William Martin Productions

William Martin started the company in London (near the BBC studios in Shepherds Bush) in 1980. This was a period he describes as ‘pre-fax’, neatly summing up the high-tech revolution which has taken place over the intervening 30 years.

Then it was an audio-visual company making sound recordings and videos for clients but today it has broadened its portfolio to provide a full package of AV services, design online and for exhibitions as well as full event planning and even full-scale film production.

In 1993 the company uprooted to its current premises but the countryside has not held back its capabilities which now include multi-screen presentations and projectors.

It was one of the first London firms to make the move to a rural location but Mr Martin realised he could retain the same company ethic while enjoying an improved lifestyle with the added bonus of working with local clients.

He said: “One of the principle aspects of our business is applying creativity to help deliver whatever the client’s message may be.

“In the 1980s there were no multi-screens, Internet or social networking sites. But it was still all about creativity to deliver a message to an audience in a way that is memorable and succeeds against the flow of all the other communication that you get.”

Nowadays that flow has turned into a deluge through multiple channels, many of them online.

“More and more the driver is to try and understand what the client is trying to say and who they are trying to say it to,” Mr Martin added.

So, for example, a campaign may start with e-mail linking through to a website or it could be conventional printed media is more suitable.

Some of WMP’s clients, such as Sony, are very clear about what they want. But Mr Martin would rather create briefs than have them sent in as it is more rewarding and draws on the company’s creative expertise.

And, of course, the diversity of communication channels has helped WMP itself. It has an office in Qatar and employs designers in Bosnia but using web-based communications such as Skype, it poses no logistical problems.

Although WMP is a small business on paper, it can handle extremely large, multi-million pound projects, although the same approach and attention to detail can be applied to a comparatively low value project such as building a website.

WMP has been working in Qatar since 2001 on a variety of projects involving Internet, events and video production and recently opened an office in the country which is supported by the Oxfordshire team.

Mr Martin said: “It is an incredible area to work in but you really have to understand the culture. That is starting to pay off now and we are working with range of suppliers and service companies across the region including places such as Dubai.

One of WMP’s most recent high profile contracts was working as part of the team which successfully bid for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.

WMP was responsible for creating Fanzones which involved large groups of people coming together to enjoy a range of games and entertainment accompanying a match between Argentina and Brazil. It also laid-on the area where fans and the bid team were able to hold their celebrations after the announcement.

Mr Martin said: “A lot of what we do is putting ‘brand Qatar’ on the international map. Qatar had to prove it was capable of putting on the World Cup and we were part of that process.”

WMP has also produced a film to celebrate the country’s national day shot with a cast of 500 in the desert. Significantly, despite the plethora of communications mediums, WMP still shoots a lot of video because, for example, it helps enrich the content of a website.

Mr Martin said: “Video is direct and more effective than any amount of pictures and text. It is a very efficient communications medium.”

With such a broad (and frangmented) choice of communications, WMP is also able to decide which one works best for clients. Through consultation a clear idea is built up of the type of message that needs to be delivered and how that delivery is carried out.

Mr Martin added: “Often it may be a mix of media ranging from the web to an exhibition where there can be a face to face presence.”

Indeed, during the course of February and March, the company will have designed and run seven exhibitions, run an animation project and three different video presentations as well as having talks about major events later in the year.

Mr Martin admits his job is busy — he himself had been taking Skype calls, e-mailing and telephoning all within the hour before we met — but the variety and creativity involved in his company is enviable.

And looking into the future, the pace of change in technology can seemingly only accelerate the potential of the business. 3D graphics are becomg the next big thing for “virtual” exhibitions on the Internet where visitors can “walk around” the space. Another brave new world for WMP to conquer.

Name: William Martin Productions Established: 1980 Managing director: William Martin Number of staff: 30 Annual turnover: £2m Contact: 01865 390258 Web: www.wmproductions.co.uk