Tag Archives: events

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!

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…

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.

Spot team TLA on the Man vs Lakes start line!

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!

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!

TLA’s Paul Dowman to discuss artificial intelligence on Binary Festival panel

Our recently appointed tech architect, Paul Dowman, will take part in a panel discussion this afternoon as part of Liverpool’s Binary Festival.

Paul will be one of a number of digital experts taking to the stage for An Intelligently Artificial World, which will discuss, debate, debunk and demystify AI.

The gathering has been put together by BIMA’s AI Think Tank and is one of a number of talks and workshops taking place throughout the city.

The session will be hosted by the Think Tank’s chair Pete Trainor and Feed Forward co-founder Lydia Gregory. The session promises to discuss ‘solving full stack industry problems using subject-matter expertise, unique data, and AI to deliver products that help us survive the changes of an ever changing world’.

To attend the session, register here.

Binary Festival was established in 2016 out of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle and aims to celebrate the city’s digital community.

For more information, visit binaryfestival.com.

The Lead Agency features in International Business Festival campaign

Later this year, Liverpool will host the International Business Festival – a gathering of 30,000 business owners, decision-makers and professionals from around the world.

The event will consist of nine high-growth sector-themed days running between the 12^th and 28^th June that aim to help organisations scale-up and fulfil their ambitions.

To help promote the event, The Lead Agency was approached by the organisers and asked if we’d like to be featured as a Next Level Business case study – an invitation extended to just three UK businesses.

We were naturally honoured and welcomed the organisers’ film crew at our Liverpool HQ towards the end of last year. As well as capturing footage of our office and surroundings, our CEO and founder Anton Hanley was interviewed.

Watch the film below to hear about our success to date – from a standing start in 2002 to becoming the UK’s number one new car lead generator – as well as with Anton’s ambitions for the future and hopes for the Festival.

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.

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.

TLA chosen for International Business Festival launch campaign

We have been chosen as one of three UK businesses to feature in the launch campaign – including a short film – for next year’s International Business Festival.

The film was shown at an exclusive launch event held in London last night, which was attended by the Duke of Cambridge. Prince William was officially confirmed as the festival’s patron for 2018.

We were chosen alongside production company Zut Media (which also shot the film) and biologics organisation Absynth to be the faces of the launch campaign as the organisers look to build excitement and interest for the 16-day festival.

Ambition, innovation and growth

The promotional film, which we’ll share with you soon, will appear across a wide range of media leading up to the event. It tells each company’s story of ambition, innovation and growth as well as discussing our hopes and aspirations for the International Business Festival.

Our founder and CEO Anton Hanley was interviewed for the film and was in London for last night’s launch. Speaking to The Business Tribune about TLA’s involvement, he said: “Prince William was really interested in the company and asked whether we were using AI within our platform, so I explained about our chatbots we use to speak to customers online,” he said.

“I wasn’t expecting any of the attention that’s come with being part of the Festival’s campaign so it was a surprise when I arrived here, picked up a leaflet about the Festival and saw myself on the front.

“It’s been a really good evening and it’s nice to be from a Liverpool business with ambitions to grow and being aligned with a major Liverpool event that also has ambitions overseas.”

‘Ingenuity, drive and commitment’

The Duke took to the stage last night to discuss his decision to support the festival.

“I am pleased to announce my patronage of the 2018 International Business Festival; an event held in Liverpool on behalf of Britain, bringing together business people from around the world,” the Duke said.

“The UK’s prosperity relies on its wealth of innovative and ambitious small and medium-sized businesses. Whenever I have had the chance to meet the people who run such enterprises, I have been struck by their ingenuity, drive and commitment. They demonstrate the best qualities of our national character.”

The International Business Festival takes place at Exhibition Centre Liverpool between 12-28 June 2018.

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…

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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 h ead on over to our JustGiving page.

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

TLA to host Liverpool Girl Geeks June meet-up

The Lead Agency will host the next Liverpool Girl Geeks Women <3 tech meet-up.

On Monday 12 June, we’ll welcome people involved in technology to our headquarters in Liverpool to examine company culture and discuss the impact of ‘bro culture’ on diversity.

Diversity is a vital component of any successful culture, not least of all in industries that pride themselves on innovation and connecting with people. This session will provide a great opportunity to hear from a variety of technology employers that value culture.

Liverpool Girl Geeks has become one of the city’s most talked about organisations. Through its series of workshops and meet-ups, the team has been working with young people and employers to decrease the gender imbalance within the tech industry.

We’re proud to be lending our support to their mission and helping bring the topic of culture up for discussion. We’ll join a panel that will seek to identify what organisations can do better to make their working environments more inclusive and enjoyable for all.

Young people in tech

We attended Liverpool Girl Geek’s most recent meet-up last night at the Baltic Triangle. Hosted by Agent Academy, the session featured a panel of young people who are embarking on careers in technology and related industries.

Topics discussed by the panel included a lack of awareness about the types of roles that exist; the need for the improvement in the education system to close the skills gap; and a desire for careers that offer variety and fresh challenges.

The June meet-up will provide an opportunity to discuss these factors and more in the context of company culture.

Event details

Secure your place via Liverpool Girl Geeks’ Eventbrite page.

Liverpool Girl Geeks’ Women <3 tech June meet-up: examining culture

When: Monday 12 June, 6pm-8pm

Where: The Lead Agency, 13th Floor, The Unity Building, 20 Chapel Street, Liverpool L3 9AG

Design It; Build It Conference – Edinburgh

We’re feeling energised and inspired after two days at the international web design and development conference, Design It; Build It.

The event, held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, featured fantastic talks by experts from innovative brands and organisations including Minecraft, Uber, IBM, AirBnB, RBS, MacMillan Cancer Support and the BBC.

The conference focused on the importance of taking creative risks to produce the best work. Among our highlights were designer and technologist Joshua Davis discussing the role that risk can play in bringing code together with creativity to create art and The Secret Life of Comedy speaking about the need to take risks when creating for the web to make sure things look different.

Other stand outs were designer and photographer Mike Kus discussing what it’s like to be the black sheep and standing out from the crowd; Chris Hammond from IBM sharing how they used human centred design to build something that bettered the world; and the BBC’s David Bailey explaining how their GEL (global experience language) is changing the way they innovate and design.

“Innovation of any kind requires risk, experimentation and occasionally failure.”

The key takeaway from the event was that innovation of any kind requires risk, experimentation and occasionally failure. It revealed that organisations that encourage risk – not just from designers but from all areas of the business – are those able to lead, innovate and succeed.

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