STUDENTS HAVE DESIGNS ON VIRAL ANIMATION FOR SECRET MILLIONAIRE PLUMBER

Pimlico Plumbers, the UK’s largest independent plumbing company, has teamed up with one of the country’s leading design colleges to create a series of unique online animations.

The London-based company challenged students on the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design (Interactive Media) course at Cleveland College of Art & Design in Middlesbrough to create promotional web-based animations.

It was designed to give the students experience of dealing with a commercial commission including meeting deadlines and translating a customer brief. Pimlico Plumbers rewarded the students with cash prizes for the best animations.

Based around Pimlico Plumbers’ Managing Director Charlie Mullins, who starred in Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire and is known as the ‘plumber to the stars’ for his celebrity client list, the animations will appear on the internet and be used for marketing campaigns.

Student Andrew Bell, 18 from Stockton-on-Tees picked up the top prize of £250 for his celebrity-filled animation, which is being used as Pimlico Plumbers 2011 e-Christmas card. The animation features Charlie rescuing a celebrity party attended by, among others, Elton John, Susan Boyle and Jedward from a burst pipe!

Second place and £150 went to Richard Desmond 17, from Thorntree, for his ‘Heavenly Plumber’ animation.

Third prize of £100 was presented to Bethany Wood, 18 from Redcar, for her joke-based animation about a seal in a basin.

A further five students were presented with £50 each and their animations will be used by Pimlico Plumbers on its website and for other promotional purposes.

Andrew Bell said: “I am really pleased Charlie loves my animation. I can’t believe its going to be used for Pimlico Plumbers’ Christmas card! I really enjoyed the project, which got all of the group thinking about how we can apply our creative skills to meet the commercial requirements of a business.”

Charlie Mullins, Managing Director of Pimlico Plumbers, said: “As a plumber by trade I didn’t know much about viral animations, but what these students have come up with has been spectacular. I was amazed with the quality of their work and how they have understood our business and the messages we project to our customers.”

Charlie added: “We are always keen to find ways to engage young people with what it’s like in the commercial world. We already operate apprenticeships and have a successful partnership with the Prince’s Trust and this project fitted perfectly with that philosophy.

“It was immediately obvious that the students thrived on working on a real-world project, which demonstrated the benefits of businesses and educational institutions working together.”

Andrew Conway, Tutor at Cleveland College of Art & Design said: “It’s important for our students to understand how to deliver a commercial brief. Many will work for design agencies in the future where they will have to interpret a client brief creatively while meeting the branding guidelines and commercial focus of the company.

“We really appreciate Pimlico Plumbers giving our students the opportunity to work on this project. It really enhanced our curriculum and gave them a real challenge, which they have handled very well.”

Contact Karl Plunkett on 07956 555 555 or karl@pimlicoplumbers.com