For those of you haven't had the chance to pop in and say hello, The Old Joinery (Folk HQ) is near one of Dorset's busiest towns, Bournemouth. We're well known by holiday makers as one of the country's most popular tourist resorts for our sandy beaches and salty sea air, but behind the facade of deck chairs and ice-cream stalls lurks its worst kept secret - a booming creative industry.
Bournemouth is a bustling hive of creative activity, embraced open-armed by some of the world's biggest and best brands.
Folk has grown from the ground up, by hand-picking it's people with care, many of which have degrees from one of the local universities.
Almost every week, our folk speak at a multitude of conferences and educational spaces and places, up and down the country.
We are also able to indulge in a host of creative meet-ups aimed at bringing people together and nurturing creative talent in the area, including Meetdraw, Hackbmth, PHPDorset, Bar Camp Bournemouth, Dorset Digital, Silicon Beach, and more.
The prevalence of these activities, and the willingness of locals to participate in them, has resulted in an extremely well connected creative community unlike any other.
Just ask Wise Old Uncle, friend and super-connector, Matt Desmier. "Bournemouth, Poole and the surrounding areas are uniquely placed to breed exceptional creative talent. With two world class universities, both with exceptional reputations for producing creative and digital media graduates; not to mention a high concentration of internationally renowned brands and being located less than 2 hours from London, it's of no surprise that the area hosts some of the most respected creative agencies in the country."
Indeed, Dorset harbours an impressive amount of talent considering its comparatively small population of around 745,000 people.
Our Captain, Jo, explains her motivation to set-up shop by the sea. “We believe that our clients benefit from a creative team with a more wholesome way of life and clarity in their thinking. Since our move 7 years ago, we continue to attract bigger and better clients and not once have we lost a pitch due to where we’re based.”
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside.
- Jon Adams
Do you think that the seaside air makes that big a difference? Join the discussion @folkdigital