LITTLE’s second anniversary at Calls Landing was less social… and more socially distant.
In May 2019, LITTLE Agency moved into the fifth floor of Calls Landing. Fast-forward to today, and LITTLE’s second anniversary in the building was less social… and more socially distant.
At the beginning of their relationship with us, LITTLE was a tenant at our Grade II-listed building, Devonshire House.
Devonshire House was in the middle of Leeds’ business district. Calls Landing offered the team a more creative outlet. It was the perfect space for a business with growth potential and an equally growing team.
We recently caught up with Ian (one of the Directors at LITTLE) to find out how the past two years have panned out for the LITTLE team – especially when you throw a global pandemic into the mix!
Ian: No problem. My name is Ian Richardson, and I’m the Operations Director here at LITTLE. I’m also co-owner of the agency, alongside Chris Hemingway, our Creative Director and Mark Mildren, our Founder. As Operations Director, I’m responsible for looking after the team’s schedules while ensuring that jobs are completed on time and on budget.
LITTLE is a marketing agency working with brands to improve their visibility and increase sales. We offer a wide range of services across digital performance (SEO, PPC), brand, development and design. We are a small team, but we feel very fortunate to be working with such a group of talented and dedicated people.
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Ian: Simply? We needed the space, and it needed to be in the City Centre.
Not to mention, we have a penchant for attic office spaces – the high ceilings and exposed beams were right up our street! Plus, there are loads of great bars and amenities right on our doorstep – making it perfect for the guys whether they want to head out and grab lunch, or head downstairs for a beer after work.
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When we were at Devonshire House, a lot of the team travelled in via public transport. We knew it wouldn’t have been fair to make those guys travel any further afield than they needed to – so Calls Landing was perfect.
Ian: The new studio’s impact on the team was definitely positive. Not only did we all appreciate the new space, but we all became more motivated and productive. Since we only moved across the City Centre, the studio was still accessible for the team, regardless of their location.
We have people based all over West Yorkshire (and a few beyond that). When the pandemic hit, remote working was probably quite welcome – but we’ve been really blown away by the enthusiasm from the team for coming back to the studio, too.
Ian: Calls Landing feels like a more modern space, so it’s definitely better for our team. After the events of the past eighteen months, I’m not sure the team would have been as eager to return to work if we were still at Devonshire House!
Not to mention, we didn’t have a private meeting room at Devonshire House – we had to go to the coffee shop across the road to meet clients. And, I think I can speak on behalf of the whole time when I say having Stew & Oyster on the ground floor is very convenient – especially when you can sit outside on sunny days.
Ian: Even before the pandemic hit last year, the team could work remotely on an ad-hoc basis. If you had a dentist’s appointment or had a new sofa delivered, you could work from home.
Of course, with COVID, our homes became our offices; that naturally impacted the team. Even though restrictions have eased, we’re not forcing anyone to do anything they aren’t comfortable with. If you don’t want to return to the studio yet – that’s fine.
That being said, we’ve definitely embraced a hybrid working pattern over the past few months. Most of our team are now in the studio up to three days per week on a rota. Flexibility works (for us, anyway).
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Ian: Being at Calls Landing really helped us unlock the agency’s potential. We moved out of the corporate, financial district and into an area that’s firmly cemented itself as the creative hub for the city.
At the start of the year, we announced the exciting news that we were merging with Rushh Digital. They are really good guys with a great client roster, and it was a real boost to be able to add their specialisms to our arsenal.
Even despite the pandemic, we’ve managed to grow the agency to a team of fifteen. Thankfully, we have enough room for everyone at Calls Landing – I’m not sure we would have had enough seats for everyone at Devonshire House! Naturally, some of the team have moved onto pastures new, too – but that’s just how it works in this industry.
Ian: We want to grow a LITTLE bit more. If we can get to a team of 20-25, that would be amazing. As our teams grow, we’ll be able to continue delivering a high-quality standard of work to both our existing and new clients. Watch this space – you’ll be the first to know when we need a bigger studio anyway!
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Ian: I miss the space, especially as team members who joined us at Devonshire House move onto new jobs. I think more people only know Calls Landing now!
We were at Devonshire House for four years, and that space facilitated a lot of initial growth within the agency. When we moved in, it was just me, Mark and Chris, with a team of 8 people.
As I’ve already said, we’ve grown to a team of fifteen, and we’ve recently welcomed Helen as Head of Digital Strategy to our Senior Leadership Team. Everything seems to be falling into place, and we can’t wait to see what the next twelve-to-eighteen months have in store for the agency.