ORPHANS PRESS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Manager
If ever there was an area where the ability to spot the wood from the trees is priceless then it has to be digital marketing. It's territory contaminated by noisy ‘SEO specialists' who churn out endless automated charts highlighting mainly why you should pay them more. Alex is a very rare commodity, a self-confessed techie nerd but with a talent for crystallising only that which is relevant to growing your business. If you've been victim to the bluff of SEO ‘specialists' before we think you will find you can do business with Alex.
Allan is a superb printer, the custodian of one of our Speedmasters and a mainstay of Orphans for more years than he cares to imagine. Like a volcano Allan is normally very passive with just hints of steam; and just like a volcano don't be surprised by the occasional eruption. As passers by scatter we know its just because he cares and sets the standard of printing we are proud to be judged by.
Amy lives and breathes design. Having done rather well in her degree at Falmouth (she's too modest to say how well) she loves hearing what our customers are plotting. Amy has very clear views on how design can build brands and work practically in communications. She's not afraid to stick to her guns and protect the essence of agreed branding and design - in the best interests of our customers, of course.
What he lacks in hair and stature he makes up for with ... errrr, what exactly does he do? Yes, he likes to dip into copywriting with just a whiff of cheese. And he does like to get to grips with the broader marketing plans of our customers. Oh, and he loves to occasionally lock horns with Helen over what's best for the customer. We'll look into this and when we find out exactly what he does do we'll be sure to update this section.
With 4 colour ink running through her veins, Cath is multi skilled in all aspects of print. She may be the first voice you hear if you call the Hereford office, or behind the steering wheel of the van making your delivery. Not to mention that she may also have printed it on the press. All this hands-on know-how means that a Cath quote or delivery date is one to rely on.
We were plotting a new addition to the web team. Naturally we were thinking someone talented, bright, personable with great potential. But who? 'I know just the person' piped up Ruth. 'He's my partner'. Of course it's not always easy to combine work and home (see Helen for details) but Daf and Ruth are very laid back and we're yet to hear a domestic. Daf just keeps his head down and quietly produces pixel perfect WordPress and Drupal sites which customers and users love in equal measure.
Ed doesn't think of himself as a genius. But we do! He has been pivotal in our development from one man in a box cupboard working on one site to an all together better resourced service. His passion for online technology and developments means we keep on the curve and occasionally ahead of it. Websites. Software. Apps. Do you need to Ask Ed?
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Strategy Lead
- Marketing & Strategy Lead / Design
Elizabeth has spent many a year in the world of marketing and PR, both locally in Ledbury and in London. She loves putting together sharp brand strategies and well-crafted copy, as well as diving deep into what makes clients tick with an insightful workshop.
An Orphans lifer, Gary is the custodian of many print jobs as they pass from proof to imposition on their way to the presses. He has a well earned reputation for precision and a care for both your job and the standards we expect from ourselves. As well as chaperoning customer supplied artwork Gary also sets an array of jobs from regular catalogues to substantial books. If you have any technical queries about your printing, ask Gary!
A true leader of men. And women. And occasionally customers! Helen operates mainly at full tilt, with her iPad in one hand and her iPhone in the other, with the office phone tucked under her chin. One of the devices will remind the other that she's due somewhere else in 5 mins so the pace continues. Totally customer driven she steers the business and our team in a positively forward direction.
What makes an Orphan? Whatever it is we recognised it when we first met Jack … only for him to reject our advances! To his credit, he had a natural loyalty to the trending men's fashion brand he was stewarding in Birmingham. Bruised but not beaten we returned a couple of years on and this time Jack was ready to return to agency life. He's added hair and flair to the studio, confirming that just like fine design, the best things in life are worth waiting for.
Jane has been the face of Orphans for years (see the Yellow Pages 2006 for an early example). You may know her from her cheery welcome in the office or on the phone. But there is another side to Jane. At a stroke she can turn green, half rottweiler, half mafiosa. That's right, it's when she's chasing late payments. Reason enough to keep things nice and timely.
Leon has been a very welcome addition to our printroom. He controls his Speedmaster just like a musician their instrument. Not a bad analogy actually as at weekends Leon is bass player in a band (very good by all accounts). We have also been taken by Leon's attention to detail which he is putting to good use helping to maintain our health and safety systems.
Martin heads our printing operations across Hereford and Leominster. He has 3 decades, and a little more, experience in delivering print excellence. Beneath the unflappable facade lies a steely determination to cross every bridge, solve the next puzzle and bang the right heads together so your order is with you on the dot.
If your website is entrusted to Matt you are in safe hands. Matt works very closely with Ed and the pair often share ideas and discuss trends usually in a language only known to them. Like Ed, Matt is a doyen of all things web. He is also like the Mozart of code, writing new, often complex functions at an impressive pace. And, much to the relief of his customers, he also speaks a language they understand - plain English.
Mike wasn't born; he was quarried. With the strength to tame our Speedmaster he also has a surprisingly delicate touch to produce sublime print from the Indigo. This ability to straddle both litho and digital print is perfect for the shape of today's printing. Who better for his young apprentice, Tom, to learn from.
Although Pete can and does turn his hand to a variety of excellent design work, his first love is all things Brightwells. Our good friends there are very much on the go and actively marketing their services to existing customers as well as new markets. Pete played an important role in stewarding a major re-branding of Brightwells recently so is perfectly in tune with moving forwards whilst acting as brand guardian.
When all around is chaos Sheila rolls her sleeves up and takes charge. She's not one for rigidly defined job specifications; just as well as sometimes she's that busy we forget to do our accounts. If there's a job to get out against all odds lets just get on with it. It probably helps that she's had a lifetime of managing exactly the same on her farm. Truly the Mother of Orphans, we're left to ponder when Sheila manages a little time to herself.
Steve is a time served Orphan (he's asked for a brief spell at another printers to be struck from the record). A fine exponent of the craft of printing he also helps out with finishing when we are under the cosh. Steve loves sketching and his music. Nothing perturbs Steve and his ever smiling character is the perfect antidote to the inevitable stresses and strains of a busy printroom.
Vikki is an excellent customer support administrator, she's been doing it for years. Until she woke up one morning and declared 'No longer. Now I'm going to be a web developer instead'. It's a radical career u-turn but once we'd heard just how committed she was to making it happen we were convinced. She's learning at a rate of knots and it won't be too long before our customers are enjoying Vikki's new website skills sprinkled with that little extra customer service. Well, you never lose it.