February is over already......

OK, big slap on the back for me as I have managed (obviously with the help of Adrian) to release the February 2008 schedule 3 days earlier. Yes, indeed, I did write 3 days early!!!! Now, from being a week late to 3 days early, I think that's a feat. It's a stonking good schedule too (well, I have to say that :)) Hard work (and sneaky methods) were involved but it got done and released and with days to spare. I think that deserves something, don't you? Nah, I'm just chuffed that I managed to release on time (possibly only the second time that's happened since I joined and the first time was not intentional, it just happened). So, here's hello to March... but not until next week (I hope).
Now, if only I could get on top of the 'other' pile of work I've just plonked on my shelf then I'll be a happy bunny.
Well, I've just had a celebratory cuppa and am now watching Masters Of Russian Animation on Sky Arts (it's pretty darn good, you know). What to do with my time now... hmmm....

Sky Arts on the billboards

Spotted at Feltham train station by one of our colleagues...an all-new Sky Arts billboard!

See the billboard here in all its glory:

Sky Arts reviewer becomes part of the gig!

Quite an amusing thing really...there's a chap who works over in Sky News - if you're a sports fan you'll know him - Chris Skudder - he presents the sports news...anyway, he LOVES the American band Wilco and he went over to Dublin and reviewed the sold-out live shows there (the UK gigs got cancelled sadly) for Sky Arts' website (read it here: http://www.skyarts.co.uk/skyarts/Music/Article.aspx?artid=5112) and although he could have gotten away with being 'just a regular fan' at a UK gig - in Dublin he, like all Sky News presenters, are a lot higher-up the celebrity scale than you might think (almost every home in Ireland watches Sky News!) so when the band said "there's a guy in the audience who looks like Burt Bacharach" there was more interest than usual...AND a fan whipped out their mobile & recorded our reviewer enjoying the performance for YouTube. It's a small world after all...

Chris and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy (pic)

The new-look ARTSMAIL

Well, after kicking it about for quite a while now, we think that this Friday is the day where we'll change over to the new & improved (as they say in fabric conditioner land) ARTSMAIL mailout.



We started sending out the new printer-friendly listings in a Word doc a couple of months back and that seems to have gone down well, so hopefully the stylish and no-so-printer-friendly mailshot will be appreciated for what it is - a nice colourful web-based email.

With the print-friendly listings still present of course!



Other than getting internal feedback on that, this morning we've been looking at ways of promoting the great new Centre Stage music strand online and our Content Seekers (a couple of guys who, a bit like Keanu Reeves in Point Break, are getting paid to surf..) are looking for clever, fun ideas for us to use.



It's just another Manic Monday...hmm, wonder if there's any Bangles concerts we can licence...loved them.

January is over (hurrah!).... Oh, but here's February already :(

OK, so I failed the challenge but I did try my best to get the schedule out on time. That's why there hasn't been any updates of late. Even this post is late. I released Jan 08 last Tuesday evening (finally). To be fair, it wasn't THAT late. There was so much to do though that trying to get some scheduling in at work was tough. I am very disappointed but things like sponsorships came up (don't even get me started on that.... manually ticking all boxes of the November schedule is not my idea of fun.... AND I've got December and January to do as well).

But there's no rest for the wicked. Less than 24 hours later, I had my meeting with Adrian to discuss Feb 08. Yep, I normally have a break in between schedules but not this time. I must release on 1st December (though it will be 30th Nov as the 1st is a Saturday). So here I am, at home, plugging away at Feb. I thought I'd just write a quick update before I continue on the schedule. Am so glad Feb is a short month. Oh and it's a leap year next year too (not of any importance really, just thought I'd share some info).

Anyway, toodles, must work out where I'll be playing Lady Chatterley....