February & March 2026 Newsletter

February:

First working day at Chandos House

At the beginning of February we welcomed the team into our new studio at Chandos House positioned right in the heart of Brighton, in the iconic Lanes area. Since then, we’ve all settled in nicely and have enjoyed many conversations on the balcony and raised our team lunch game with a great new kitchen space. There are a few remaining tasks and the inevitable snagging list to tackle.  This includes putting the final touches to our new edit suite, ready for some of the exciting new productions that are based in the seaside studio. If you fancy a visit or want to base yourself here permanently - get in touch!

Valentines Day - love bug crafternoon

Rachel, our Assistant Producer hosts regular ‘crafternoons’ in the studio where we spend our lunchtimes taking on a craft project.  This month, for Valentine’s Day, the crew tried their hand at making love bugs out of cardboard tubes. They took a lot longer than anticipated but after the glue had dried, there were some great results.  The new studio space has a large kitchen table that’s perfect for a bit of cortisol-lowering craft!

Pancake Day

Once again the kitchen served us well for Shrove Tuesday. The smell of homemade pancakes filled the studio and were devoured rather quickly - for both breakfast and lunch - although we are yet to settle the best topping debate. Touchy subject!

Children's Media Summit

Juliet attended the Children’s Media Summit  at BAFTA - it was a fantastic and positive day with much of the children’s content industry present.  Through a series of fascinating panels we considered the topics of the day including the prospect of a social media ban for children under 16 and what that might mean for our sector.

March:

Jacket Potato Day

Taking a break from our regularly scheduled Soup Thursdays, we welcomed Jacket Potato Day to help dull the winter blues and bring us into spring. We look forward to restarting Sandwich Thursday at the beginning of April and adopting a few more themed weeks into the weekly team lunches!

Juliet - Varndean Careers Day

Juliet attended Varndean School to talk with their year 8 students about the careers they might follow - particularly in the creative industries. The students were asked to draw out the paths that Juliet had taken on her own career journey - with a particular emphasis on how careers don’t always follow a linear pathway.

Bake Sale in aid of War Child - raising £136

In light of recent events continuing to develop in conflict zones around the world, we held a Bake Sale in aid of War Child, an organisation who dedicates its donations to helping provide support for children caught up in conflict. The team raised a total of £136 (+ gift aid) for the cause which could provide support for a whole family caught up in conflict with all their basic needs for four months, including food and blankets. A big thank you to all those who bought in their bakes and donated.

George Sawyer joins the zoo

At the end of March we announced the appointment of George Sawyer as Brighton Zoo’s new Creative Director. George Sawyer is a multi-award-winning writer, director and creative lead. His credits include the International Emmy-winning Horrible Histories and the BAFTA Scotland-winning The Brilliant World of Tom Gates. Known for combining strong narrative instincts with hands-on creative direction, he has developed innovative projects for broadcasters, studios and major global brands, working across scripted comedy, children's television, and digital content.

Juliet Tzabar, Managing Director of Brighton Zoo, said: "We're really excited to be bringing George formally into the fold, following our recent collaboration on the Fugglers YouTube content. His appointment allows us to move with greater creative ambition on all fronts.  George will lead on our digital-first social video and interactive productions, spearhead our cross-platform development slate, and push into content for older audiences. This is Brighton Zoo growing into its next chapter."