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Electric Theatre Collective Launches New Design Studio 'Electric Studios'

20/09/2022
Post Production
London, UK
645
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The studio is led by Geoff Parsons as head of creative with Ben Honour as executive producer

Electric Studios are here.

Formed under the umbrella of the Electric Theatre Collective, they’re the full-service creative unit specialising in mixed-medium animation, print, long / short form branding, digital, art, events and well, pretty much anything you can shake a creative stick at.

Since their inception Electric Studios have already plastered a film for Tag Heuer on the world's largest LED screen, spearheaded the design of Virgin's massive 'Hyped' campaign, created the launch film for the United Nation’s body-copyright movement Bodyright, made an insanely immersive 3d billboard in NYC for Amazon, and most recently designed and animated Adidas’ new football shirt drop campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2022. 

The studio is led by Geoff Parsons as head of creative. Geoff never really hung up the scalpel and glue from his early days of broadcast design and that DIY mindset has infected everything he's touched as a director and creative lead...from heading up branding teams across the UK’s main terrestrial broadcasters to co-running London animation studio Future Power Station where he made music videos for the likes of Katy Perry, Bad Bunny and Megan Thee Stallion.

Geoff, “Great visual communication isn’t about just putting text and images on page or screen, it’s an attitude and how we infect the audience with a swaggering sense of style while staying (mostly) within the brief’s boundaries. You see, a long time ago I realised that medium isn’t the most important thing... no, it doesn’t matter how you get the message across as long as you make them feel something. Ok ideally not irritation or outright anger, but we’ll settle for a raised heart-rate and a share on socials. I’ve brushed, shot, stuck and scribbled and it’s all just part of the same visual spectrum we find ourselves on.”

Joining Geoff at the heart of ETC’s newest venture is Ben Honour, an executive producer with serious 'getting stuff done' chops. He's produced some of the biggest campaigns in recent years - everything from the O2 Rugby World Cup animation to the 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony film. He is a judge for London’s Surf Film Festival, and now brings his keen creative sense-check sensibility to bear on the weird and wonderful briefs coming in through the studio's doors. 

Ben, “After working as an Agency Producer for the last 11 years, it’s been really exciting joining ETC and building Electric Studios and the team over the past few months. We have already been lucky enough to work on some amazing projects with some globally renowned brands, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we can take Electric Studios in the future”. 

ETC’s MD Jon Purton says of the duo “like Beavis is to Butt-Head. Ant to Dec. Spaghetti to meatball. Ben and Geoff are the perfect combination of creativity and commercial nous. Electric Studios has been in our brains for a little while and fits perfectly alongside everything that we do. It’s a broad space of talented animators, illustrators, CDs etc. that are producing work from unusual and brilliant places. We’re already enjoying where Ben & Geoff are taking things.”

Electric Theatre Collective sat down with the new team to get to know them a little better…


Q> Hi Ben and Geoff, how does it feel to be at the start of a new venture for Electric?

Geoff> I’ve worked with Electric for a few years now as part of the roster at Friends Electric, but to be actually in the family is like coming home. What we’re building here as a design-led creative space feels like something really essential.

Ben> It’s exciting times. I am loving building the Electric Studios brand and the team with Geoff. We have already worked on some great projects and we have a couple more in the pipeline. 


Q> You both come from different backgrounds within creative ad agencies and animation - what made you make the move to post/design?

Geoff> I really think what we do is all just a different part of the same wider creative story; I’ve been lucky enough to work across everything from book and exhibition design to live-action direction and long-form animation so I don’t see it as a move rather than an alternate palette.

Ben> It was the opportunity to build Electric Studios from the ground up and be there from the beginning. Every project and day is different in the studio and that makes it a fun and interesting place to work.


Q> If you could have worked on any project from the years gone by, ETC or otherwise (we won’t get upset), which would you choose?

Ben> Growing up I was really inspired by Spike Jonze’s work, so I would have to choose producing the music promo ‘Sabotage’ by the Beastie Boys.

Geoff> Going back in time and directing the first episode from season 1 of The Wire would mean I could die happy. Or Akira. Actually an Akira X The Wire mashup. 'Tetsuo!! McNulty!!'


Q> You obviously have great taste in telly. Who would you say is your fictional hero?

Geoff> Corporal Hicks from Aliens. ‘I like to keep this handy… for close encounters’ 

Ben> It has to be Johnny Utah from Point Break. “Punk, Quarterback Punk”.. 


Q> Anyway, how are you finding Electric’s new and improved space in Whitechapel?

Ben> Loving the new space at Electric, such a great place to work and good snacks, although I am trying to lay off the Penguin Mint Bars, so moreish.. 

Geoff> My wife thinks I’m in the office so much because of the pool-table, tasteful art and pop-corn machine. It’s actually because of the mood lighting and Ben’s sunny demeanor but she doesn’t listen. 


Q> If you had to be the office DJ for the studio for a day, and you can only choose one album on repeat, what would you go for?

Ben> I would have to go for ‘Pieces of a Man’ by Gil Scott Heron. 

Geoff> Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against the Machine .. All day long. 


Q> You’ve done some great projects already since you opened for business earlier this year for clients such as Adidas, Virgin Media, Tag Heuer and Amazon Books. So, you can pick two. Football, broadband, the concept of time, or the ability to read?

Ben> It has to be the ability to read and ideally the concept of controlling time, so I had time to finish Dune.

Geoff> I’d get sucked into a book while wearing a magic watch. 


Q> And finally, if you each had to sum up the Electric Studios in three words, what would they be?

Ben> Loud, Electric, Monitors.

Geoff> Big. Bad. Wolf. 

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