Bermuda Sun, September 21st 2007
It’s a rare feat that a company completing its seventh year of business in Bermuda not only admits that it’s going through a period of soul searching and change but sees it as a reason to celebrate. In fact, last year emedia’s creative team celebrated the fact that it was going to emerge from its instance of introspection a revitalized, creatively transformed agency by hosting the wildly successful “seven year itch” Christmas party.
“Having been on the creative scene in Bermuda for seven years, feeling proud of our work, established and really comfortable with our client list, we realized it was a turning point for our business,” explains Jennifer Ward, Managing Director of emedia Bermuda Limited. “Along with celebrating our achievements, we were finally in a position to move forward in directions that we couldn’t have imagined possible just a few years earlier.”
Launched in 2000 out of the living room of Ms. Ward’s house, emedia’s story is one of defying the odds in a market dominated by larger, established agencies. As a then two-person operation, focused primarily on website development, emedia quickly gained a name for itself as a company that cultivated relationships with its clients and focused on producing work that really meets its demand to stand out in an advertising-weary consumer environment.
“Initially, as a small studio-type company, emedia was able to take on smaller clients who typically felt lost in larger agencies,” says Ms. Ward. “As we grew we’ve held onto those original clients and maintain that no matter what size the client or the job, we’ll still give the same hands-on attention we did in the beginning.”
Today, emedia is a full service agency, offering everything from print, web and broadcast advertising, and account management to event marketing and public relations. Emerging from their “seven year itch” the company has a fresh new look as well. Its new logo- three interlocking rings- is playful, ephemeral and colourful, but also offers multiple symbolic interpretations, most notably the agency’s interconnections within their team, to its clients, and to the public who view and are influenced by its work.
With a graphic/web designer, a newly appointed Creative Director and the addition of two new account managers, emedia is more energized than ever. Account Managers Erin Madison and Jodie Thompson both joined the team this spring and are representative of the agency’s general synergy: “With Erin’s experience and expertise in project management, and my background as a magazine journalist and in advertising, we’re extremely well complemented,” says Ms. Thompson.
While Jane Pearson formally stepped into the role as Creative Director relatively recently, she has been the Art Director since 2003. Now, she oversees the art department and produces the conceptual design ideas. Graphic/Web Designer Philip Trott rounds out the crew, joking that he brings both “testosterone and pigment” to the table. With emedia having developed over 50 websites over the years, he sees a strong component of his job to continually study trends and advancements in web design, to keep Bermudian businesses’ public image ahead of the curve.
Now at the end of its eighth year, the emedia team reflects on what the future has in store: “We’ve really evolved over the years, and we continue to do so,” says Ms. Ward. “We keep trying to push the envelope, whether it’s by providing new services so we can answer all of a business’s advertising needs, designing new functionalities on websites we develop, or designing a product that leaves our client blown away. emedia has a new synergy, and we’re bringing it to Bermuda’s businesses.”