The Irish Nation: Delivered by Irish Mancunian and supported by Wild in Art
Not to be missed! The Irish Nation, a collection of Irish iconography by renowned mosaic artist Mark Kennedy including works featuring George Best, Oscar Wilde, Sinead O’Connor and Shane McGowan, is being exhibited now in cultural and creative venues throughout Manchester City Centre and will be on display ’til 31st March 2024.
Commissioned by Irish Mancunian, an organisation that curates cultural events of Irish interest for Manchester audiences, The Irish Nation has been transformed into a free-to-view art trail with the support of, our good friends at global art producer, Wild in Art (Bee in the City, Gratitude), with each piece placed in a venue carefully selected to provide context to the piece.
Ten years in the making, the project began in 2015, when Mark Kennedy spontaneously created a piece of Samuel Beckett, a piece of work that awakened something within him, reaffirming his deep Irish roots. The stunning collection of original and previously unseen mosaics now portrays seventeen personalities from the worlds of literature, music, sport and history.
To name a few, singer Luke Kelly can be found at Hallé St Peter’s, Manchester United legend George Best at the National Football Museum, music icons Sinead O’Connor and Shane MacGowan at New Century, poet, playwright and wit Oscar Wilde at QueerLit, playwright Samuel Beckett at 53Two, and. John F. Kennedy at the Science and Industry Museum in a nod to the part he played in the moon landings
Sitting alongside the exhibition are QR codes to take you straight to the website to learn more about the fascinating stories behind the art. Ground-breaking architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray, whose mosaic can be seen at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, was overlooked for a long time, as she worked in the male dominated Modernist movement, and boxing phenomenon Katie Taylor, whose portrait can be found at Koffee Pot, broke through the barriers to entry in boxing that meant she had start her career boxing as a boy and is now double World Champion.
We were delighted to share the news, and facilitate a walking press tour, all of which generated huge interest across the city and some lovely pieces on BBC News Online, MEN, I Love Manchester, Creative Tourist, Manchester Wire, About Manchester, Manchester World and Secret Manchester, in addition to an interview with Irish Mancunian’s Ray Boyle and a full feature on BBC Radio Manchester.
Check it out if you have the chance, you’ll see some incredible artwork in some of Manchester’s best venues 🙂
Find out the locations of each mosaic here.
Sundae x
📸: David Oates
Happy 50th Anniversary to our Friend and Yours, Bagpuss!
On the 12th February, our lovely friend Bagpuss, the most important, the most beautiful, the most magical saggy old cloth cat in the whole wide world, celebrated his 50th anniversary.
We were honoured to mark the day, working with our long-standing client, international media group and rights owner, Coolabi, working to place interviews with Emily Firmin, who played Emily in the show and Daniel Postgate, both children of the late Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, who created the show 50 years ago.
The anniversary was a huge success, with 47 pieces of targeted high- quality coverage via a range of key national, regional, consumer, business and broadcast titles with potential reach of over 430 million.
Highlights included the Radio Times, the Guardian How We Made It, The Times Relative Values, BBC News, ITV News, Channel 5 News, and BBC Radio 6’s Radcliffe and Maconie dedicated an entire show to celebrate.
Just thirteen episodes of the iconic Smallfilms animation were created by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, which live on in the hearts of the British public, and to this day Bagpuss is considered one of the greatest ever TV shows. The remastered show was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2023 by Fabulous Films, a long standing UK/US distributor specialising in classic and cult television and is available to stream on Britbox and ITVX, plus iTunes, Amazon and more.
To mark the moment, leading distributors of collectable coins and stamps, The Westminster Collection, released a brand new collection of five 50p coins in base metal and sterling silver with quotes from the show.
Guernsey Post will issue a set of four commemorative stamps, on the 25th July, including souvenir sheets, first day covers and a presentation pack. Rainbow Designs, creators of high quality, forever toys, inspired by the beloved characters from children’s literature, has launched a new range of Bagpuss plush toys
Bagpuss – The 50th Anniversary Edition, is a special edition Bagpuss from Steiff, the inventors of the teddy bear, exclusive to Danbury Mint. And Practical Publishing will be releasing a Bagpuss collection available at CraftStash, featuring cutting dies, beautiful printed papers and toppers.
Dedicated news about the products created to commemorate the moment were placed in Skwigly, Total Licensing, Licensing.biz, Animation For Adults, Animation Magazine, License Global and Planet Radio.
The celebrations continue as The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge is hosting The Smallfilms Gallery, renamed in honour of the studio, a family gallery showcasing work by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, who created their iconic children’s programmes from their studio near Canterbury. The exhibition, created in close conjunction with the Firmin and Postgate families and Dr Chris Pallant, Canterbury Christ Church University features the original Bagpuss, and many of the original film props.
As he enters his 50th year, Bagpuss continues his role as mascot to Hospices of Hope, the only UK charity dedicated to supporting hospice care in South and East Europe.
On The Wings of Mystery Bird
As dusk fell over Eccles, a flock of bright birds swept through the streets and onto the buildings.
Residents of over 50 streets throughout the historic market town welcomed Mystery Bird to their neighbourhood, as the stunning art installation made its way through a five-night outdoors display.
Created for the community by the community, Mystery Bird was part of Salford City Council’s regeneration of Eccles. It featured a striking illuminated bird cage, housing a flock of birds, designed by paper artist Helen Musselwhite, alongside a magical soundscape by vocal artist Jason Singh, video projection artists Illumnios, and more.
Following a hugely popular tour across Peel Green, Barton, Winton and Patricroft, we watched on as the installation created a beautiful pop-up moment at the town’s flagship Saint Mary’s church.
As the birds were released from the cage and fluttered their luminous wings onto the cityscape, Salford City Council brought a symbol of hope and freedom to people of all ages and abilities.
Born and bred in Eccles, the town holds a special place in our hearts, so taking on the communications campaign for Mystery Bird was a no-brainer.
Our campaign placed broadcast features on ITV Granada News, BBC Radio Manchester, and Unity Radio, alongside key pieces by Manchester Evening News, Manchester’s Finest, The Manc, Secret Manchester, About Manchester, and Manchester Wire.
Helping our local communities is at the core of what we do. Last year we worked alongside our friends at Wild in Art to deliver the communications campaign for We Live Here in Eccles, which saw a series of 23 phenomenal murals dotted around our hometown, encouraging its discovery.
Yet another reason to visit, right?
-Sundae x
📸: Chris Payne
CHANEL Metiers d’Art
If you’d asked me last year who my dream client would be, I probably wouldn’t have said CHANEL, because working with the iconic fashion house was beyond my wildest dreams. So, being invited to work on the CHANEL Metiers d’art show in Manchester was my wake up call to dream bigger, because sometimes they do come true.
Being part of bringing CHANEL to Manchester will forever be a career highlight, and witnessing first hand the meticulous care, consideration and attention to detail the house puts into its work was inspirational. It’s something we’ll take forward into all of our future projects – nothing is ever too much.
After four months of working on the show, and with the excitement in the city reaching fever pitch, being part of such a historic moment felt incredible, but the legacy of the event is as important as the moment itself. People across the globe were learning more about our city, its history, its culture and its vibe, and for the first time for some, seeing past the Madchester stereotype that has perpetuated for decades.
We couldn’t escape the rain, but would we want to? The storm brought an atmosphere to the show that even CHANEL can’t buy, and the rain bouncing on the tarmac catwalk added drama to an already high octane show.
The CHANEL Metiers d’Art delivered in excess of 2000 pieces of coverage across the world, with a value of £100m + and untold social media reach. It will be talked about for years to come and that is a conversation I’ll always be delighted to be part of.
Read more in: AnOther, Vogue, Guardian, Elle, Telegraph, BBC and Harper’s
Fiona x
Women on Screen
Looking back on 2023, it was an honour to have been trusted with the stories of such strong, creative and talented women, all at different stages of their journey on screen.
We’ve worked with Sally Lindsay and Caroline Roberts-Cherry for a number of years now, from their first project together, Emmeline Pankhurst: The Making of a Militant, back in 2018, to where they are now. They have just celebrated the 5th anniversary of their company Saffron Cherry, and the third season of The Madame Blanc Mysteries, created, co-written and starring Sally, is currently airing on Channel 5 to over 2m viewers each week.
Their dedication to improving representation on screen and behind the scenes, for women of all backgrounds, is incredibly refreshing in an industry that just doesn’t need to be as difficult as it sometimes is. It’s been inspiring to share the changes they are making, and there was a huge outpouring of gratitude from women across the industry when Sally spoke about this in her recent The One Show appearance.
Sally already has a brilliant profile, but this year we’ve contributed to campaigns that have seen some huge successes including a cover shoot for Prima, the cover of TV Times and also a blog in Televisual to celebrate 5 years of Saffron Cherry.
Jackie Adedeji is a true force of nature; a whirlwind of positivity who is truly making things happen for herself and other women. We supported her during the release of her first documentary, Untold: My Big Boobs for Channel 4 which resonated with thousands of women across the country, and as a result we were able to place her on Steph’s Packed Lunch, BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Naga Munchetty on BBC Radio 5 Live and a BBC Newsbeat interview aired across BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Asian Network.
We also had the pleasure of working with sex educator Ruby Rare as she made her first foray into presenting, straight in at the deep end as co-host of Sex Rated alongside Rylan Clark on E4. This was a high profile show that garnered a huge amount of attention and we supported Ruby throughout, ensuring she was able to tell her own story and retain her voice in all of the noise. Ruby had features in iNews, The Times and on BBC Newsbeat, plus appeared on podcasts including It Can’t Just Be Me, Sex Talks, Wednesday We Drink Wine, Dirty Mother Pukka, Should I Delete That and The Secret To.
As we head into 2024 we are inspired to continue this journey, helping interesting, creative and talented people tell their stories in their own way.
📸: Scott Kershaw, Katie Silvester
Walking in the Air With Carrot Productions
Christmas really did come early for us here at Sundae when our good friends at Carrot Productions, the world leading performer of The Snowman, asked us to work on the communications campaign for their latest national tour.
The show featured screenings of the family-favourite accompanied by an elite live orchestra in 10 locations from 30 Nov – 23 Dec, 2023, giving all who attended a festive experience for the memory banks. Our brief was to support some of the regions with media opportunities to maximise awareness.
The award-winning show took to stages in Derby, St Albans, Oldham, Bristol, London, Buxton, Guildford, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham and also featured a screening of Aardman’s hit ‘Wallace & Gromit’ by multi–Academy Award-winning animation studio Aardman. The performance marks 30 years since the iconic animation was first screened, alongside a collaboration with the Southbank Sinfonia, and a life-changing opportunity for young soloists.
The striking performance of BAFTA-winning hit ‘The Snowman’ was accompanied by a selection of Britain’s top music talent, a magical whistle-stop Christmas guide to the orchestra and a visit from the Snowman himself, providing Christmas based fun for all the fam.
After each performance, the audiences, young and adult alike, were invited to meet the world-acclaimed musicians in their outstanding costumes, and learn all about their musical instruments.
Carrot Productions also gave young vocalists local to the venues the life-changing opportunity to join the performance and sing Peter Auty’s timeless song ‘Walking in the Air’ from ‘The Snowman’ soundtrack. Prior to this tour, the orchestra had already hosted over 300 soloists with many testifying that the experience altered the direction of their life.
The tour visited some of the country’s most grandiose historic venues like St Albans Cathedral, Guildford Cathedral, and Chester Cathedral, as well as being one of the first shows at the newly renovated Bristol Beacon. The Snowman also made a very special return visit to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, performing for patients and their families for the first time since the pandemic struck.
As soon as we received the brief, the Sundae troops were mobilised and got straight to work. Christmas is one of our favourite things and having such a beautiful excuse to talk about it early played right into our hands.
We told the story to all who would listen and we landed brilliant interviews on BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Three Counties, BBC Radio Surrey, BBC Radio Sussex, BBC Radio Kent, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Somerset, and BBC Radio Merseyside, as well as features and listings in the Bristol Post, Bristol 24/7, Bristol World, Bristol Life, Secret Bristol, the Chester Standard, Chester.com, the St Albans Times and Muddy Stilettos.
One of our most enjoyable campaigns of the year, for a show that could make even the biggest Grinch grin with nostalgic cheer… now, pass us the mince pies!
Sundae x
Cat/Person… The purrfect project furr us
You know, sometimes things just work out, don’t they? I’m not sure if we’ve ever mentioned it, but those who know us well, know we are cat people, and earlier this year we did some work with award-winning writer and producer, Chris Heath (The World According to Grandpa) as he announced his new audio sitcom Cat/Person.
A series of overheard conversations between a broken man Matthew (Chris Heath) and Hobson (Sue Vincent), his sarcastic, selfish, sociopathic rescue cat… the podcast is bang on the money in terms of accuracy, properly funny, and we, of course, loved it.
So, you can imagine our pure joy at getting a call from our very good friends at Saffron Cherry Productions, creator of the international hit show The Madame Blanc Mysteries, telling us that they have secured the TV rights for it and that they’d love for us to announce it to the media… it went right off in the office, trust me!
The announcement comes as brand-new episodes of the audio sitcom were set to be released weekly on all major podcast platforms, while plans for a Cat/Person live show are also well and truly underway (we’ll see you down the front!).
Cat/Person accurately and hilariously encapsulates the kind of relentless emotional hazing that cats love to lavish on their eager-to-please ‘owners’. Matthew is doing his best to keep himself from falling into a black hole following an unhappy divorce. To get him through the dark days, his friends recommend that he gets himself an emotional support animal.
Unfortunately, after a trip to the local Animal Shelter, he chose Hobson, a rescue cat played by Sue Vincent (The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Alma’s Not Normal, Blindspot). Matthew is sentimental, messy and lonely. Hobson is hungry and is insisting on a treat. Immediately.
In each episode, we’re privy to a selection of conversations between human and cat, as Matthew tries his best to navigate his new life as a near shut-in, with Hobson conveniently on-hand to point out just how badly he’s doing at this. We listen in as Matthew tackles the biggest obstacles in life as he now knows it: social media, insomnia, love, death, sex, comfort eating and drinking.
In announcing this incredible news for humans and felines alike we racked up coverage aplenty with an interview feature with the simply iconic Sue Vincent and news piece in British Comedy Guide, as well as features in Broadcast Now, Televisual, C21, World Screen, TBI Vision, The Knowledge, and Prolific North.
This is just the beginning of Cat/Person’s tail, we can’t wait to see what’s next, and don’t worry we’ll tell you as soon as we find out!
Tom x
Free Your Mind: The launch of Aviva Studios, home of Factory International
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 12 months, then you will know all about Manchester’s newest cultural juggernaut Aviva Studios, home of Factory international.
We’re seriously proud of being from the North and culture from our region is always close to our hearts, so we have been waiting with baited breath for this venue to fling its doors open.
When the Factory International team got in touch with us and asked us to support them with on the official Aviva Studios opening event, we jumped at the opportunity.
The launch event was a live, interactive launch party, built around the venue’s opening show Free Your Mind, a journey into The Matrix through dance and immersive design, directed by Danny Boyle, with hip hop choreography by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, a powerful score from composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante (co-founders of Boy Blue); we’ve worked with these three wonderful people before on Emancipation of Expressionism, but that’s a whole other story.
The breathtaking production also featured eye-opening staging from world-leading designer Es Devlin, alongside words from acclaimed writer Sabrina Mahfouz and costumes by iconic fashion designer Gareth Pugh.
It goes without saying that the event was absolutely sensational; a fully immersive experience with giant white rabbits running around everywhere, fully costumed barrel walkers, dancers, amazing food and drink by the venue’s food and drink operator Super Serve, a massive party with music provided by quality DJs spinning hip-hop and soul, and of course a flawless performance of Free Your Mind.
A massive night for Manchester, welcoming one of the most important cultural venues that the city has ever housed, and it has been an honour of the highest order to work on it with such brilliant people… but those red carpets don’t walk themselves, and now it is most definitely bedtime!
Sundae x
📸: Jody Hartley
My Pride Song
What a way to end the summer! Projects like this are what we are all about at Sundae, and this one in particular is a movement close to all of our hearts… the team at Pride Classical, the trailblazing organisation dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ history and culture through the power of music, invited us to raise awareness and confirm contributors to their new initiative My Pride Song, a celebration of Pride and allyship.
My Pride Song called upon as many LGBTQ+ community members and allies as possible to contribute a video message with the story behind their choice, the importance of the song, and why the music of Pride matters to them.
Any new contributors would join prominent LGBTQ+ community members and allies including actress, presenter, author, television producer, and activist Dame Joanna Lumley, winner of season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Danny Beard, renowned actress and activist Julie, Coronation Street actress Dolly-Rose Campbell, comedian Jason Manford, global cabaret queen Alison Jiear, and Olivier award winning actor Matt Henry MBE who had already joined the movement.
My Pride Song was born out of and inspired by Pride Classical, a brand new event that celebrated the music and history of the LGBTQ+ community. Premiering at the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom and Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, across the opening weekend of Pride Month in June 2023, Pride Classical presented brand new arrangements of beloved songs by iconic artists, performed by a full professional orchestra of LGBTQ+ musicians and allies.
We’re so proud to say that we placed features in I Love Manchester, GScene, DIVA Magazine and Canal Street Online, as well as confirming contributions from Coronation Street stars Anthony Crank and Jane Hazelgrove, It’s a Sin actor Neil Ashton, Waterloo Road’s Hollie-Jay Bowes, prolific actress and writer Sue Vincent, Hollyoaks’ Ashling O’Shea and Annie Wallace, Rise and Fall’s Connor Fisher and drag queen Kitty Scott-Claus.
In the words of Patsy Stone of Absolutely Fabulous fame: “Cheers, sweeties! Thanks a lot!”
Sundae x
📸: Joshua Croft Photography
Celebrating Italy at Festa Italiana 2023
Buona Festa Italiana, Manchester!
We’re back from another glorious weekend at the UK’s biggest Italian festival, held right in the heart of Manchester, so listen up!
Brought together by our long-standing friends, the team at family-run Italian Salvi’s, Festa Italiana has become the epitome of Manchester’s Italian community and heritage.
Championing collaboration and community over competition, Salvi’s owner Maurizio Cecco set off to bring the city’s best Italian food, drink and culture together in a festival which is now a three day celebration taking place over the August bank holiday weekend.
Now in its sixth year, Festa Italiana has combined the traits of a traditional Italian festival with a healthy portion of Mancunian charm to become a much-anticipated event for people all over the country. And we’ve had the honour to join the ride, managing the press and social media campaign for three years so far.
The festival kicked off with Festa Italiana della Donna – a day-long celebration of female chefs, championing their outstanding work within the male-dominated world of professional cooking, showcasing pastaia Carmela Sereno-Hayes, award-winning chef Sofia Gallo, and Salvi’s very own head chef, Valentina Ambrosino.
Do you hear the applause? We had a full house for Italian cooking legends Gennaro Contaldo and Giancarlo Caldesi, alongside Maurizio himself, while master baker and Great British Bake Off 2021 winner Giuseppe Dell’Anno put the cherry on top of the spectacular Festa line-up.
The classic Mancunian downpour did not dampen the Festa spirits. Vendors, chefs and performers worked around the clock to once again bring a slice of Italy to festival-goers, leaving hearts and bellies full.
We worked alongside iconic Italian brewer Birrificio Angelo Poretti to execute the press and social media campaign for La Grande Tavola, which gathered local and national press and content creators to a 80-person meal under the Festa stars, cooked and presented by festival creator Maurizio himself.
The grande Festa famiglia (the big Festa family) was the core of our campaign. Our press campaign put a well-deserved spotlight on the Italian vendors who shared their stories with the world and proved just why Festa Italiana is key to empowering the local Italian community. The human stories from the festival secured four features on BBC Radio Manchester and placed in various shows and bulletins on Radio One London, Capital Manchester, Hits Manchester and XS Manchester.
We also secured coverage from the likes of The Manc, Manchester’s Finest, Manchester Evening News, Creative Tourist, I Love Manchester, Secret Manchester and more, with media outlets also reporting live from the festival piazza on their socials.
And as social media platforms grow, so did our campaign. Telling the story of the big Festa family was a key focus of this year’s campaign, which resulted in reaching 396k accounts and brought in a 40% increase in following across multiple platforms.
We worked with local and national brands, the Festa organisers, chefs, vendors and participants, and a wealth of Manchester’s biggest content creators in order to celebrate all things Italian for yet another extremely successful year.
AND Maurizio even went viral! Talk about a busy weekend…
Who’s ready for Festa Italiana 2024?
Evelina x
📸: Florindo Albaphotos