What is Shift?

Since I’ve started at Shift, it’s been all go! After spending yesterday (well ok, most days this week, if I’m being honest) playing catch up with myself, I’m finally getting a chance to think. The last couple of weeks have been manic.. We have a venue for the launch party: it’s going to be at the Northern Design Centre on 26th October, so if you’re in the North East get it in your diary! There’s still a lot of work to come but I’m starting to see things coming together and it’s making me really excited about the project. I’ve started up the blog trying to introduce the project and explain who we are and what we’re doing. We’ve also been working hard to sort out the ‘white paper’ publication: so far lots of research and paper samples!

Ok for those who haven’t heard me mention this before, let me explain a little about what Shift is.. Funded by Studio Precept, the premise of Shift is that rather than assist agency staff, the interns will be running their own creative agency: accepting briefs from clients and working as a team to deliver campaigns. The team is multi-disciplinary and made up of all sorts of creative folks like graphic designers, copywriters and producers, and as the scheme is independently funded the interns can really let their ideas run away with them and push the binaries of creativity. It’s all about finding new ways of thinking and offering young creatives valuable experience which will help them get an actual job.

So in the midst of all the insanity, I just want to point out that my chill out time is coming in the form of a three hour train journey because Rach reminded me that it was Matthew St. festival this weekend in Liverpool. With no other plans for the bank holiday I couldn’t resist a little trip. I can’t believe that it’s been exactly TWO YEARS since I was last here!