Our commitment is to provide high quality, accountable and measurable working practices, using talented and experienced individuals to add measurable value to your initiative or business.

Additional to our internal resource, we can add value by drawing on our exceptional pool of associates and strategic partners on three continents who bring considerable expert knowledge and competencies to provide you and your clients with commercial advantage and first class service throughout the duration of our relationship.

Oour associates are individuals who bring a wide range of complementary competencies, skills, knowledge and connections to the team from their experiences as business owners, entrepreneurs, senior executives and managers in the out of home, media, marketing and technical services sectors.

These experts widen and deepen the level of service we can provide to you, enabling us to draw off this experience and to put together highly skilled project teams quickly in order to respond to your needs, be they ad-hoc or project based, start-up or ongoing.

Production Strategy, Project Management & Client Service Specialist

Creative Director at i-vu & Director of Production at MusicandBrands

Gaye has over 12 years of experience in the home entertainment and media industries. She started her career at The Edge Picture Company, where she developed content for Tesco’s touch screen kiosks before taking her production and project management skills to Deluxe Digital Studios. On joining the emerging DVD production industry, she helped to create award-winning titles for companies such as BBC Worldwide, Columbia Tristar and Universal Pictures. 

Gaye was headhunted by MusicandBrands Ltd, an international creative ideas company in 2005, to lead and expand their production department. In 2006 Gaye was invited to join the board of directors and became responsible for directing and managing all production and operations-related processes, creative strategy and all creative output.

Gaye conceived, assisted acquisition, developed and produced a Deal or No Deal DVD Game, which became the biggest selling non-movie DVD ever (1.6 million units sold to date) and produced products that have sold in excess of 5 million units globally helping to establish MusicandBrands as a market leader in special interest interactive products. Gaye was instrumental in the formation and ultimate product delivery for a global output deal with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for the exploitation of their leading brands in the interactive consumer DVD market.

In 2008 Gaye was appointed International Creative Director of i-vu Ltd, a leading digital out of home network providing one-to-one interactive content to customers in high-end hair salons throughout the UK and US. Magazine style programming, dynamic content and interactivity providing the ideal platform for brands including L’Oreal and RedKen. Gaye’s remit was to create a global content strategy and new brand direction, encompassing latest technologies to attract incremental advertising revenue to the network.

Currently Gaye is combining her production, content strategy and project management skills as a consultant for a leading iPhone Application Development Agency on content and brand acquisition.

Bill Collins

Custom Audience Research and B2B Go-to-Market Specialist

Formerly a Senior Analyst at InfoTrends, Co-founder of AKA.TV, Organizer of OVAB (North America), Product Marketing Manager at Cincom Systems and Marketing Communications Manager for Roland DGA Corp

During his nine-year career in the digital out of home media sector, Bill has developed a knowledge base of expertise in the provision of strategic consulting and custom research services to clients including Best Buy, 3M, Philips Design, Christie Digital Systems, C-nario, Barco, LocaModa, How & Why, Benjamin Moore & Company and the Out of home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB).

Throughout this period, Bill has continued to play a leading role in the development of the digital out of home industry in North America. Bill co-founded and co-published aka.tv, the world's first advertiser-supported news-and-analysis website to cover the global market for place-based audio/video networks at retail and digital out of home media which was a natural extension of Bills path-finding publication “Narrowcasting News”, the world's first periodical publication of any kind to provide news and analysis on the Digital Signage market, first published in 2001.

Bill was also an architect of what has become the Out of home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB) of North America and co-authored the world's first syndicated research report on Digital Signage networks for InfoTrends (formerly CAP Ventures) in March 2001.

Bill maintains his industry presence by attending and headlining at industry events where he is often invited to contribute & present and to moderate & chair expert panel sessions. He currently provides strategic & tactical custom research & advisory services to operators of digital out of home networks and to vendors who provide products and services for those networks.

As an associate of Imperative, Bill is able to bring a range of experience, knowledge and know-how relating to the digital out of home, consumer research and North American markets to the Group, specifically in the fields of developing go-to-market plans for companies that are seeking to enter the digital out of home market in North America.

Imperative can also leverage Bills’ skills with those of associates in the UK to create highly customized consumer research programmes (intercept interviews, focus groups, shop-along research etc) to help network operators, retailers and brands understand what content works for whom, where it best works and what that means in terms of commercial ROI.

Bill lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bertrand Le Ficher

Digital Media and Content Strategist

Formerly Executive Director of the Out Of Home Media Division of the Thomson Group, Head of Premier Retail Networks (PRN) in Europe and extensive senior level broadcast experience for over 20 years

Bertrand Le Ficher brings 20 years in-depth expertise in entertainment, media, new media, Internet and digital out-of-home industries. He started out at MGM’s international film marketing department in Los Angeles, being responsible for the marketing strategy of movies.

In 1990, Bertrand joined TF1, the leading TV broadcaster In France. As head of programming, he created new prime-time formats that became leaders in their respective programming slots. In 1993, he took over programming and brand for NBC EUROPE.

As executive vice-president of programming for FRANCE 2, the French pubcaster, Bertrand conceived a new programming strategy that allowed the network to increase its market share and to rejuvenate its audience. Bertrand also initiated the digital strategy for the broadcaster, leading the developments towards thematic channels and the Internet.

In 1995, the BERTELSMANN Group recruited Bertrand with the mission to create and launch AOL in France. As general manager, he brought AOL FRANCE to the leading position in the market.

In 2000 he joined the media division of LVMH Group, as president of the international new media branch, where he set up the first bouquet of web TV channels in Europe.

He founded THINK TWICE, a consultancy specializing in media and new media in 2002, delivering strategic, content-related, marketing and digital strategy consultancy services to media, new media, advertising agencies and brands. Bertrand also conceived and developed one of the first “out-of-home” television channel in Europe for J.C DECAUX, “AEO”, a digital channel dedicated to airports’ audiences, generating a new revenue stream for the company.

In 2006, Bertrand was appointed executive director of the “out-of-home” media division of the THOMSON Group, head of PRN EUROPE, the world leader in “in-store” television, and Chief Content Officer for Europe, Asia and Latin America. Under his tenure, PRN activities have been launched in France, Spain, Poland, China and Brazil and major clients were gained such as Carrefour, La Poste and Auchan.

Being also head of content strategies for PRN outside the US, he designed digital in-store communications strategies for major brands and leading international retailers in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Finally, Bertrand was instrumental in establishing the first forays of the PRN brand in UK, Belgium, Italy, Russia and Turkey.

Bertrand is a business graduate from Audencia Business School, Nantes, France.He attended a Master’s degree in communications at Celsa, La Sorbonne, Paris. He holds a Master in media management from the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Andrew Griffiths

Audio Strategy Specialist

Formerly a presenter & music programmer for Hallam FM and GWR-FM, Creative Director for DMX Music (now Mood Media) and Head of Programming for Inflight Productions 

Andrew has over twenty years of audio production and programming experience, gained in some of the largest radio markets in the UK. He has also contributed to the creation of in-store media strategies for some of Europe’s largest retail & leisure brands.

Andrew began his career at Hallam FM, gaining a thorough knowledge of the broadcast chain, especially audio production techniques. In 1993, Andrew moved to GWR-FM as a presenter and became heavily involved in the station branding for all of GWR Group (now Global Radio) before moving to DMX Music in 1995 where he established the company’s European wide broadcast music and advertising channels.

He moved on to manage the development of music & audio strategies for brands including New Look, Arcadia Group and Pret a Manger, audio visual messaging for Thomas Cook, Top Notch Health Clubs, Brewers Fayre and generic broadcast music and messaging for Wilkinson, Focus DIY and Tesco. Latterly he was responsible for the creation of bespoke retail radio stations for WHSmith, Morrison’s and BP Connect.

In 2002, he became Head of Programming for Inflight Productions, providing bespoke radio programming, licensing and acquisition services for Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, KLM, BMI and Singapore Airlines, National Express, Virgin Trains and Patient TV.  He was tasked with delivering content strategies that maintained or grew revenue opportunities in a difficult period in aviation companies’ incomes.

Since 2005 Andrew has provided consultation services to a number of global businesses on audio strategy and production. These include a multi-national telecoms business, a Dutch media hardware and content aggregator and a provider of intelligent telephone contact systems. Andrew also owns and manages a successful photographic studio in Milton Keynes.

Multi-channel Content Strategy & Syndication Specialist

Formerly Head of Channel Health and Executive Producer for Pearson Television. Founder of Strand Media Consulting

Amanda is a UK/Australian Business Woman of the Year finalist (2009) and founder of Strand Media Consultancy. With 20 years experience in global media, Amanda’s experience includes award-winning programme production & branded content creation, global channel launch and leadership, strategic media analysis, identifying & creating new media business including revenue streams, audiences and managing stake holder/client management, investments & portfolio management.

She combines creativity with solid business management, leading global start ups across B2B and B2C television/multiple platform channels, has developed cross-platform digital content strategies and designed interactive, multiple platform and mobile concepts for global and UK networks.

Amanda has consulted to senior Broadcasting and UK Government level on maximising media’s reach to strategic audiences and across multiple & digital media platforms. She has strong organisational skills and is an excellent communicator with a proven talent for generating business, meeting financial targets and creating high profile, innovative and award winning TV & multi-channel media concepts.

Jennifer Harris        

Strategy and business development specialist

Founder of JRBH Strategy Management and columnist for Management Today magazine

Michael Mascioni        

Researcher, Writer and Trend Analyst in Digital Media

Former Senior Analyst, Strategy Analytics. Interactive Digital Conference Creator & Program Director, Managing Editor for A&A Monthly on Interactive Entertainment.

Michael is a market researcher, writer and trend analyst with a broad background in interactive/digital media. He is a specialist in assessing the opportunities that interactive and digital technologies in public places provide for users and businesses and has extended that specialism into cutting edge technologies and applications including alternate reality games, virtual worlds, user-generated content and video on demand.

Over the past few years, Michael has written several seminal reports on topics including user generated content and interactive TV advertising for clients including AT&T, Burson-Marsteller, HBO, Sony Pictures, Paramount Communications, IMAX Corporation and Image Entertainment.

Michael is also a regular contributor to off and online trade publications including Digital Signage Today, Internet Evolution and Video Age International and regularly writes on digital media, video, and other topics including white papers on interactive experiences in public places and online events.

As a senior analyst in the Broadband Entertainment Group at Strategy Analytics, he devoted special attention to analyzing the prospects for such new digital services and applications as video on demand, user-generated content and virtual worlds. In addition, he served as a research associate in consumer electronics at LINK Resources, where he conducted research on such topics as cable TV and home video.

Michael is also a new product developer. He conceived and delivered the Intertainment conference on interactive entertainment and developed the A&A Monthly piece on Interactive Entertainment, which he was Managing Editor of. These innovations represented the first products to examine the interrelationship between all forms of interactive entertainment and cover a broad range of interactive entertainment applications in public places.

He has maintained his position at the forefront of digital media by creating and delivering the groundbreaking conference, “Revolutionizing Interactive Marketing in Public Places- the Mobile and Gestural Digital Signage Imperative” which preceded the Digital Signage Expo in February 2009.

Michael continues to contribute to a wide range of trade journals and think tanks. Most recently, Michael joined as a contributor to the DailyDOOH blog. Michael holds an M.S. in Management from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a B.A. in English from St. Lawrence University. He lives in New York City.

Andrew McCall      

Insight & Research Strategy Specialist

Formerly Head of New Business Development at Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television, founder of Inside Broadcast, Managing Director of How and Why and founder of ROI Team

Following a substantial career in broadcast television for Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television as Head of New Business Development and latterly as founder of Inside Broadcast, a specialist broadcast and out of home media consultancy business, Andrew focussed on developing digital out of home networks. Between 2004 and 2006, Andrew was a Director of the Instrumental Media Group, co-founding aka.tv, an online news & information website for the digital out of home sector.

During this period Andrew was appointed MD of How & Why, Instrumental Media’s business planning consultancy. Using commissioned and existing research How & Why modelled business plans and strategies for a number of digital networks, notably for The Mall Corporation, Tesco and the Life Channel.

In 2006, Andrew founded ROI Team, advising clients on how to address business challenges and strategies using hard evidence derived from primary and acquired research relating to retail and shopper behaviour which is very much at the heart of ROI Team’s work. In 2009 ROI Team won the Enterprising Business Award from WestFocus, a consortium of UK universities.  

Andrew’s married to Jolanta and they have one daughter, Marta. He’s also a dedicated amateur singer, singing early choral music and opera for Esterhazy Singers, Philharmonia Chorus, and Midsummer Opera.

Fiona Ryder

Multi Channel Media & IPTV Specialist

Formerly founder of Cube Music, Board Director of Immedia Broadcasting and Managing Director of Stream Exchange

Fiona has over 20 years experience in the media, film, TV and technology sectors.  An innovative former commercials producer, she spent the last 15 years at CXO level, developing branded digital media channels and networks for multinationals in the out of home market, both outdoor and in-store.  

She established her first digital out of home company in 1994, which pioneered the use of big screen advertising at live music and sports events.  In 1999 she founded her award winning company, Cube Music, which rapidly became a leading content and signage provider in the market, winning major accounts and rollouts for retailers including Topshop, Topman, Toni & Guy, Burberry, Etam, Tammy and World Duty Free.

Cube created and distributed media to over 2,000 sites and was responsible for some of the leading innovations in the sector. Her work with Selfridges for the Bodycraze event earned her and her company the accolade of Best Retail Theatre.  She sold Cube to Immedia plc in 2006 and left the enlarged company late 2007. In 2008 she co-founded StreamExchange which provides cross platform media distribution and content syndication operating across the business, retail and professional content industries.

Fiona specialises in helping clients realise the value of content and audiences using multiple technologies including web, digital signage, IPTV and mobile. She is a passionate evangelist of social and new media and has a comprehensive knowledge of the technologies needed to deploy successful branded rich media solutions on a cross platform basis.  She is a guest lecturer at Nottingham Trent University and regularly consults on the use of emerging technologies for brand communication and marketing.

She studied Film and Photographic Arts at the University of Westminster (BA Hons) and is a Board Director of a number of companies, both in the UK and in Canada.

Media Development Specialist

Formerly Content Director for Bates Dorland, Channel Editor Tesco TV & Director of the CAN Media Group

Joy started her career in Advertising and Marketing Communications at Saatchi & Saatchi in the 80’s as a media buyer, before moving on to media research with the AGB group.

The 1990 Broadcast Act expanded the relationship between advertiser and broadcaster and Joy moved into the then very new area of Advertiser funded programming, initially with programme Funding, a small specialist consultancy, and latterly with Bates Dorland as Ad-funded Programming and Content Director

In 2004 she joined Instrumental Media Group to run Tesco TV as Channel Editor with responsibility for senior client relationships and for the Tesco Group responsible for producing all on-screen material for the seven channels on the Tesco Network. Her role encompassed dealing with all stakeholders in the network from the Media sales team at JCDecaux through to the technical team at Innov8, the content management system service providers.

On leaving Instrument she joined CAN Media Group, the principal part of the business is The Life Channel, a community focused out of home TV network with outlets in GP waiting rooms, schools, dentists,  community centers, play centers, and community centric retailers. The network services government at national and local level and other community and social agencies providing a highly targeted and tailored communication vehicle. In addition to running The Life Channel the company runs networks on behalf of retail clients and Joy pitched for and won the pilot for BP Forecourt and C-Store Screens Network which ran from July 2006 until March 2009.

Commercial & Operations Strategist 

Formerly Founder & CEO of Corinthian Television, Commercial Director of Instrumental Media & SVP Thomson Technicolor

Mike is a Chartered Accountant (qualified in 1970) with broad commercial management, business development and financial experience across a number of industries in the UK, Africa, Indian Ocean, USA and Australasia.

Mike worked in the accountancy profession, in hotels and in electrical manufacturing (Deputy Managing Director of a public company) before moving into broadcast television.

He has worked in media and entertainment since 1980 when he co-founded and managed Corinthian Television (“CTV”), which he subsequently sold to what was to become Carlton Communications plc.  It was, in fact, the first Carlton Television company

After being head-hunted by Richard Branson, Mike later set up and managed the television division of the Virgin Group building it to a £20m group in 2 years.
 
After a spell in New Zealand as General Manager of a video facilities company specialising in television commercials, Mike returned to the UK in 1990 and held senior posts in television facilities, computer animation, DVD authoring and business television production companies before being invited to rejoin CTV in late 2001.

Mike led the bid for a £150m contract to build and operate a new television facilities centre for The Walt Disney Company which was subsequently awarded to CTV in March 2002. Mike led the design, project management and construction team that built the facility.  As Chief Executive, Mike was responsible for the strategic and operational management and development of CTV, employing 150 people.

In October 2004, Thomson Technicolor acquired the majority stake in CTV and re-named it Technicolor Network Services UK.  Mike retained his shareholding in the Company and became Senior Vice President, responsible for business development and special projects (including mergers and acquisitions) across the division’s broadcast and digital media services activities. Mike left Thomson Technicolor in June 2008 to pursue new challenges.

Mike has been married to Isabella since 1970 and has 3 daughters.  Mike is a keen golfer, fitness enthusiast and an active member of a public speaking organisation known as Toastmasters International and is a founder member of The Professional Speakers Association.