Meet Rosemary Ikpeme, founder of MYnd Map.
Tell us a little about yourself
I am Rosemary Ikpeme, the creator and founder of MYnd Map, the ultimate mindfulness, gratitude, and goals setting journals, planners, and agendas.
I incorporate both productivity and mindfulness in all MYnd Map tools and design them to help you build positive and healthy habits. Habits that will help you navigate through personal and professional challenges with awareness, focus, and balance; making sure that self-care, emotional, mental and physical health, and wellbeing are made a priority whilst boosting productivity.
I studied law and quickly realised it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I stuck it out for three years eventually leaving to pursue a marketing career in the media and broadcast industry. I worked my way up the corporate ladder and got to work with global corporations such as National Geographic Channel, Fox International Channel, BBC Worldwide, AMC International and CNN International.
In 2017 I decided to jump ship and follow my passion to start MYnd Map. A calling I couldn’t resist, after experiencing adversity at work, which affected my mental and physical health. I am a proud plant mum of 30+ plants. I love to dance and trying out new dishes.
Can you tell us a little bit about the MYnd Map mission?
MYnd Map’s mission is to empower individuals, organisations, and business owners to become more effective, efficient, and successful in achieving personal and professional goals whilst creating a life they love holistically, without compromising on their wellbeing and mental health.
Mindfulness feels as though it’s now out in the mainstream, but what does mindfulness mean to you?
Mindfulness for me means being in this present moment. We only have control over this moment, right now. We cannot change what was done in the past nor can we execute anything in the future. Mindfulness has been a buzzword for many years but I am pleased that more people are now embracing the benefits of mindfulness especially in the workplace.
Who is MYnd Map suitable for?
MYnd Map is suitable for anyone who is struggling with how to look after their mental health and is looking to build or start new positive and healthy habits. Anyone who is perhaps feeling stuck, or overwhelmed or who might seem to have it all but still feels like something is missing. Many have used MYnd Map as a support system whilst going through significant life or professional changes/challenges for support, inspiration and guidance on how to navigate through those experiences. It’s also perfect for anyone who just want to learn how to journal and plan more effectively.
What role can MYnd Map play for those working in the production space?
From my experience working almost 10 years in the media and broadcast industry and working closely with production teams, I know that it is a fast pace space, which involves juggling a lot of balls at the same time, managing many different people be it upwards and downwards and trying to keep every one happy without compromising on the integrity of your work and creativity. MYnd Map Journal Planners and agenda’s are excellent tools to help you organise your most important task and manage your time effectively with strategies such as the 80/20 rule.
It also teaches you how to be mindful of the other aspects of your life that are important to your wellbeing, mental health and productivity. There are many simple mindfulness tools such as creating a health morning and evening habit, practicing daily gratitude, making time to check in with yourself and other practices that are important to your wellbeing and productivity and help you avoid burnout. These include as self care practices, making time to spend with your loved ones, taking breaks and looking after your physical health. All MYnd Map products include inspiring illustrations, inviting you to explore other forms of creativity, which can open you up to new ideas, better solutions and decision making.
As a production company, our schedules are often busy, reactive and fast paced. What are your top tips for staying productive and focusing on self-care and mindfulness?
Many are adverse to the idea of having set routines, and think of it as dull. However, if we are often in situations that are reactive, face paced, uncertain and stressful, having a routine is a great tool to feel grounded and secure by allowing you to focus on the things that you can control. It can help lower stress levels, you will feel more organised and in control and it’s a great way to help you build healthy, positive and productive habits.
Having something as simple as morning or evening routine is a great way to bring mindfulness into your day. It gives you time to check in with yourself, practice some mindfulness techniques such as gratitude or mediation to help mentally set you up for the day. Part of your routine could include stretching; doing some yoga or exercising, that way you are looking after your body the vehicle that helps you execute your work.
Within that routine is a great time to also plan your day and daily tasks based on what’s important rather than being reactive. It’s a great time to also reflect on what went well or what could be improved which will lead to a significant improvement of your productivity
A simple morning or evening routine like is a form of self-care that helps increase mindfulness and productivity. It will add a sense of structure and predictability to your day that will help you feel less stressed out and more organised and ready to tackle anything the day throws at you.
Finally, tell us about all the cool things you’re up to at the moment!
I am very excited to be hosting a series of 3 workshops on stress management, mindfulness and productivity at the end of August with the Top Line team. I am also working on a new Journal planner focusing on healing and recovery to support those who have experience trauma. I am also looking forward to hosting many more workshops helping employers and employees embrace mindfulness in the workspace. If you’d like to know more, please feel free to sign up to my newsletter over at www.myndmap.co or drop me an email at hellow@myndmap.co
Mental health tips and advice for professionals working from homeThese are bizarre times. At TopLine, we’ve pretty much been working from home since the first lockdown, so we haven’t seen each other outside of a video call for months. Meanwhile, working from home makes it easy for the lines between our work lives and our personal lives to become blurred.
At our video production agency and B2B PR agency, we’re all doing our best to support one another. Mental health has always been and will always be a top priority for TopLine – primarily because it’s important for our people, but also because burnout is bad for business. Many businesses shy away from investing in mental health, but you can’t put a price on productivity and morale, especially at a time like this.
That’s why we decided to speak to Petra Velzeboer, an expert in mental health in the workplace, to gain some insight on implementing strategies to support our mental health while we’re all working from home. Here’s what she had to say:
Caring for your mental health while working from home
Whilst for many, the global pandemic has given unprecedented flexibility in terms of work, eight months down the line and working from home is starting to take its toll on the majority of people that are suddenly living and working within the same four walls.
The situation is one that we would never have had the foresight to plan for, and so dealing with it and learning to cope is new territory for everybody.
As well as uncertainty, because of home-working, we are all missing out on one of the most important forms of connection that usually provides safety – positive social interaction. Even moments of connection that may seem small do have a positive effect (e.g. saying hello to someone while fixing a drink or telling a colleague their new hairstyle looks good). We are hugely impacted by the lack of positive social interaction right now which is also having a detrimental effect.
So, what can we do to ensure we remain positive when working from home?
Get into a routine – Without this, it can be easy to work or be available 24/7, which is actually bad for productivity. Having a morning routine of some sort works wonders. For me, exercise, journaling and writing down three things I’m grateful for radically change my perspective for the day. Similarly, some prefer to switch off at a specific time and exercise in the evening or lunchtime. Whatever works best for you, set a routine and stick to it.
Prioritise healthy habits – This will help to remain positive and focused and allow us to carry out our best work. A book I really recommend, ‘Burnout: the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle,’ talks about how to complete stress cycles, and the number one way is through physical activity. That’s any form of movement whatsoever: running, walking, stretching, and laughing – and within your ‘bubble,’ 20-second hugs and 6-second kisses help.
Some days nothing will help, and that’s ok – The current situation is not normal. We all have bad days, and we are going to have more. It’s ok to feel lonely, frustrated and overwhelmed, as long as we learn that we can write these days off and come back tomorrow feeling positive. If you are feeling low, tell colleagues how you are feeling. On such days it is better to make an effort to communicate by video or telephone rather than email or instant message.
Recognising and changing mindset – Be aware of how your mindset shifts and changes from day to day, and what can trigger negatives. Make a conscious effort to regularly think about the positives that can be taken from this situation. There are many advantages to working from home, including being closer to childcare, saving on commuting and lunches, and flexible working. Focusing on the positives gives us better energy and focus and makes us better communicators with our teams and networks.
We’re still doing our best to provide top-quality digital PR services, whether we’re in the office or working from home. Contact us to learn more.
35 companies driving the London proptech boomLondon is home to some of the leading innovators in the property technology world, and we’re proud to have these exciting companies driving the capital’s new proptech boom. Here’s our list of the top 35:
Helps housemates live together in harmony by providing an app that manages and splits bills.
An asset-backed token proposed to solve the UK’s housing crisis.
A tool that makes it easy for locals to express their views on planning decisions.
Commercial property software which helps investors to buy and manage assets.
Data intelligence on how a building operates.
Delivers world class building experiences.
Free online mortgage broker.
Offering ground-breaking new data science-backed products for the commercial real estate sector.
Dubbed ‘the TripAdvisor for property’, Home Views gives potential residents an idea of what it is really like to live in a building.
Designed to instantly match tenants with landlords, Houzen uses an algorithm to find premium tenants fast.
Democratised property investment and property crowdfunding
Provides content to members about the real estate industry
Legal products and data – from monitoring to environmental risk analysis.
Tech that helps with property development – sourcing, planning and managing.
SaaS platform that helps building owners get access to short term tenants; student housing etc.
Exclusively lists BTR properties. Love to Rent will also bank data to identify the specific features that BTR customers value most, so that better schemes can be built in future.
Online mortgage provider offering quick decisions with no fees.
The app to help renters find their next home.
House sharers’ network.
Everything you need to complete your move.
Property management platform that connects landlords and property managers with maintenance services providers.
Loans to boost your deposit so you can get a bigger mortgage.
Uses on-site data to help the construction industry be greener and more efficient.
Online estate agent.
Give them the keys and receive a fixed yield on your rental property – they handle all the admin and all the maintenance.
A trusted network of verified renters, landlords and agents.
One simple service that makes buying and selling homes easy and quick.
Generate passive income for building owners and buy to rent operators by offering short stays to manage voids.
Automate the end of the tenancy process for happier landlords, tenants and agents.
Helps developers and local authorities to consult effectively on proposals for new homes.
Automates identity and source of funds checks for lawyers, conveyancers and their clients.
Free online mortgage broker.
Interactive, 3D smart city platform.
Platform that lets buyers purchase their new homes online, from start to finish, from anywhere in the world.
At TopLine Film, we have plenty of experience producing high-quality videos and animations for leading proptech companies. If you’re in the proptech business and you want to find out what video can do for you, reach out to our MD, Jamie today.
How to land a job in video productionLooking to land a video production job? Here’s how to stand out
Want a video production agency job but don’t know where to start? If you have the work experience and you’ve been searching for months and haven’t gotten the results you want, then maybe it’s time to think about what you could do differently.
Working in video production is great. You regularly meet new people, work on different sets, different projects, with fun gadgets and equipment – among other things. But the competition is fierce. A lot of people starting out create showreels with university or arthouse projects. Here’s the thing. No one wants to see it.
As a video production company, we get approached by a lot of people wanting to work in this industry, which is great! If you want to get noticed by us or companies alike, here’s what you should do.
Get your foot in the door – the right way
One of the hardest things in video production is getting your foot in the door. Grab your prospective employer’s attention by writing a bespoke email to show that you researched the company and that you have a general interest in working for them.
You can do this by referencing a project they have worked on or a blog post they have written. Access to this kind of information should not be that hard. Trawl their website, check out their social media or ask around about the company. Do your homework!
When you’re getting started, you should be trying to build your network in the industry. Therefore start with small goals rather than asking for a job outright. That could mean aiming to get advice, a mentoring opportunity, joining a shoot or coming along for free to get some experience. You’ve got to offer something and get someone to give you the opportunity to impress them.
Network and be nice!
Your first job, you’re not necessarily going to be chosen because of your skillset because you’re not doing much on a shoot. You’re simply helping out. So, you have to build rapport. That’s why you’re there! Whether in office or on a shoot, the best thing to do is to ask what the person in charge wants from you. Don’t go in thinking you know what you are doing. “Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.” That kind of social intelligence on a shoot is what we’re after.
And for the love of God, be on time. In this industry, no amount of skill, creativity or hard work can undo the damage done by arriving late. The best video professionals we know leave absolutely nothing to chance. They arrive at least 30 minutes early and grab a coffee while they wait. (Speaking of coffee, we are proud to support a local South African business – you can buy coffee beans online from them).
You never know when a job can come up – it pays to be nice. People can leave jobs at any time and your name might come up. We asked our MD, Jamie about this and he said: “When a job opens up at TopLine, if we already know someone who might be right for the role, and they’ve impressed us on a shoot, we will go straight to them and invite them to apply. This saves us a huge amount of time and reduces the risk of hiring the wrong person – after all, we have already seen them in action.”
Mentors help
Getting a mentor is great. Especially if they can expose you to the right people. We use lots of freelance crew that ask to bring along an assistant, just for the experience – your skills will help you succeed in the role, but a mentor will serve as a character reference before you get it. And you will find most freelancers are amenable.
Is there still a place for the showreel?
This is tricky because timing is everything. If you’re trying to get your first job in video – as soon as you say “here’s my showreel” – chances are the content isn’t going to be relevant to the company.
However, if you’ve been in the industry a year or two and you’ve worked on relevant or relatable content, that’s a different story. We work with many freelancers and every now and then we get an email from them to show what they’ve been up to, almost like a newsletter. Because it’s someone we’re already in contact with, we nearly always watch their video content.
Ask yourself: does your showreel represent some industry work that would be noticed by the recipient? If you’re contacting a production company that solely produces animated explainer videos, your camera work showreel is not applicable.
Being a jack of all trades isn’t necessarily the best approach
Video production used to be more specialised. In the past, you needed formal qualifications, training and exposure to expensive equipment and software to start producing content.
With new tech advancements, cameras and software are cheaper and entry to the industry is easier. Accordingly, a lot more opportunities exist for self-taught individuals. So how do you compete when today, everyone can do almost everything because it’s so accessible?
Having a diverse skill set can be advantageous but specialism shouldn’t put people off from applying for a position. If we have someone apply for an editor position who can’t do anything else but edit vs someone with the ability to also do sound, direct shoots – among other things, we would always hire whoever was the best editor.
Focus on mastering one thing, and once you’re really good at it then by all means, get the other skills and use them to your advantage.
We hope you found these tips useful and informative!
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, or keep an eye on our recruitment page for more opportunities at TopLine Film.
Why we are a cashless business – and how it benefits our suppliers
Managing cash is a major admin headache. Reconciling a petty cash box, chasing receipts, filing invoices, and just generally keeping an eye on all the admin requires dedicated time and resources that we’d rather spend elsewhere – say, on our clients, for example. And if the office manager pops out to lunch or off on holiday and forgets to leave the key for the petty cash box behind, well then, personal receipts pile up and everyone gets a bit snarky.
Honestly, we think managing cash is a waste of time and money, which is why in early 2019 we made the decision to become a fully cashless business.
The truth is, we don’t need cash anymore: even the smallest payments at the newsagent can now be done on card – so why keep it in the office? Our cashless business is enabled by Soldo which provides centralised control of card payments for employee and company purchases, and Xero, our accounting system (watch the 16 best accounting videos of all time).
TopLine is a process-driven business, and we have always looked for ways to be more efficient. Our clients can attest to the fact that when they work with us, they are working with an organised bunch of people, who have processes and policies in place for everything.
By eliminating cash, we are saving time that can be spent on other important business – and ensuring more efficient payment processes.
When it comes to paying our suppliers and staff, we never drop the ball. In fact, we don’t drop the ball at anything really. But we know the importance of getting paid on time and respect the people we work with too much to allow late or messy payment processes to creep in. And relying on cash can get messy!
So, for all our amazing suppliers and freelancers who work with us, bear in mind that we don’t have the facilities to handle cash in any way. Our accounting system is fully centralised and digitised. What this means though, is that you can expect to be paid on time every time – just not in cash.
Thanks to these video freelancersNo production company is an island. At TopLine Film, we have a considerable amount of talent in-house, but we rely on freelancers for many projects – sometimes for a bit of support while someone’s away on annual leave, sometimes to bring a level of expertise that we don’t necessarily have to hand.
This National Freelancer Day, we wanted to celebrate the people who’ve helped us make some of our best videos. Here are just a few!
Freelance Directors
Grant Fulton
Grant is an energetic, experienced, and charismatic director, one who’s a joy to watch on set. Perfect for creative shoots.
Freelance Camera Operators
Ivan Wood
Ivan is a very experienced camera op who’s always up-to-date with the latest camera tech. Whether it’s for work or for pleasure, he can usually be found shooting something. Lately he’s focused on drama and commercial work, but he’s still available for corporate projects.
Fun fact: his dad was the brains behind that famous slow-motion scene in The Matrix. You know, the one where Neo does the freaky back-bend thing.
Paul Murray
Another great camera op, Paul has a keen eye for composition and is very passionate about how sets and scenes are lit.
Alex Gooch
A calm and collected presence on location, Alex gets great shots and is a pleasure to work with. He has collaborated with broadcasters such as Reuters and ITN Productions, as well as global organisations like Microsoft, Amcor and Abbvie.
Josh Bamford
Josh is creative, fun to work with, and a recent-award-winner – check out his documentary film!
Freelance Sound Recordists
Alex Purkiss
A force of unbridled positivity, Alex is as skilled as he is nice (very, on both accounts). Because of this, he can be quite hard to pin down. If Alex has a window open, grab him while you can.
Anthony Arghyrou
Another sound recordist we use regularly, Anthony is super friendly, super talented, and always a pleasure to have on a shoot.
Julian Willson
You might have seen Julian’s work already: his recent sound projects include shows such as One Born Every Minute & Gogglebox, to name just a couple. He’s frequently found cracking jokes on location.
Freelance Editors
David L. E. Davis
Super organised and super fast, David is a superb editor with a keen attention to detail. He also has a great sense of humour, and is definitely not the former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.
Andy Cardy
A highly experienced, personable, flexible and collaborative editor and motion graphics designer, Andy has worked with a variety of clients in the corporate and broadcast industries – including Barclays, Bentley, HSBC, KPMG, LV=, Network Rail, North One TV, Shell and Sky.
Freelance Visual Effects & Motion Graphics
Chris Chalken
A super talented visual effects and motion graphics designer, Chris can add a little pop, oomph, or whatever other comic-book noises you favour to your production.
Are you looking for a video production company to help with your next project? Get in touch with our MD, Jamie.
How to improve sustainability in your workplace
This year marks the UN’s 46th World Environment Day. The theme is #BeatAirPollution, in light of research from the World Health Organisation which reveals that nine out of 10 people worldwide breathe polluted air.
To honour World Environment Day, TopLine Film commissioned research on the subject of sustainability in the workplace. Of the 1,000 participants, nearly a quarter (24 percent) said they would refuse a job at an organisation with a poor sustainability record, and three quarters (73 percent) said they would like to see their workplace improve its sustainability record.
As a next step, we spoke to our own team members. Nearly all (94 percent) said they are committed to protecting the environment and agree that TopLine should have an environmental policy in place. In response to this, we’ve agreed on five things we can do to improve sustainability in our office, and we challenge other businesses to do the same.
There are many things you can do to make your workplace more sustainable (see this handy guide from our CEO, Heather), but often it’s as simple as reminding employees to be conscious of waste. For this reason, we’ve created a poster that can be printed and posted in your office. Make sure you use recycled paper and turn your printer off when you aren’t using it!
Beating climate change will require a radical overhaul of our personal and professional lives. If you haven’t already implemented sustainable practices in your workplace, now is the time to start.
Golden rules for an effective sustainability policyAccording to research from the World Health Organisation (WHO), nine out of ten people worldwide breathe polluted air. WHO also estimates that “around seven million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air.” Let that sink in for a bit.
These stats are a bold reminder that we can’t sit around and do nothing. And, given that we spend so much of our time at work, it’s a good a place to start thinking green.
To honour World Environment Day 2019, TopLine Film surveyed 1,000 office workers on workplace sustainability. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) said they would refuse a job at an organisation with a poor sustainability record, and three quarters (73 percent) would like to see their workplace improve its sustainability record.
We consider ourselves an environmentally conscious business and now we’re really putting that into action by implementing our own sustainability policy. First, we spoke to our team to get an idea of their position on sustainability, and to see what ideas they had for us.
The people have spoken
Thank goodness for good staff. The majority of us at TopLine (94 percent) are committed to protecting the environment and agree that we should have a sustainability policy in place.
The good news is that creating such a policy doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. The TopLine team has identified the following practices they’d like to see implemented in our new sustainability policy.
Improve our office recycling practices and ban plastic from the office
Our team would like us to ban single use plastic in the office, and that’s something we’re going to act upon immediately. From now on, TopLine will be a plastic-free zone. We’ll be providing reusable cups to prevent the lazy temptation of picking up plastic ones. If other businesses can’t afford to do this, then team members could be encouraged to bring a reusable cup from home.
Reduce energy usage with a switch off policy
Introducing a ‘switch off’ policy for everyone to turn off their computers and other devices at the end of every day is easy to implement but just as easy to forget. We’re going to put up visible reminders and hold everyone accountable to make sure we stick to it!
Initiate volunteer days
One idea that the TopLine team came up with is to volunteer our time to environmental and sustainable activities. They’ll find eco-friendly initiatives they’d like to get involved with and the plan is to give them time away from the office to do just that. This could be anything from picking up litter to helping plant trees locally.
Commit to sharing more sustainability related content
Living a more sustainable lifestyle comes down to being more aware and making better decisions. So, we plan on sharing more sustainability related content on our social channels and in our internal Slack groups. This should help to keep sustainability top of mind.
Aim to work with sustainable partners and suppliers
At TopLine, we work with a lot of suppliers, so we’re going to ask our current ones what they’re doing about sustainability and if there’s anything we can do to help. If you work with a lot of suppliers, then you’re just one part of the chain, so it’s worth asking them what their position is on sustainability. This not only highlights your company’s commitment, but challenges them to start thinking about greener practices, if they haven’t already done so.
Our planet is precious, and it’s under threat. These are just a handful of the ideas that came from the team, so we have a lot to work with to implement a solid sustainability policy. We’re proud of the fact that our team is uniting in creating a more sustainable work environment and we’d like to challenge other businesses to do the same. You can start by implementing the above but more importantly, talk to your team about what they’re passionate about. It’s a great way to implement effective policies that they will want to follow.
Workplace sustainability surveyHere at TopLine Film, we’re committed to reducing our waste and saving the environment. That’s why we commissioned research into sustainability in the workplace. Here’s what we found:
