otherwise known as ‘The Rat Race’. This 28 mile race through the Lake District, involved running and kayaking, complete with a 4,200ft ascent.

Man vs Lakes Man vs Lakes Man vs Lakes

To top off our fundraising efforts, a team of 14 got on their bikes for the London to Paris cycle at the start of September. The 165-mile, three-day adventure began at the Marble Arch and concluded at the Arc De Triomph.

Our CEO Anton Hanley said: “We believe it’s important to give something back, and the NSPCC’s fight to end child abuse in the UK is a cause we are proud to support.

The challenges we’ve undertaken this year have pushed us to our limits at times, but we had great fun doing them. The whole team put in hours of training to prepare and rallied the support of their friends and family to help us reach our £10,000 milestone. We’re immensely grateful for the support and commitment from everyone involved.”

NSPCC senior development manager Rachel Walker commented on our fundraising mission: “The team at The Lead Agency are absolutely awe-inspiring in their determination to raise vital funds for the NSPCC.

“The money they have raised will help us to be there for more children who have experienced abuse and neglect.”

Challenge completed: London to Paris by bike

Team TLA and friends have successfully completed their latest charity challenge – 165-miles from London to Paris, by bike, in aid of the NSPCC.

We have now achieved over 90% of our £10k fundraising goal!

The team posed for a picture in front of the Marble Arch in London before they started their peddling to Paris, with a few punctures along the way…

london marble arch    

The sun was shining, the team was still smiling and the views along the way weren’t too bad either…

    

Boarding the boat to France…

    

And they made it! The team celebrated their brilliant achievement with a well-deserved ice cream whilst posing for a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower.

    

If you haven’t already, catch up with the other TLA charity challenges here.

If you would like to support the NSPCC’s fight for change, we would greatly appreciate any donations.

Our NSPCC Challenge: From London to Paris by bike

The NSPCC is fighting for change by standing up for children and demanding changes to the law that will better protect them from abuse.

To support that mission, we have been taking on a series of challenges to help fundraise for this important cause.

Man vs Lakes
Spot team TLA on the Man vs Lakes start line!
Man vs Lakes
Josh still smiling!
Man vs Lakes
Abel  feeling strong after emerging from the water

 

 

 

After completing the London marathon in April and Man vs Lakes in July (a 28-mile race through the Lake District complete with a 4200ft ascent), we’ve turned our attention to our next challenge.

London to Paris

On 7 September, team TLA and friends will be embarking on a 165-mile, three-day bike ride that will begin in London at the Marble Arch and conclude in Paris, at the Arc de Triomphe.

There will be a team of 14 people taking on the challenge all in aid of the NSPCC: Steve McCann from I AM Impact; Alban Treglohan and Chris Langley from PHD; Jess Douce and Jamie Kirk from JLR; and TLA’s Anton Hanley, Tom White, Ed Clark, Abel Paz, Neil Cosgrove, Ed Whelan, Michael Fitzsimmons, Stephen Pammenter and James McDowall.

Having cycled from London to Liverpool in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support in 2017, TLA’s head of talent acquisition Michael Fitzsimmons is relishing the upcoming ride:

“I’m absolutely buzzing for it and can’t wait to set off! This will be my second cycle challenge with TLA since joining last year and it’s great to be heading in to mainland Europe this time round.”

charity challenge
Michael and Neil enjoying the challenge!
charity challenge
Feeling the pain at the half-way mark
charity donation
A generous donation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All 14 of the riders are busy preparing for the action, including Michael who is on the bike almost every day. “Training is going well, I’m trying to get out as much as possible to get that all important saddle time!”.

He added: “Working for a company like TLA provides me with these great challenges that I love to be a part of. I love the physical test, I get to know my colleagues better and importantly I help raise money for a great cause like the NSPCC”.

The NSPCC survives solely from support and donations from the general public. Without their existence, thousands of children living in the UK would continue to be subject to violence and abuse.

We will be so grateful for any donations you can give via our Virgin Money Giving Page to support our mission.

Bon voyage, Team TLA!

Check out our previous charity challenges!

As we grow and succeed as a business, we believe it’s important to help others do the same. That’s why we’re on a mission to raise £10,000 to support the NSPCC’s fight for change.

At the beginning of the year, having identified NSPCC as our chosen charity, we lined up a series of challenges and fundraising initiatives to help us reach our target. The first was the Virgin Money London Marathon in April, which Anton Hanley and Ed Whelan completed in soaring temperatures – a brilliant achievement and one that got our fundraising started.

Our next challenge takes place this weekend, with Anton and Ed being joined by three other members of the TLA team – Abel Paz, Tom White and Joshua Duxbury – to take part in Man v Lakes, also known as the Rat Race.

Gruelling… but fun

Man v Lakes is a gruelling (but hopefully fun) 28-mile race through the Lake District, complete with a 4200 ft ascent, that is sure to push the team to their physical limits. It involves running across quicksands and through mountainous terrain and forests; immersing themselves in the Lake with short wades, swims, slides and jumps; and tackling a floating assault course – and that’s just for starters!

With two other members of the team, Antony Neill and Neil Cosgrove, in support roles, this will be a great team effort and one that can have a huge impact on the lives of others if it helps us reach our fundraising goal.

If you would like to support our NSPCC mission with a donation, you can do so through our Virgin Money Giving page and the whole team will be immensely grateful.

London to Paris

In addition to the Marathon and Rat Race, members of the TLA team and friends will be taking part in a London-to-Paris Cycle in September – a 165-mile, three-day journey that will begin at the Marble Arch and conclude at the Arc de Triomphe.

The line up for the cycle is: Steve McCann (I AM Impact); Alban Treglohan and Chris Langley (both PHD); Jess Douce and Jamie Kirk (both JLR); and Anton Hanley, Tom White, Ed Clark, Abel Paz, Neil Cosgrove, Ed Whelan, Michael Fitzsimmons, Stephen Pammenter and James McDowall (all TLA).

Fundraising for Change.

TLA sponsors Media Rocks charity concert

The Lead Agency was among the proud sponsors of the first Media Rocks concert last night, which took place at Omeara in London last night.

The event was held in aid of MS Trust and organised by data activation company Captify. Billed as a Battle of the Media Bands, the sold-out event featured talented musicians who work in the advertising, media and digital industry.

Media Rocks winner

The line-up included acts from Maxus Global, Manning Gottlieb, Harvest Digital, MEC, Total Media and OnlineMediaExperts. While musical styles ranged from old school hip hop to alternative indie rock to metal.

The winning band

The judging panel featured Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett, Radio X DJ Maz Tappuni and Captify’s own Dom Joseph, who was once a professional drummer. After much deliberation, they declared Total Media’s band Phelanto & the Vials the winner.

It was a brilliant event for an important charity, so well done to the Captify team, to the bands who took part, to everyone who bought tickets and our fellow sponsors.

Team TLA complete Manchester Half Marathon for charity

Team TLA completed the Manchester Half Marathon on Sunday – the second of our three endurance challenges to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Last month, our team took part in a gruelling three-day cycle from London and Liverpool and we have the full New York Marathon coming up in November.

This time, however, it was 13 miles on foot around the city of Manchester and we had four TLA teammates taking part: Abel, Anton, Neil and Phil.

the lead agency team
The running club (from left to right): Anton, Phil, Neil and Abel.

They did it! All four of our runners completed the race in fantastic times:

  • Abel – 1:52:02
  • Anton – 1:49:47
  • Neil – 1:17:38
  • Phil – 2:07:09

They coped brilliantly and, while there are some stiff limbs and sore feet around the office this morning, they assure us it was worth it. Well done to the fab four – we’re feeling proud!

This brings us nicely to our amazing and worthy cause: Macmillan. To date, we’ve raised £3,669 for Macmillan via our JustGiving page and we are doing everything we can to get that fund higher.

If you’re able to make a donation, however small, it will be greatly appreciated by not only everyone taking part in our three challenges but the whole team at The Lead Agency.

For those who have done so already, thank you so much. We’re making a difference!

TLA Just Giving for Macmillan

Team TLA take to the road for Macmillan

Around two months ago, we decided we wanted to take on a challenge to raise money for the brilliant team at Macmillan Cancer Support.

After much discussion, it was decided that one challenge wouldn’t quite cut it. Instead, we identified three endurance challenges for various members of the team to take on.

The Manchester Half Marathon and full New York marathon are still to come, but the first of our challenges – a three-day cycle from London to Liverpool – begins today.

Day one

Ready for the road

Hours and miles of training have been clocked up since the cycle was announced and the team are fit and raring to go. (You can check out more pictures on our JustGiving page, which is now up to an amazing £2,959!)

We’ll add updates to this page over the next few days. You can also check out their progress via our Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Good luck, team!

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TLA cycling team
Team TLA (from left to right): Michael, Alban, Alex, Anton, Neil, Tom, Ed and Abel.

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And they’re off…

TLA cycle - London

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It’s been an eventful start for the team, with Alex the first man down (but thankfully and unsurprisingly back up) and a couple of early punctures. The team are making good progress though and even managed to take in Wembley along the way.

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Time for a refuelling and bike swap stop for the team…

   

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40 miles in and the team are finding it tough. Thankfully, it’s time for lunch!

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And they’re back on the road…

Next stop, Banbury in Oxfordshire. Looking good, Abel!

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They’ve made it!

A great but challenging day of cycling saw Team TLA clock in a whopping 151.7km / 94 miles. No wonder they’re ready for ‘refreshments’. Great effort from everyone on the team. We’re looking forward to seeing how you get on tomorrow!

Day two

Today’s journey will see the team ride from Banbury to Telford. This is probably as good a time as any to update you on our JustGiving total. We’ve raised a brilliant £3,069 for Macmillan Cancer Support! 

Thank you to everyone who’s donated. It means a lot to us and contributes to an important cause.

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On the move

Neil and Michael have been capturing the early the action from the road.

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Snack-time

 

After a tough 40km in the rain, the team stopped briefly for a well-earned rest and snack before taking on another steep climb. Conditions aren’t great and there are reports of saddle soreness(!) but our team have got what it takes.

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Taking its toll

Michael lets us in on the impact of life on the road…

“One and a half days in and some of us are dealing with the ride better than others.”

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The kindness of strangers

  

Team TLA have reached Catshill in Bromsgrove, where Mark and Sharon from Duncombe’s Butchers have kindly made a £20 donation to our cause. Thank you so much, both. Rumours that Michael (pictured with Mark) was in there looking for a pie have yet to be confirmed.

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Are we there yet?

 

After a great day’s cycling, the team are enjoying one final break before a 20km stretch to reach Telford. Think about the refreshments, guys!

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Day three

Here are the highlights from a third day on the road for Team TLA.

 

 

They made it!

After…

  • 240.6 miles;
  • 17 hours, 20 mins and 24 seconds of moving time;
  • 9005ft of climbing;
  • 2 flat tyres;
  • 192 litres of water;
  • 1,365 bananas; and
  • 7,256 flapjacks

…Team TLA rode into Liverpool along the waterfront and completed their journey at the iconic Liver Building.

 

A big well done and congratulations to our riders – Alex, Neil, Anton, Alban, Tom, Michael, Ed and Abel – and a special thank you to their support duo, Emma and Jo.

Our team found it tough but a lot of fun and hugely rewarding. In the words of Abel, “It was an unforgettable experience.”

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Next up, Manchester…

The cycle was the first of three endurance challenges for Team TLA. Next up is the Manchester Half Marathon, which takes place on the 15 October.

Thanks to our riders, we’re well on our way to achieving our target of £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. If you’d like to donate, please head on over to our JustGiving page.

Whatever you can give will be gratefully received by us all. Thank you.