Agenda Collective

Clients: Peter King and David Procter

Brixton-based Agenda Collective are a multi award-winning agency that create short films, documentaries, viral marketing campaigns and screen adverts that are shot with 35mm lenses and have the look and feel of feature length films. They have worked with celebrities including TV’s Gok Wan and have created campaigns for 3 Mobile, the Red Cross, Castrol and Marks and Spencer. Agenda Collective have also created a number of not-for-profit, socially-aware short films and virals looking at topical issues such as youth violence, knife crime and climate change. The company have been awarded some the highest film industry accolades including prizes and nominations from Raindance, the British Independent Film Awards and the New York Independent Film Festival. They came to GLE oneLondon through the Business London: Start Up and Micro Business Support programme funded by the London Development Agency (LDA) for general business support and marketing advice.

David Procter and Peter King met at university while studying film. They recognised that a natural artistic synergy existed between them and started a film-based creative and commercial business together in 2006. Once word had spread that the two well-known freelance film agents had teamed together, demand for their work grew rapidly. David and Peter became so much in demand that a business organically grew around them and suddenly they were in the middle of a huge expansion, hiring staff, moving from home offices to a business premises and struggling to achieve a healthy work-life balance as they found themselves working 15-hour days.

Despite the success of their business, David and Peter quickly realised that they were more imaginative than business-minded and that they needed help to generate new clients. They sought advice and came to GLE oneLondon where they were assigned a free personal business adviser through the LDA’s Business London: Start Up and Micro Business Support programme.

Free one-to-one consultations, mentoring, advice and guidance from GLE oneLondon soon helped David and Peter to replace the 15 hour working days and panicked rush to meet deadlines with a more practical business model, forecast planning and marketing strategies.

The Agenda Collective team also attended a free GLE oneLondon seminar on advertising. Although demand for their services had been steady, they had not advertised or marketed their business and had to attract a steady stream of new clients. The workshop helped Agenda Collective in their decision to do a broad advertising and PR push which has since helped attract new clients.

The top advice that Agenda Collective would give to anyone thinking about starting their own business would be to make sure that the foundations of your business, and belief in it, are solid. Then make sure your business model is well-planned. Finally, take creative risks but not business risks and if you don’t know what a business risk is... do your research!

For more information about how you can develop your business idea and access free business advice, please visit www.enterprisecentral.co.uk

For more information about Agenda Collective, please visit www.agendacollective.co.uk.