Manchester-based, award winning food photographers, STM Photography start the year with an imminent rebrand to reflect extension of the specialist services offered and new studios soon to open in both Manchester & Leeds.

Rebranded as Eat & Breathe, the new studios will not only feature state-of-the-art equipment, development and presentation facilities; but also new additions to the team, selected for their experience working within the Food & Drink sector.

Darren Hickson, Director of Photography, commented: “The service we now offer is so much more than photography; with recipe development, styling consultancy, post production and motion all now becoming a pre-requisite

“We are now able to offer a much wider range of integrated Content Services, aligned to the needs of our clients in and around the Food, Drink & Leisure sectors.

“February also sees a few new faces in the studio with Chloe Warde joining the photographic team and Clover Hutson joining to head up styling and food insight.

“Both have worked extensively within the food sector in retail and the on-trade, and bring with them a wealth of technical knowledge and creative experience.”

Eat & Breathe will also incorporate a purpose-build Food Hub for presentation, NPD and filming; including professional kitchen facilities, meeting space and technology to present ranges, skills or  facilitate menu development. Services also extend to packaging prototyping and retail visualisation. The facility will allow our clients to step away from their regular ‘work’ environment and creates a space to think, plan and innovate. A productive space to stand back and ‘Breathe’, without any day to day distractions. Eat & Breath have worked closely with industry minds to design and equip The Hub, which is available for bookings (separate to photography requirements) from April.

Currently operating from Ancoats Manchester, new studios are under construction in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and a second studio in Leeds City Centre. These will come into full use over the next 3 months.

Phil Marshall, Managing Director at Eat & Breathe, added: “This is a really exciting time and the culmination of many conversations with clients of how we can continue to add more value, above and beyond the award-winning work Darren & the team are producing.

“Adding a wider range of content services and facilities that create a workspace for NPD and presentation provide a unique space for our clients.

“This in conjunction with the creative, digital and social content services offered from our sister agency Shoot the Moon, provides a nimble, integrated team of specialists to deliver outstanding content.”

Manchester-based video production company Coolbox have appointed Cain Jennings as their new in-house Producer.

Based at M-One Studios, Coolbox specialise in creating online and social content for the food and drink industry.Their clients include Johnnie Walker, Booths, The East India Company, Coca Cola, Pizza Express, Glengoyne Whisky, PayPal, Facebook and The National Lottery.

Since graduating with a degree in Media Production from Staffordshire University in 2017; Cain has worked with Tunafish Media, first as an in-house Videographer, then as Head of Content. Over the past 2 years he has produced video content for clients such as TUI, Barburrito and Holland & Barrett.

Coolbox relocated from Edinburgh to Manchester in 2015. Their mission is to be the first port of call for food and drink brands across the North West looking to take their video marketing to the next level.

Director and Founder Marc J Grundy said: “We have grown the business steadily since we moved from Edinburgh. As Manchester’s food scene becomes ever more varied and vibrant, our client base has expanded and we needed to grow the team to service this demand. Cain has a great eye when it comes to filmmaking and has already proved to be an invaluable member of the team.

It was a hard decision to make the move from Scotland to Manchester. Edinburgh has a well-established food culture, but the scene in Manchester gets better by the day. I think we arrived at just the right time, 2019 is going to be a big year for Coolbox, which is why I wanted to bring some fresh talent to the team.”

Newly appointed Producer Cain Jennings added: “We have so many fun projects on the horizon at Coolbox, we can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on. It’s great to be part of a team with a shared passion for creating content for such a lively and exciting sector.”

BT Group is responsible for generating £1 in every £105 produced in the North West’s economy, according to an independent report published today.

‘The Economic Impact of BT Group plc in the UK’ report, by Hatch Regeneris, shows that the communications company generated a £1.6bn (£1,600 million) contribution, expressed as “Gross Value Added” (GVA), to the North West economy during the 2017/18 financial year.

The report estimates that the equivalent of 20,700 full-time jobs in the North West are supported through BT’s direct employment, its spending with contractors and suppliers and the spending of its employees.

BT Group directly employs 7,460 people in the North West, with a further 1,670 employed as contractors. It’s estimated that BT Group supports one in every 110 employees working in the North West’s private sector, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s leading employers.

The Group also spent nearly £416 million with suppliers based in the North West.

Across the UK, BT Group directly employed 94,800 people (FTE) and supported an estimated total of 290,000 full-time jobs. It also generated, in total, almost £23bn (£22.8bn) to the UK economy.

BT Group and EE are making major investments in the North West, bringing 5G to Manchester and Liverpool in 2019, building on major full fibre infrastructure already underway.

Tim Fanning, Director at Hatch Regeneris, said: “Our analysis underlines how vast BT Group’s contribution is to the UK economy, particularly across the nations and regions.

“BT Group is almost unique in contributing to the economies of virtually every community across the UK, supporting significant levels of GVA spend and employment opportunities per region.”

The report from Hatch Regeneris comes in addition to a recent report by PWC which highlighted that BT Group is the 5^th highest tax contributor in the UK among FTSE 100 companies, and the highest contributor among non-financial companies. The PWC report also identified BT as the largest capital expenditure investor in the UK.

Kieran Charleson, BT Group Regional Director, North of England, said: “Few companies play as important a role in the North West as BT Group. Not only does BT connect friends, families and businesses across the UK, but we also make a significant contribution to the region’s economy.

“We’re proud to be one of the region’s largest private sector employers and investors. Our investments, including the latest 5G mobile technology through our mobile network EE, will ensure the UK continues to be one of the world’s best-connected economies.

“With 9,130 people directly employed in the region, spending their salaries in local businesses, as well as regularly volunteering on activities such as our Barefoot tech literacy programme in schools, our people are at the heart of the community.”

Damian Waters, Director, CBI North West, added: “BT is a major employer in the North West and has a big impact on the economy and jobs. It is good news to see this significant presence in the region continuing.

“BT Group’s investment in the area not only means a boost to the local economy, but also to skills and high quality jobs, including recruiting apprentices and graduates. BT’s investment in the fastest networks and latest technology is also vital for the region. Being connected is essential for our businesses and for improving quality of life in all our communities.”

Created by Coral Horn, founder of North West based Pink Link and The Enterprise Vision Awards, the first LIFE Expo was held at the fantastic Concorde Conference Centre, beneath the wings of the mighty Concorde. The LIFE Expo was an Expo for “Ladies Inspiring Future Enterprise”, whether they wanted to start a business, grow one or find out how they can change their lives for the better. The next LIFE Expo is planned for 2020.

Coral Horn said: “This year, Pink Link celebrates its tenth anniversary and the EVAS have grown to be the largest awards for women outside of London The LIFE Expo was a natural progression for supporting women in business, since it is relevant for all ladies who know they want to do more with their lives.

“The combination of motivational speakers, banks who could fund expansion plans or social media experts to help grow an online presence, was ideal for the busy woman, who could find it all out under one roof, in one day at The LIFE Expo.”

Speakers included Dr Cheryl Chapman (author of Find Your Why – How To Be Frickin Awesome), Rosie Dummer (C4 Extreme Cake Makers), Leanne Brown (ambassador to One Woman At A Time), Dan Sodergren (BBC Breakfast) and contestants from The Apprentice (BBC1). Their presentations inspired and motivated the listeners and were rapturously received.

Coral was assisted by Rebecca Jane, who created ‘The Lady Detective Agency’ in 2009 with only £200. It became the largest female investigation agency in the UK and was sold in 2018. Rebecca said: “‘A few years into my business journey, I knew I wanted to expand but didn’t know which route was best. I spoke to advisors, like the Business Growth Hub. who exhibited at the Expo. I decided to franchise my business model and saw my ‘good little business’ become an international success.”