Media Buzz: Sixth Story; Hobzy; iCritical

Sixth Story recruits for growth

BIRMINGHAM design agency Sixth Story has marked its third year of trading with two new appointments.

The agency, now based in the Jewellery Quarter, has also enjoyed a spate of new contract wins including the re-branding and website design for London-based public affairs consultancy, Curtin & Co.

The agency has also worked on new branding for the refurbished St. Barnabas Church Centre, Erdington, and a fresh website for The Drum arts centre in Aston.

Sian Lenegan, managing director of the agency, said: “Three years in the making and I couldn’t be happier with the space that the business is in right now – literally and figuratively speaking.

“It’s been incredible working with great national brands and a handful of international clients. What really inspires us as a team though is the brilliance and tenacity of our West Midlands clients. It’s fantastic to see how industrious our part of the world truly is.”

Andreas Olymbios, who has a Masters in Visual Communication, has joined as a graphic designer and is the fourth Wolverhampton University graduate to find employment with the agency.

Second new hire, Paul Tibbetts, brings his coding skills to the agency’s digital team as a web developer.

Ms Lenegan said new business was expected to result from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, which the agency is part of.

Hobby site is just the job for Hobzy

Hobzy founders Andy Robinson, Alex Major and Dan RiceA BIRMINGHAM-based tech firm has launched Hobzy, an online platform aimed at social networking for hobbyists.

Hobzy allows members to showcase their creations and provide an opportunity to connect with others by recommending hobby-specific content on an intelligent personal dashboard.

After graduating from Silicon Valley-inspired tech start-up programme, Oxygen Accelerator, Hobzy secured £100,000 in seed funding to launch. The social network has already garnered over 18,000 hobbyists from an earlier trial version of the site with knitters, crocheters and jewellery makers using its facilities.

Hobzy leads on organic content with crafters sharing pictures of their own work or projects online. The site continuously learns about each user and intuitively suggests items from like-minded members of the hobby community to view and give feedback.

Dan Rice, co-founder of Hobzy, said: “Hobbies have had something of a reincarnation over the last few years, with activities like knitting, crafting and baking soaring in popularity.

“Hobzy is the first and only social network that puts hobbies at the fore and provides a space where users can freely publish their work and access truly relevant and interesting material from others.

“We’re hoping that it strikes a chord with the millions of people that invest time and effort in their interests and want to share, discuss and further them online.”

Pictured from left, are site founders Andy Robinson, Alex Major and Dan Rice.

iCritical recognised for work with new award

STAFFORDSHIRE IT firm, iCritical has been recognised for its work with a leading computer industry award.

The firm, based at Keele University Science and Business Park, has won Security Service Provider of the Year at the Computing Security Awards. The awards recognise innovation in IT security and are voted for by peers across the sector.

The award win is the culmination of a successful year for the firm, which has seen the launch of additional features to its flagship email security product, mailCritical, the expansion of its sales channels and two other award nominations.

Cathryn Higginson, marketing manager at iCritical, said: “Winning this award is such an honour, particularly as it was voted for by the IT community rather than a panel of judges. We faced tough competition, so to know our resellers and customers took the time to show us their support and vote for us is fantastic.”

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