The Bakehouse Factory

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by The Bakehouse Factory's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from The Bakehouse Factory is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Blunkett signature Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP
Pickles signature Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP

www.bakehousefactory.co.uk

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
32 | FILM DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
in 12 arrests and 19 formal cautions.
It’s widely recognised that copyright
theft can be serious and organised,
often linked to other kinds of crime.
Last May, two cases came to court, in
Newcastle and Glasgow. Both trials
resulted in successful prosecutions
and media coverage, which should
continue to deter others. A robust
regime to protect copyright remains
essential for our economy and society.
Press previews in three
regional hubs
Day by day, we fulfil the essential
behind-the-scenes task of co-ordinating
a central schedule of preview screenings
for editors, critics and online influencers
– all branches of UK media.
There are well-established preview
formats in London and Glasgow, while
recently we launched a new series of
press shows and events in Manchester.
In London’s West End, we present
“FDA Showcases”. These events give
a platform to British, independent and
specialised films for media who might
not otherwise see them.
Online influencers are a target audience
for our film-themed pop-up events.
We’ve run these in holiday seasons
as a means of sharing with visitors,
free of charge, a range of stimuli – VR
experiences, poster displays, creative
play areas and our own unique LEGO
model cinema, built from 25,000 bricks.
Partnership working
We collaborate with many organisations
to achieve shared objectives. In
partnership with The Film Space and
FutureLearn, the Open University’s
online education platform, we launched
a massive open online course about film
distribution – more than 2,000 people
signed up for its first edition in 2018.
We worked with the publisher IB Tauris,
now part of Bloomsbury, on a well-
received book about the huge growth
of our industry over the last three
decades. Written by Geoffrey Macnab,
Stairways to Heaven: Rebuilding the
British Film Industry
was launched at
a BAFTA reception attended by Lord
Smith of Finsbury, Daniel Battsek (head
of Film4) and other contributors.
We maintained our sponsorships of the
National Film & Television School and
YourLocalCinema.com. This trusted,
independent website, app and social
network promotes films with digital
subtitles and audio description and
plays subtitled trailers for cinema-goers
with hearing or sight loss.
We are fortunate to have Lord Puttnam
of Queensgate CBE as our president.
Lord Puttnam has consistently called for
flexibility – to ensure that the digitisation
of cinemas, largely funded by distributors,
does not disadvantage distributors; that
established release patterns do not stifle
innovation; and that the EU digital single
market retains flexibility for territorial
and pan-European licensing.
The film business is fast-moving and
competitive, and distribution serves as its
lynchpin. We’re optimistic about future
prospects for film in the UK. However
technologies and platforms continue
to evolve, public demand for great
characters and stories told in the form
of feature films appears to be insatiable.
Happily, it’s an area of creative
endeavour in which the UK punches far
above its weight, and we are thrilled to
be part of the vibrantecosystem.
However
technologies
and platforms
continue to
evolve, public
demand for
great
characters and
stories told in
the form of
feature films
appears to be
insatiable
“
“
“Marilyn Monroe”
greets guests at our
November 2018 event in
Manchester, previewing
the UK film release line-
up for cinema bookers
33THE BAKEHOUSE FACTORY |
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA & SPORT
Managing Director Kate Statham
(centre) with Creative Director
Hannah McGavin (left) and
Design Director Dan McGavin
(right)
We provide immersive theatrical
experiences for a range of clients
Originally established by a group of three creative friends
with a passion for immersive events, Bakehouse Factory
provides theatrical productions on behalf of retail
landowners, public spaces and corporate clients. Offering
these experiences for free to the public, they have become
a benchmark of quality in their industry. Instead of using
third parties to source their props and components, they
manufacture them all inhouse to ensure cohesion. Managing
Director Kate Statham tells
The Parliamentary Review
about how
their combination of skillsets has driven their success and their
expansion into ticketed events.
We were established seven years ago and at this point, we were very much a
kitchen table business. I formed the company with two friends and each of us had
different, but well-suited, skillsets and a shared background in event production
and performing arts. I had worked for many years brokering collaborations on
behalf of cultural institutions and artists with media partners, commissioners and
corporate organisations. This provided us with an understanding of both the public
and the private sector. Hannah was our performer, choreographer and director;
and Dan was our fabricator, designing and building anything we required. We
began the business because we identified an opportunity to create truly immersive
and magical events that could communicate directly and meaningfully with an
audience; providing a transformative experience for them while also conveying
a brand message, helping to define a place, or create awareness of an issue. We
were determined to deliver only the best quality theatre in places where it was
FACTS ABOUT
THE BAKEHOUSE FACTORY
»Managing Director:
KateStatham
»Established in 2012
»Based in Bristol
»Services: Immersive theatrical
experiences
»No. of employees: 14
»www.bakehousefactory.co.uk
The Bakehouse
Factory
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
34 | THE BAKEHOUSE FACTORY
least expected. This remains our core
focus and for the vast majority of
events we work on, we are invited by
a client to create something that will
be placemaking or set them apart from
their competitors.
Our combination of skills is a key
element of our appeal: Dan can create
a set for any location, Hannah can
infuse the set with magic through
performance and I can liaise with
clients to find ways to design events
that will fulfil all of their aspirations.
Between the three of us, we are
uniquely placed to answer corporate
briefs with creative and authentic
theatrical solutions. Most of our events
are offered to the general public for
free and this will always be at the heart
of what we do. Beyond fulfilling the
objectives of our clients, this means
we can offer theatrical experiences to
those who would not usually visit the
theatre, going to where they are in
their day-to-day lives and pulling them
into another world.
As we have grown the business, we
have also come up with concepts that
we are so passionate about we are
looking to host and promote them
ourselves, branching out into ticketed
events. We are equally excited about
the prospect of producing our own
installations as we are those for our
brilliant clients.
A benchmark within the
industry
We have never worked with a client
just once; every client works with us
again and again. Retention has been a
key way of growing our customer base
and ensuring continued business. We
have won numerous industry awards
and are recognised as a benchmark
of quality within the industry. We are
also not afraid to contact those we
think we could work well with: we
are always hungry to reach out to
more people, expand our network and
introduce ourselves to potential clients.
A key element of our best practice
is how we select and work with
our performers, the vast majority of
whom hold Equity cards, and our
commitment to always remunerating
them fairly. We search for the very
best performers in their field because
with immersive theatre, only the best
experiences delivered by the most
effective performers succeed.
We support, nurture and pay all of our
staff properly and are proud to be able
to offer both performers and makers
a regular income. We never treat
staffing as an afterthought. All of our
customers, among both the corporate
sphere and the general public,
immediately identify the talent, passion
and commitment of our whole team.
Our team are incredibly
talented, passionate and
committed
Every client
works with us
again and
again
“
“
35THE BAKEHOUSE FACTORY |
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA & SPORT
Handcrafting all of our
components
When it comes to creating magical
immersive theatre, the devil really is in
the detail. Having a cohesive nature
is key to our events. When you are
working in a temporary environment, it
can be tempting to buy dissonant parts
and cobble them together. We take a
polarly opposite approach. We treat
every production as if it were a touring
theatre show and we hand craft all of
the necessary components. We bring
in the highest quality craftsmen to
support this.
We are also extremely rigorous in all of
our health and safety procedures and
planning. As we are dealing with the
general public, we are committed to
ensuring they are protected and that our
productions are accessible and available
to all. In order for the production to
be performed at the highest level and
often in very high footfall locations,
this preparation isessential.
In addition to proudly programming
many events that have a strong eco
message, we are also always looking
at ways of making our business more
sustainable. We therefore repurpose
as much as we possibly can. If you
deal with the amount of props and set
that we do, finding affordable storage
space will always be a challenge. We
have an Aladdin’s Cave of sets, props
and backgrounds which means we
have to find storage space which incurs
significant cost. This is something
that remains at the forefront of
ourplanning.
We have not struggled with recruitment
as we naturally attract those that are
passionate about what we do. Our base
in Bristol supports this as the city has a
rich and diverse scene of creatives who
understand our world. We adapt our
team’s skillsets to each job we take on
and we constantly challenge ourselves
to try new build techniques and adopt
newtechnologies.
As we continue into the future, we are
looking to take on larger challenges,
mainly related to the size of our
productions. This will span both our
retail briefs and our own projects. This
does not necessarily mean a greater
volume of work but we will try to
balance these larger projects with
our roaming characters, a part of our
portfolio we never want to give up.
The key will be striking the balance
between the two while achieving
strong growth.
I mmersive theatre gives both us and
our clients a credible, authentic and
creative way to engage with people
and build long term relationships with
customers. We are seeing competitor
event companies with a shallower
engagement model leave the industry,
as audiences expect and deserve more.
Immersive
theatre gives
both us and our
clients a
credible,
authentic and
creative way to
engage with
people and
build long-term
relationships
with customers
“
“
A performance at the
intu Trafford Centre
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
34 | THE BAKEHOUSE FACTORY
least expected. This remains our core
focus and for the vast majority of
events we work on, we are invited by
a client to create something that will
be placemaking or set them apart from
their competitors.
Our combination of skills is a key
element of our appeal: Dan can create
a set for any location, Hannah can
infuse the set with magic through
performance and I can liaise with
clients to find ways to design events
that will fulfil all of their aspirations.
Between the three of us, we are
uniquely placed to answer corporate
briefs with creative and authentic
theatrical solutions. Most of our events
are offered to the general public for
free and this will always be at the heart
of what we do. Beyond fulfilling the
objectives of our clients, this means
we can offer theatrical experiences to
those who would not usually visit the
theatre, going to where they are in
their day-to-day lives and pulling them
into another world.
As we have grown the business, we
have also come up with concepts that
we are so passionate about we are
looking to host and promote them
ourselves, branching out into ticketed
events. We are equally excited about
the prospect of producing our own
installations as we are those for our
brilliant clients.
A benchmark within the
industry
We have never worked with a client
just once; every client works with us
again and again. Retention has been a
key way of growing our customer base
and ensuring continued business. We
have won numerous industry awards
and are recognised as a benchmark
of quality within the industry. We are
also not afraid to contact those we
think we could work well with: we
are always hungry to reach out to
more people, expand our network and
introduce ourselves to potential clients.
A key element of our best practice
is how we select and work with
our performers, the vast majority of
whom hold Equity cards, and our
commitment to always remunerating
them fairly. We search for the very
best performers in their field because
with immersive theatre, only the best
experiences delivered by the most
effective performers succeed.
We support, nurture and pay all of our
staff properly and are proud to be able
to offer both performers and makers
a regular income. We never treat
staffing as an afterthought. All of our
customers, among both the corporate
sphere and the general public,
immediately identify the talent, passion
and commitment of our whole team.
Our team are incredibly
talented, passionate and
committed
Every client
works with us
again and
again
“
“
35THE BAKEHOUSE FACTORY |
DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA & SPORT
Handcrafting all of our
components
When it comes to creating magical
immersive theatre, the devil really is in
the detail. Having a cohesive nature
is key to our events. When you are
working in a temporary environment, it
can be tempting to buy dissonant parts
and cobble them together. We take a
polarly opposite approach. We treat
every production as if it were a touring
theatre show and we hand craft all of
the necessary components. We bring
in the highest quality craftsmen to
support this.
We are also extremely rigorous in all of
our health and safety procedures and
planning. As we are dealing with the
general public, we are committed to
ensuring they are protected and that our
productions are accessible and available
to all. In order for the production to
be performed at the highest level and
often in very high footfall locations,
this preparation isessential.
In addition to proudly programming
many events that have a strong eco
message, we are also always looking
at ways of making our business more
sustainable. We therefore repurpose
as much as we possibly can. If you
deal with the amount of props and set
that we do, finding affordable storage
space will always be a challenge. We
have an Aladdin’s Cave of sets, props
and backgrounds which means we
have to find storage space which incurs
significant cost. This is something
that remains at the forefront of
ourplanning.
We have not struggled with recruitment
as we naturally attract those that are
passionate about what we do. Our base
in Bristol supports this as the city has a
rich and diverse scene of creatives who
understand our world. We adapt our
team’s skillsets to each job we take on
and we constantly challenge ourselves
to try new build techniques and adopt
newtechnologies.
As we continue into the future, we are
looking to take on larger challenges,
mainly related to the size of our
productions. This will span both our
retail briefs and our own projects. This
does not necessarily mean a greater
volume of work but we will try to
balance these larger projects with
our roaming characters, a part of our
portfolio we never want to give up.
The key will be striking the balance
between the two while achieving
strong growth.
I mmersive theatre gives both us and
our clients a credible, authentic and
creative way to engage with people
and build long term relationships with
customers. We are seeing competitor
event companies with a shallower
engagement model leave the industry,
as audiences expect and deserve more.
Immersive
theatre gives
both us and our
clients a
credible,
authentic and
creative way to
engage with
people and
build long-term
relationships
with customers
“
“
A performance at the
intu Trafford Centre

www.bakehousefactory.co.uk

This article was sponsored by The Bakehouse Factory. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Michael Gove.

Rt Hon Michael Gove's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Michael Gove

This year's Parliamentary Review comes at a momentous time for parliament, as we collectively determine the destiny of the United Kingdom. 

On October 31, the UK will leave the European Union. The successful implementation of this process is this government's number-one priority.

Three years after a historic referendum vote, we will deliver on the decisive mandate from the British people. Trust in our democracy depends on it. Until that final hour, we will work determinedly and diligently to negotiate a deal, one that abolishes the backstop and upholds the warm and close relationship we share with our friends, allies and neighbours in the EU. But in the event that the EU refuses to meet us at the table, we must be prepared to leave without a deal.

As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, it is my job to lead on this government's approach, should that scenario happen. Preparing for Brexit is my department's driving mission. But while I am leading this turbocharged effort, the whole of government is committed to this endeavour.

Ministers across Whitehall are working together to ensure that every possibility is considered, every plan is scrutinised and every provision is made. A daily drumbeat of meetings means that we are holding departments accountable, so that preparations are completed on time.

The chancellor has confirmed that all necessary funding will be made available. And we have mobilised thecivil service, assigning 15,000 of our most talented civil servants to manage our exit from the EU.

We will make sure that on November 1, there is as little disruption to national life as possible. Our trade relationships will continue to thrive, thanks to agreements with countries around the world worth £70 billion. Our country will remain secure, thanks to nearly 1,000 new officers posted at our borders. And the 3.2 million EU nationals now living and working among us can remain confident, with absolute certainty, of their right to remain in the UK.

Above all, our goal is to be transparent. Soon, we will launch a public information campaign so that citizens, communities and businesses are ready and reassured about what will happen in the event of “no deal”.

In my first few weeks in this role, I have travelled to ports and tarmacs, borders and bridges, all across the UK –from the seaside of Dover to the rolling green hills of County Armagh. I have heard from business owners and border officials, farmers and hauliers. They are ready to put an end to uncertainty. And they are ready to embrace the opportunities ahead.

Our departure from the EU will be a once in a lifetime chance to chart a new course for the United Kingdom. Preparing for that new course will be a herculean effort. But this country has made astounding efforts before. We can do it again.
Rt Hon Michael Gove
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster