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Pressman PR In PR Week
Our campaign to publicise gritty new British action thriller Ten Dead Men (out on DVD 25 May and available for preorder from Amazon) has been featured in industry bible PR Week. According to the mag our press release with pics showing Lee from Steps being strangled (the movie gives the former pop favourite the chance to shed his bubblegum image) “caused a minor stir.” Only minor? We must try harder next time!
Our press release about Lee from Steps being strangled in a scene from new British action thriller movie Ten Dead Men was picked up by Gay Times yesterday.
Interestingly Gay Times used their Twitter page to “Tweet” the news and to ask their readers if they would like to see the pics of Lee getting strangled.
There was an overwhelming response from GT readers saying they wanted to see the shots - which were duly published on the GT website. Click here to see for yourself.
It’s an interesting use of Twitter - more and more journalists and media outlets are using the site to gauge reader response to a story before it is published. In a way it’s the ultimate in citizen journalism as readers become editors.
Ten Dead Men is out on DVD on May 25. It’s available now for pre-order at Amazon. Click here to buy your copy.
Workfuture article, Nottingham Evening Post
So often the best way to PR a small business is by telling the founder’s personal story. This was certainly the case with Workfuture Ltd, a Nottingham based ergonomics and occupational health company we have been working with. Director Catherine Albert grew up on a two thousand acre sheep farm in the Australian outback. By telling her unusual story - and linking her childhood on the farm to her professional interests in occupational health - we created a press release which led to a good page lead in the Nottingham Evening Post’s business pages this week.
"This is for wrecking my favourite Bee Gees track!"
We’ve been sending out press releases about the movie Ten Dead Men today. The film features Lee Latchford Evans of Steps fame who turns out to be just as nice a guy in real life as he comes across on TV.
He plays a nasty character in the film who ends up being strangled to death - see pic above. His demise makes a fun newsline for the film though. The DVD is out May 25 and (as they say) will be available at all good retailers.
Read on for more…
It’s a sight every discerning music fan will love to witness – ex pop singer Lee Latchford Evans – of Steps fame – murdered in a scene from a hot new British action movie.
Lee, who’s trying his hand as an actor after his pop career ended, plays a tough guy who ends up being strangled in his car in the film Ten Dead Men, out on DVD on May 25.
The former pop star’s sticky end comes after his character takes part in a grisly gangland murder.
It’s a far cry from Lee’s chart topping days in Steps – who sold 15 millions records before their split in 2002 with hits including 5,6,7,8 and their cover of Bee Gee’s classic Tragedy.
Lee said: “Ten Dead Men is a gritty action film and the character I play is about as far away from my image in Steps as you can get.
“Steps was light hearted, bubble gum, cheesy pop so playing the part of an alcoholic, gambling addicted, gangland henchman was certainly a departure for me.
“I’m heavily into fitness and don’t really drink so it was great to play a part that was so dark and sinister, so different to my own character and from what I’ve done in the past.”
Brighton filmed Ten Dead Men is a stylish revenge action thriller that has been wowing film fans around the world.
Despite being made on a shoestring budget, ‘Ten Dead Men’ achieves fantastic production values, not yet witnessed in a British indie action film.
The stunning action sequences were choreographed by the highly sought after Jude Poyer who has worked on countless Hong Kong martial arts films, as well as blockbusters such as ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ’28 Weeks Later’.
For Lee, making the film was a return to acting, something he did a great deal before joining Steps in 1997.
He said: “The hardest part was playing dead because one of the crew kept walking past my line of vision and I had to concentrate not to follow him with my eyes.
“They did about eight takes and I was thrashing around with the chord around my neck the whole time. It was a relief when the director finally yelled “cut” because I had to go out and sing in a gig that night.
“I’m really pleased with the movie and with my part in it. It’s important in this business to be versatile and acting is another string to my bow.
“I think the film definitely has the shock factor and I think people will see me in it and think, is that really Lee from Steps? It’s a good shock factor.”
But Lee denied he had taken the part to distance himself from his pop past and bubblegum image.
He said: “Steps was brilliant, we had a lot of success and we’ve all stayed friends. We’ve had offers for a reunion and it may happen in the future but I can’t see it happening right now. Never say never though.
“But it’s always good to develop as a performer and Ten Dead Men has allowed me to do that by taking on such an unusual role.”
The film’s stunts and fight sequences were performed by specialist stuntmen and world class mixed marital arts competitors. The performers have worked on titles such as ‘Dead Or Alive’, Jet Li’s ‘Unleashed’, ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Bourne Ultimatum’ as well as Harry Potter films.
Director Ross Boyask said: “Steps fans will enjoy this movie and will be surprised to see another side to Lee. People who hated Steps will probably enjoy the film even more because they can watch him getting killed.”
Pumping up the action even further are appearances by the stars of UK Mixed Martial Arts phenomenon Cage Rage/Ultimate Challenge, and professional UK wrestlers.
The movie also features horror legend Doug Bradley (‘Hellraiser’, ‘Nightbreed’) who narrates, Pooja Shah (’EastEnders’, ‘Bend It like Beckham’) Brendan F Carr (‘Rise of the Foot Soldier’, ‘Band of Brothers’) plays the lead role, Ryan, while Terry Stone (’Rise of the Foot Soldier’, ‘Rollin’ With The Nines’) is the scheming Mr. Hart, the mastermind behind the demise of Ryan.
Executive produced by legendary Australian producer Antony I Ginnane, one of the pioneers of the highly influential Australian New Wave era (Quentin Tarantino sites this movement as a key influence in his work), ‘Ten Dead Men’ is being eagerly anticipated by film fans in its native UK.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
The film was shot in Brighton, Hastings and at the Wembley Arena.
The DVD package comes with a fantastic 30 page graphic novel, entitled ‘The Last Job’, which forms the prequel story to ‘Ten Dead Men’ and makes the perfect partner to the film.
We have been PR consultants to translation company betterlanguages.com Ltd for more than a year now. During this period the company has grown from a small enterprise to one which is achieving growth at a startling rate.
This month we decided to create a press release which would focus on the huge growth the company has shown in the past year. At the same time we were able to highlight the company’s own multi-lingual website. Read on…
The boss of a Notts based language company believes the launch of a new multi-lingual website has helped his firm achieve massive growth despite the current economic trading conditions.
Betterlanguages.com Ltd offers translation services for businesses with professional linguists specialising in more than a hundred tongues.
The firm, which translates packaging materials, labels, instruction leaflets and user guides for clients including Mothercare, Weetabix and New Look, re-launched their website last November and promised it would be the most multilingual business site in the Midlands.
The decision has already paid off handsomely with unique visitors tripling to more than 1500 a month and monthly revenue at a traditionally quiet time of year jumping from below £7k in February 2008 to more than £33K in February 2009.
CEO Mike Hunter said he was now looking to recruit to meet the expanding demand.
He said: “We’ve thought long and hard about telling our story, as we know that many businesses are suffering at the moment, but we think it’s important that people realise that there is business success around too.
“Last year we had a typically quiet February turning over £6,772.16, this year it’s £33,191.61 of which over £18k is new clients.
“Most of our work is repeat business with existing clients, so our expectation is that we will get a growing level of ongoing business.
“We have a new US client among the new work. They are a small company, but major for us in the sense that there will be a high volume of work. We’ve also landed a well known new UK client, who we can’t name at this stage, they found us directly through the website, and we’ve just completed our largest ever single language job for them.
“I had high hopes when we re-launched the site but the level of success we’ve experienced has been just astounding. It usually took around two months to get new content into the Google index, now we’ve seen pages indexed within 10 minutes of going live.”
He said: “We are now seeing an increasingly global economy and people are conducting Google searches in every language, not just English.
“Language is our business so we thought we would put our money where our mouth is, quite literally. Of course in providing different language versions, we are showcasing our product, a translation website without translation would be a bit like having a coffee shop without any coffee!
“It was always an area I wanted to invest in. But I wasn’t expecting revenue to increase so dramatically, we are on track to produce a year end 150% increase on last year. It’s certainly an area other firms should consider, particularly if they have an eye on overseas opportunities.”
The website is already live in Spanish, French, Flemish and Welsh, with the updated German version nearly ready, and Mr Hunter’s team are currently working on several other key world languages including Chinese and Arabic.
He added: “We use professional translators from each country to ensure an absolutely accurate translation. For example we aim to have separate translations for Spain, the Dominican Republic and Argentina. Even though all of these countries are Spanish speaking nations each has its own dialect which can subtly effect meaning.”
Mr Hunter added that he felt now was a good time to invest in marketing strategies.
“Despite all the doom and gloom around at the moment we have never been busier, and we feel that now is a good time to invest and attract new business both in the UK and overseas.
“We expect the new website to continue to attract much more interest from overseas customers. We’ve noticed a jump in traffic from China just because we purchased a .cn domain, and pointed it at our .com site, having site content in Simplified Chinese will allow us to reach one of the largest emerging economies.”
More details can be found by visiting www.betterlanguages.com
ENDS
For further quotes, interview opportunities or images please call Steve McComish at Pressman PR Ltd on 0115 9648124, email steve@pressmanpr.co.uk or visit www.pressmanpr.co.uk
The article includes interior and exterior shots of Mercury House
We were commissioned by NBV (Nottinghamshire Business Ventures) to create some PR buzz about Mercury House - the business centre where our office is located.
We produced a press release - see below - highlighting the great facilities here and name checking a few of our fellow resident businesses.
The release has been picked up by Property East Midlands magazine who have included it in a very nice spread on office accommodation in the region.
Read on for our release…
Crunch Gives Business Centre A Boost
The credit crunch has led to an increase in the number of small businesses inquiring about office accommodation at a Nottingham centre for new and growing enterprises.
Julia Tantum, property manager at Mercury House, part of NBV’s managed workspace solutions, said she had fielded a marked increase in inquires from small businesses in recent months.
The increase has corresponded in the recent economic downturn and it’s believed the centre, in New Basford, could be an increasingly attractive option for businesses during the credit crunch.
Mercury House offers virtual tenancy, allowing home-based firms to benefit from a business address, and 28 serviced offices at rates which factor in a discount for start-ups. As well as being an incubation centre, where the new businesses can access a range of benefits including free mentoring and support, the centre also offers commercial work space for more established businesses at very competitive rates compared to other business centres in Nottingham.
Ms Tantum said she believed the value of the accommodation was appealing for businesses who were looking at ways to reduce their overheads during the difficult trading climate.
She said: “We know we have a great product here which appeals to a lot of small businesses but in the past six months or so we have definitely seen an increase in people inquiring about the prices of our accommodation.
“Whereas in the past it may have been the raft of other great benefits we offer which appealed most to business people, now we are increasingly seeing our low cost office accommodation as being the key to our continued success.
Office rents at the centre, on Northgate, start from as little as £200 per month and VAT is not charged – making the centre an ideal place to launch a business. And with the offices ranging from one person set-ups to suites able to accommodate several workers, Mercury House can also offer companies space to grow.
Gaynor Corkhill, director of PDRS Ltd, a firm which recruits drivers for the transport industry, started out as a virtual tenant at Mercury House in 2006 and took an office there in 2007.
She said: “Initially it was the low rates which were attractive to us. The cost of office accommodation is a huge consideration for businesses and that was the deciding factor in us coming here.
“For us it makes perfect sense to be here because as well as all the support we also have a lot of independence and can come and go as we please which is essential for us as we operate outside of conventional office hours a lot of the time.
“It has turned out to be an ideal base for us because of all the other benefits of being here. I like the fact that everything is on one bill, the heating, the power, the IT support. It’s all included.
“All the technology a business needs is here. It is a place where a business can move in and start trading from day one. The computers, fax machine etc is all set up for you.
“I really would recommend anyone thinking of starting out in business to come down and take a look at the place.”
Another Mercury House resident business is Bancroft Consulting Ltd who provide transport planning services. Director Chris Bancroft came to Mercury House in March 2006.
He said: “The fact that VAT isn’t charged was a help in the early days of the company as was the support with things like IT which is provided as part of the tenancy. It helps to have things like the phone and broadband internet access managed for you. I have confidence that if there is a problem with these things, it’ll be fixed.
“But probably the best thing about being based here is being part of a community where other like minded people are in business for themselves. At the start I didn’t feel isolated as I would have done had I been in the back bedroom at home. It has also allowed me to grow my company and to take on staff as they have seen it’s not just a closed door operation.
“It’s the kind of place where a chat with someone over a coffee in the kitchen can lead to a phone call from someone else with helpful tips on how to run the business.”
Rachel Graham, managing consultant at Rachel Graham Resourcing Associates Ltd, agreed. She brought her business to Mercury House two years ago.
She said: “It’s a cost effective solution, not only in terms of the rent but also in terms of other factors such as free car parking.
“I have looked at other managed offices but have not been tempted to move from here. The networking here is brilliant. Everyone shares information with each other and there is a real family feel to the place. I would definitely recommend it.”
The credit crunch has also caused some business to down scale and has led to an increase in home working.
Property manager Julia Tantum added that many of the new inquiries were asking about the virtual tenancy arrangements at the centre. She said: “Not all businesses need their own premises but they still need to maintain a professional image.
“Mercury House offer the perfect solution, with costs to suit a range of budgets. These range from the use of a Mercury House mailing address and free use of meeting rooms to personalised telephone answering and post forwarding services. Virtual Tenants also have access to a range of NBV business support services to ensure their businesses can move forward.”
ENDS
For more information please call Steve McComish at Pressman Public Relations Ltd on 0115 9648214 or visit www.pressmanpr.co.uk
Our PR campaign for online handbag retailer Bagnificent has led to coverage in The Sun, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Record, The Glasgow Evening Times, The Herald, The Sunday Express, Elle magazine, Cosmopolitan magazine, Look magazine, Dare magazine, The Scotsman and on BBC Radio Five Live.
By anyone’s standards the level of publicity achieved has been nothing short of phenomonel. We came up with several ideas to win these great results, including telling the founder’s inspiring personal story, focusing on value and the site’s fantastic fashion offers and looking at how women can get the WAG look without a footballer’s paypacket.
Our most recent idea looked at how ladies can prove their committment to the planet by recycling their old handbag for a brand new one through the site. Our press release won Bagnificent yet more great coverage last weekend - this time in Scotland on Sunday the country’s leading sunday broadsheet newspaper. To read the clippings and see other examples of the great PR results we have won for Bagnificent, please click here.
Ten Dead Men
We have been hired to publicise the DVD release of British gangster movie Ten Dead Men. The film tells the story of Ryan, who sets off on a revenge fuelled murder spree following the death of his girlfriend Amy at the hands of underworld boss Hart and his cronies.
There’s loads of guns, explosions, and general violence. Throw in a dash of comedy, a bit of female nudity and the delightful sight of Lee Latchford-Evans (of Steps fame) being strangled and you’re left with a sure-fire hit for the lad’s mags. It’s out 25 May. For more info please visit www.tendeadmen.co.uk
Our PR campiagn for online handbag retailer Bagnificent has won them lots of press coverage, the latest of which is a good piece in the high circulation Glasgow Evening Times. Click here to read the story on the Evening Times website.
He said: “I had been banned from driving for 18 months and had to complete a private blood test to regain my licence.
“I got my licence back but I was advised to see my GP as my PSA was so high. I didn’t even know what PSA was at that time.”
Kevin’s road to diagnosis wasn’t a smooth one as some medics found it difficult to believe that a man so young would be at risk of prostate cancer.
He said: “I had never had any symptoms whatsoever so it never crossed my mind I could have prostate cancer. They ran lots of tests on me, looked at my insides with various cameras.
“In the end I was referred to Mr Duncan Harriss at the City Hospital’s Urology department and one of his team did a biopsy.
“When Duncan told me I had cancer my first thought was for my wife Marilyn. He offered to break the news to her too, but I wanted to tell her myself.”
Building worker Kevin, now 48, had an NHS funded full prostatectomy in February of this year and said he now recommends any man over 40 to have their PSA levels checked out.
“People think it can’t happen to them in their forties but it can, I’m the proof. It’s such a simple thing to have it checked out.
“The operation itself wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. Wearing the catheter was about the worst thing but that’s just for three weeks.