10 MINUTES WITH ALASTAIR RZEZNICKI
Alastair Rzeznicki is business owner and creative director at Sunflower Newsroom . For 7 years the company has been proudly creating films in Bath for companies such as Thermae Bath Spa , Novia Financial , the Royal United Hospital ( RUH ) and Crest Nicholson . Before setting up Sunflower Newsroom , Alastair worked at ITN as a director , producer and editor . We met Alastair to find out more about his business .
What does Sunflower Newsroom do ? Sunflower at its heart is an education and storytelling company . An example of this is our work with community and housebuilder Crest Nicholson . We began our storytelling work with them on the Bath Riverside development and we ’ re now filming their projects in Birmingham , Milton Keynes , Surrey and Southampton . The short-form documentaries we create for Crest Nicholson are used in advertising , training , events and for charity purposes . It has been fantastic to receive such trust from a major business on the scale of Crest Nicholson . I think our core values are similar to theirs , ours are care , compassion , curiosity and commitment .
Is Corporate Social Responsibility important to you ?
Being an ethical business who can give back to business and society is at the heart of Sunflower . As part of our desire to understand problems , we have looked at what some call the ‘ Soft Skills Problem .’ Sunflower has launched a video-based training programme which helps 13-24-yearolds gain a greater understanding as to the value and power of Soft Skills , and how by understanding the Soft Skills businesses are looking for and need , they can propel themselves further , faster . We have seen some great results from young people using the course who had never previously discussed the subject of Soft Skills .
We are pleased to say that Sunflower ’ s new training support programme , which we call Soft Skills Britain ,
Sharing Perspectives , Supporting Productivity , is up and running at St . Brendan ’ s College in Brislington , and we have various schools and colleges in the local area asking for one-to-one presentations of the work . We have even had interest as far as Henley and Leeds and so are very excited about the future of this project and its ability to help workplaces and new people come together to ensure everyone understands the value of Soft Skills .
What other projects have you been working on ?
Recently , we completed a big series of films with the RUH around apprenticeships and encouraging young people to think about the RUH as an employer . It was great to work so closely with the Widening Participation Team here in Bath and to produce a suite of films which will hopefully inspire many more young people to think about the NHS and RUH as an employer .
Tell us more about your Mrs Gel & Friends project
I have been focused on trying to improve hygiene education resources after losing my Gran to MRSA . Mrs Gel & Friends is a sub-brand of Sunflower and we are making some exciting inroads into the healthcare space around education , utilising our characters to have fun , and to share positive educational messages across a variety of subjects . You can find out more here : www . sunflowernewsroom . com / violet
Visit Sunflower Newsroom online at : www . sunflowernewsroom . com
To find out more about Soft Skills Britain visit : www . softskillsbritain . co . uk
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30 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018