Here East Enlists the Help of Robots and Drones to Launch its Marketing Drive to the Tech and Creative Communities

LONDON, 19th January, 2015, PRNewswire/- Here East, London’s home for making based at the former Press and Broadcast Centres on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, today launches a short promotional film to demonstrate its vision and reveal the spirit of invention and discovery that lies at the heart of Here East’s offer to the tech, creative and making communities.

Forty crew members, a six tonne, thirty foot technocrane, a 4K drone and one hand-crafted robot were commissioned specifically by Here East to launch its marketing strategy and to create the unique footage of this ground-breaking London 2012 legacy project. The film aims to capture the attention of those entrepreneurial, creative businesses looking to scale, as well as established companies seeking to become more entrepreneurial.

The film was conceived and directed by creative agency POKE and filmed by Nexus Productions – both of whom have their roots in East London – and additional film direction was provided by The Theory. The film features a double-life size robot designed and developed by John Nolan Studio in Stoke Newington. The robot took eight weeks to build from scratch, and features over thirty individual addressable ‘muscles’ to enable expression and movement.

The film is inspired by the making community and illustrates the innovative and creative talent that exists in London. Here East is a place of immense possibility made from the unique and vast technological capabilities of the London 2012 Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre. It will be a world-class creative and digital cluster, and is already home to the studios of leading broadcaster BT Sport.

Here East provides a dedicated place for companies and individuals who embrace and pioneer cutting-edge technology, share expertise and are creating the products of tomorrow. It will create over 7,500 jobs, including 5,300 directly on-site and a further 2,200 in the local community, through the impact of using local supply chains and new business generation.

Commenting on the launch of the film, Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East said:

“We wanted to showcase the scale of our ambition and the values that lie behind Here East. From concept to final cut, this film was inspired and created by the fantastic array of talent that exists in East London.”

Commenting on the design and creation of his robot for Here East, John Nolan said:

"Here East was a dream project for us. An opportunity to build the ultimate robot, something we know and can identify with, something we see everyday...a human.  And to be considered as one of East London's makers in a project like this was incredible - the chance to create the voice of Here East."

Also commenting on the film launch, Tom Hostler, Founding Partner of POKE said:  

“Here East is a bold and ambitious development, which demands a bold and ambitious approach to brand communications. This film is a rallying call to the creative and maker communities to create excitement and bring Here East to their attention, explain the purpose and intent of the brand – and, by using an all-local supply chain, demonstrate its commitment to economic uplift in East London.”

The release of this short film signals the launch of Here East’s marketing strategy. Here East is currently over 40% pre-let including key tenants BT Sport (who already broadcast live from Here East), Loughborough University, Hackney Community College and Infinity SDC. A new Centre will also be opened at Loughborough University in London, located at Here East, to act as the London Hub of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) as part of the Government’s commitment to developing low-carbon vehicle technology.

Construction works to transform the buildings at Here East began on 20th October 2014 and are being carried out by Laing O’Rourke. The former Press Centre will be ready for occupation in early summer 2015, while Loughborough University will open its brand new London campus to its first cohort of students in October 2015. BT Sport is already broadcasting live premiership football directly from Here East. The former Broadcast Centre will feature office and studio space, and will undergo a phased delivery, with the complete space ready for occupation in early 2016.

Notes to editors:

About Here East

Here East is London’s home for making, located at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. It is a dedicated place for individuals and companies who embrace and pioneer technology, share expertise and are creating the products of tomorrow.

It is a unique campus where creative businesses growing in scale join businesses of scale growing in creativity. It is designed as a place for startup, entrepreneurial businesses to co-exist and collaborate with global, established businesses and support genuine product innovation.

Here East provides over one million square feet of dedicated and versatile spaces for creative and digital companies. It combines unparalleled infrastructure with a unique environment to facilitate collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Here East includes shared workspaces and public areas to foster a tight community, alongside a shared yard with space for discussion and events, a landscaped canal side and artisan cafes, shops and restaurants.

Here East is being developed by iCITY, a joint venture between Delancey, a specialist real estate investment and advisory company, and Infinity SDC, the UK’s leading data centre operator. For more information please see www.hereeast.com.

About Delancey

Delancey is a specialist real estate investment, development and advisory company with over 15 years' experience and a portfolio that covers retail, residential and commercial developments across London and the UK.  Working with a wide range of assets, partners and clients, Delancey takes a diverse approach to creating value from property. As well as sourcing and negotiating direct property and corporate transactions, Delancey advises on appropriate capital structures, procures third party financing and provides pro-active asset management and development services. One of Delancey’s most high profile assets is the East Village (formerly known as the Athletes’ Village), which it co-owns with Qatari Diar. Adjacent to Here East and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East Village offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to develop and deliver a vibrant new neighbourhood and community for London.

For further information visit www.delancey.com

About Poke

Founded back in 2001, POKE is a digital agency whose clients include UBS, EE, Mulberry, Ted Baker and Here East. POKE became part of Publicis UK in September 2013, joining sister agencies; Publicis London (Advertising), Publicis Chemistry (brand activation) and Publicis Blueprint (content Publishers). All four agencies are part of Publicis Worldwide.

Film credits:
Partner: Tom Hostler
Creative Director: Tom Fenwick-Smith
Client Lead: Chris Street
Producer: Danny Brooks

www.pokelondon.com
https://twitter.com/pokelondon

About John Nolan

John Nolan is a designer and creator of robots based in Hackney. He discovered his calling for creatures and animatronics from an early age, culminating in a career in feature films such as Harry Potter, Brothers Grimm, Hellboy, Where The Wild Things Are and Clash of The Titans. His London studio has given birth to some weird and wonderful characters, created by a team of incredible designers and makers.

About Infinity SDC

Infinity SDC is the fastest growing provider of data centre services in the UK. Since their launch in 2006, Infinity has gained a significant share of the UK wholesale data centre market. Infinity data centres support the critical operations of some of the world’s leading investment banks, insurers and telecommunications operators.

Infinity has a proven track record of providing reliable, efficient data centres that match their customers’ needs. They design, build and manage bespoke, shared and modular colocation data centre solutions, with a portfolio of sites that stretches around London’s M25. Infinity pride themselves on providing an uninterrupted, transparent and responsive service for some of the world’s leading companies.

For more information please visit www.infinitysdc.net

For information and media enquiries please contact:

Kirsty Munro: 020 3544 4946
[email protected]
Nick Colwill: 07717 897 701
[email protected]