Competition is fierce in the creative industries, but more and more amazing startups are using innovation and vision to provide brilliant services that make them stand out. One such business is Huxley, a film production studio that works with evolving brands to supercharge their digital and marketing offerings. Huxley are supported by our delivery partners Business West. Let’s find out more!
We choose one Virgin StartUp company to be featured on Virginstartup.org each week. We ask our startups of the week to deliver the ultimate elevator pitch. What would they say if they had one minute in a lift with Sir Richard Branson? Please answer the questions below, keeping each answer to five sentences max.
Ground to floor 1 – Explain what your business does
Huxley is a full-service film production studio. We combine contemporary film making and animation to create brave, branded content.
We specialise in creating online video content for lifestyle, sport, tech and travel brands. Daring creative and strong narrative are key to our work, and we are always looking to push production values to create something new and exciting.
Floor 1 to 2 - Where are you based?
We are based in Bristol, UK.
Floor 2 to 3 – What’s the business model?
Huxley operates on a b2b business model, providing bespoke film and animation content for emerging and evolving brands. We have worked with cutting-edge artists all the way up to huge global brands, using a trusted team of local talent to scale up resource as needed.
We also work with digital and marketing agencies, providing video and animation services to their clients. Huxley works closely with agencies to deliver great video content, whether it’s drafting up ideas from scratch or running with their creative brief.
Floor 3 to 4 – Who are your competitors?
As we offer both film production and animation, we are in competition with other production companies and animation studios.
4 to 5 – What’s your USP?
Being brave underpins everything we do. Brand competition is so fierce you have to endeavor to be seen as well as engage. Having great content is one thing, but getting exposure is the real challenge. This comes from a combination of brave 'stand out' creative, and a cohesive marketing strategy.
Floor 5 to 6 – Where did the idea come from?
Huxley set up in January 2015. The company directors had worked together on a film projects. We all had an ambition to run our own company as well as build a culture around a brand. We have a wealth of complementary skills, plus we all had similar tastes in design and film aesthetic.
Floor 6 to 7 – How much funding did you receive from Virgin StartUp?
We received £21,000 from Virgin StartUp, combined with other investments.
Floor 7 to 8 – How are you going to use it to grow your business?
Firstly the funds will be used to implement our marketing campaigns. This includes a Google Adwords campaign and a series of targeted showreels that are helping us start conversations with businesses and brands we want to work with.
We have also purchased IT infrastructure, post-production hardware and camera and lighting equipment.
Floor 8 to 9 – Who’s your Virgin StartUp mentor?
Julian Bewley – Director at Network 649 LTD. We've only been working with Julian for a week, but already we're seeing the value in having someone with his experience onboard. He's got us thinking a lot more about how we use PR and social platforms to grow the business.
Floor 9 to 10 – What’s your workspace like?
We have an office in a beautiful Georgian building in the center of Bristol. It's located just off Park Street, a bustling strip of coffee shops and independent retailers.
Floor 10 to 11 – where will your business be in 12 month’s time?
Over the next 12 months we aim to double the size of our team and scale up our premises to meet the demands of a growing client list. Our marketing plan is aimed at attracting clients with whom we can build lasting relationships and earn repeat business.
We are planning to reinvest year one profits in more equipment to bring the cost of production down, and keep up with the latest technology in film making - offering high production values at affordable rates is what we're all about.
Connect with Huxley on Twitter and Facebook.
