Best New Business Awards 2014 - skignz is the Winner!

It’s the day after the Best New Business Awards Tees Valley 2014. Last night was a great night, not only as we got to meet a load of great start-up companies but that skignz was the WINNER of the Marketing Award. 

This was a fantastic achievement for the skignz team and we are still very proud today for having been selected to win this award by Cool Brand Blue Communications. 

We would also like to say well done to all runners up in the Marketing category and best luck for the future!

The whole awards event was great from start to finish.

Starting the night off we got to network with a wide variety of companies on arrival. This was a chance for everyone to meet one another and require a small insight as to what each business entails. 

Once seated that was another chance to meet and network with the company/companies on your table. Luckily for skignz we had two great companies seated with us, who we thoroughly enjoyed the whole night with and got to learn a lot about them. 

One of the companies was 12^th Man Solutions Ltd, who were also up for the Marketing award alongside skignz. They were a great bunch of people and their business was a great idea. 

We all had a good time in everyone’s company last night involving a lot of business talk and laughter.

The other company placed at the table with skignz was Earls of Ashwood Ltd. They are a cheesemonger and delicatessen company based in Stockton. 

We have got to say this was one of our favourite companies there last night. We all love cheese and by the sounds of what Earls of Ashwood provide, we are defiantly heading to their shop this weekend to taste some of their great delicacies.

Moving on in the night we had a lovely 3 course meal provided by BNBA Tees Valley. 

We all thoroughly enjoyed each part of the meal and have got to say were very full by the end of it, not to mention the free wine flowing sponsored by Big Bite Communications – a big thank you, you kept us all very hydrated throughout the night!

Then it was time for the awards. Each category had three nominees. All of the business ideas were truly great and everyone deserved their place last night.

Coming to the Marketing award there were some great other companies up for the award so we thought we had a low chance of winning it. However it is fair to say we were truly surprised when skignz got announced as the winner for the Marketing category. 

This was a proud moment for us! We only wish someone could have got a photo of us in that moment in time to see the shocked look on our faces! 

We would like to say well done to all the other winners of the night also and to the overall winner C&A Pumps and Engineering Ltd.

We would also like to say a big well done to Prince’s Trust for providing opportunities for young people to help support them and change their life for the better. 

The story we heard from their young promotional speaker was truly inspiring and it showed not just us but everyone just how exceptionally inspiring the company is. They raised an amazing £930 last night and we hope it hit the £1K as the night ended.  

Ending on a high, we had a great night and hope to be entering again next year in a different category! Well done to everyone again and a big thanks to Colin Brown for organising the whole event and proving all companies with great opportunities available last night!

If you would like to know more about The Best New Business Awards 2015 then please visit http://www.bestnewbusinessawards.com/

If you would like to know more about The Prince's Trust then please visit http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.

Are you the right person for skignz? We are hiring for varying positions.

Are you coming out of University and need that experience? Or are you ready to move on to that next step? Then skignz are pleased to announce that opportunities have opened up within the business for a wide variety of roles. 

skignz welcomes anyone to the company and considers all applicants. 

So if you or anyone you know is looking for a job or is looking for a new job, then don’t hesitate in checking out these roles and get applying as in some cases some positions have an almost immediate start.


Available Roles:


1. Graphic / UX  / Digital Designer

The ideal candidate will be:-

• Proficient in the use of Photoshop/Illustrator
• Knowledge of HTML5, CSS would be a huge advantage
• Experience to show working with websites / Apps
• Knowledge of Responsive design

Number of vacancies: 1

Degree subjects required: Graphic, 3D, industrial, product, UX, web design or other relevant digital design subject.

Location: Stockton-on-Tees.

Type: Permanent

Basis: Full Time

Salary Details: Competitive Salary

Method of application: Email CV and Covering Letter

Include 2 references in your CV. In you covering letter include which role/ company you are applying for, a short paragraph as to why you would be the ideal candidate for the role and why you would like to work for the company. Please ensure the job title is the title of your email.

Contact name for applications: Si Brown

E-mail: uk@skignz.com

Web Site:     http://www.skignz.com

Closing Date: 20th March 2015

2. Programmer/App Developer in Objective C

Skills:
Essential:-
• Proficient in the use of Objective C

Desirable:-
• Ability to build apps for IOS, Android, Windows and Google

Desirable Additional Skills:-
• HTML, PHP, Javascript, CSS, XML, XHTML

Number of vacancies: 1

Degree subjects required: Computing or Similar

Location: Stockton-on-Tees.

Type: Permanent

Basis: Full Time

Salary Details: Competitive Salary

Method of application: Email CV and covering letter

Include 2 references in your CV. In you covering letter include which role / company you are applying for, a short paragraph as to why you would be the ideal candidate for the role and why you would like to work for the company. Please ensure the job title is the title of your email.

Contact name for applications: Si Brown

E-mail: uk@skignz.com

Web Site: http://www.skignz.com

Closing Date: 20th March 2015

3. Programmer/App Developer in Java

Skills:
Essential:-
• Proficient in the use of Java

Desirable:-
• Ability to build apps for IOS, Android, Windows and Google

Desirable Additional Skills:-
• HTML, PHP, Javascript, CSS, XML, XHTML

Number of vacancies: 1

Degree subjects required: Computing or Similar

Location: Stockton-on-Tees

Type: Permanent

Basis: Full Time

Salary Details: Competitive Salary

Method of application: Email CV and covering letter

Include 2 references in your CV. In you covering letter include which role/ company you are applying for, a short paragraph as to why you would be the ideal candidate for the role and why you would like to work for the company. Please ensure the job title is the title of your email.

Contact name for applications: Si Brown

E-mail: uk@skignz.com

Web Site: http://www.skignz.com

Closing Date: 20th March 2015

4. Programmer/App Developer in C/C++

Skills:
Essential:-
• Proficient in the use of C/C++

Desirable:-
• Ability to build apps for IOS, Android, Windows and Google

Desirable Additional Skills:-

• HTML, PHP, Javascript, CSS, XML, XHTML

Number of vacancies: 1

Location: Stockton-on-Tees

Type: Permanent

Basis: Full Time

Salary Details: Competitive salary.

Method of application: Email CV and covering letter

Include 2 references in your CV. In you covering letter include which role/ company you are applying for, a short paragraph as to why you would be the ideal candidate for the role and why you would like to work for the company. Please ensure the job title is the title of your email.

Contact name for applications: Si Brown

E-mail: uk@skignz.com

Web Site: http://www.skignz.com

Closing Date: 20th March 2015

5.  Marketing Executive / Marketing Manager

Essential:

• Marketing or related qualification
• Understanding of PR & Blogging
• Proficient in the use of Social Media
• Customer Service Experience
• Responsible, show initiative, enthusiasm & dedication
• Excellent attention to detail and deliver work of the very highest standard
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

Desirable:

• Knowledge of of Mobile technology & App development would be a huge advantage
• An eye for good design, understanding & identifying trends is very helpful
• A second language is desired but not essential
• Experience is desired but not essential

Number of vacancies: 1

Degree Subjects required: Marketing, Business, Design Marketing

Location: Stockton-on-Tees

Type: Permanent

Basis: Full Time


Salary Details: Competitive salary

Method of application: Email CV and covering letter

Include 2 references in your CV. In you covering letter include which role/ company you are applying for, a short paragraph as to why you would be the ideal candidate for the role and why you would like to work for the company. Please ensure the job title is the title of your email.

Contact name for applications: Si Brown

E-mail: uk@skignz.com

Web Site: http://www.skignz.com

Closing Date: 20th March 2015

The roles above are also available via Teesside University website on the careers search site. 

If you know of anyone who is looking to start their career or further advance in any of the above roles then please don't hesitate to let them know and share this post. 

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.

Placement Opportunities

Each year current students and graduates start looking for placement opportunities to gain themselves some essential experience or even to hopefully start their new career path. And some people can find this stressful, but it doesn't have to be as hard as it seems.

There are a lot of companies out there that do start to hire at the beginning of the year, and while some may be hard to get into as they already require experience and good education, there are some that are always open to offering placement opportunities to graduates, students and the younger generation.

That is where skignz comes along.

All year round skignz is always offering placement opportunities to students and graduates. That is one of the most important aspects about skignz itself as a company. skignz believes that everyone should be treated equally and that by allowing the opportunity to be available to everyone, we are providing that equality.

skignz is currently actively looking at the moment to hire. So any graduates or students who are currently looking for work experience please feel free to contact skignz.

skignz vacancies are advertised through Teesside University as that is where our focus is. We currently through Teesside University provide the opportunity for a graduate to come and do a 3 month placement through skignz as part of their degree, hopefully with the intention of leading onto full time work.

Jeff Bramfitt came to join the skignz team this year on a 3 month placement with the possibility of keeping on as full time employment. Here is a little brief on himself:

“I trained initially as a Graphic Designer then spent over 20 years as a computer graphics artist at legendary games company Psygnosis/Sony Studio Liverpool, until recession hit and Sony started downsizing drastically.  Sadly, the studio ultimately closed as a result.  In my time there I had the pleasure of contributing as a 2D and 3D Artist on over 30 titles, including classic Playstation franchises Wipeout and Formula 1.

More recently, I decided to update my skills and improve my career options by doing a Degree in Web & Multimedia Design, graduating with a 2:1 in 2014.  I hope my unique combination of recent Web Design development combined with my C.G. production experience will help me move forward in a rapidly changing landscape.

I have an unhealthy habit of purchasing large dilapidated old houses and lovingly restoring them, which is the closest I come to having a hobby. At the moment (the last 4 years) all my spare time is spent bringing an early Victorian town house on Hartlepool's historic seafront back to it's former glory.”

skignz will be looking at expanding the team as the year goes on as you can read about our 2015 plans in skignz year ahead blog post. So do feel free to apply if you are interested or contact us personally to see what vacancies are available.

If you would like to know more on skignz current vacancies then please visit http://bit.ly/1myDwzK 

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.

skignz: Most Contagious 2014

We are delighted to announce, that not only will we be attending the awesome Most Contagious Event in Central London on 10th December 2014, but we will also be exhibiting and demonstrating the skignz technology! 

How cool is that!

The guys at Contagious are the gurus, the wordsmiths and THE authority on Advertising, Marketing digital trends, but we cannot compete with how they present what they do, so for those of you who might not of heard of Most Contagious, here's a quick extract of how Contagious themselves describe the Most Contagious event:

"Most Contagious is an annual, uniquely curated innovation event in London staged by Contagious. Most Contagious celebrates the biggest innovations and analyses the most impactful marketing from the year to decipher what influence these will have on the immediate future for brands and advertising.

The event includes a full day conference programme, with Contagious consultants as well as expert guest speakers, a series of interactive workshops, an awards scheme, and an exhibition to showcase disruptive start-ups, innovative new technologies and the makers behind them."

Contagious the company behind Most Contagious is in its tenth year of publishing their incredible magazine and it has grown its offering since its conception, and so we do not do them a disservice again we will let them describe who they are:

"Contagious helps brands and advertising agencies understand and adapt to shifts in marketing, consumer culture and technology. Our dedicated consultancy division, Contagious Insider, delivers hands-on help to effect change in our clients’ companies.

Contagious Magazine, our hard-copy quarterly publication analyses the world’s most innovative brands, and learns from the people behind them. An online intelligence service, Contagious I/O is Contagious’ collaborative and fully customisable research platform. Contagious events attract delegates from the world’s smartest brands, agencies and businesses."

So hopefully from the above two short descriptions about Contagious and its annual Most Contagious event, you can see why we are so excited to be attending but even more so being able to showcase skignz to this very select audience. We hope that some of the most creative thinkers on the planet who will be attending will 'get skignz' but more importantly 'how skignz could work for their clients or their own brand?'

 skignz is already engaged with a number of the big name brands and organisations who are attending, so hopefully we will have a few more brand champions in the room to promote the gospel of skignz.

skignz intends to showcase a few new areas of development, not previously seen outside of the skignz team and in addition we may have not one but a couple of key announcements to make ...

Obviously we will promote this exciting news through the event, but we feel the best way to understand more about skignz is to be present and being present at this event is something you cannot afford NOT to do! You only realise this once you have attended a Most Contagious event.

The Contagious team put an immense amount of work into the event, from Arianna their head of events through to their on stage delivery by members of their editorial team, right through to the hosting by Cofounder & Editorial Director Paul Kemp-Robertson. The quality of the content delivered is second to none and we have not spoken to a single person that has not thoroughly enjoyed and had real benefit from being in attendance.

If you are in the Advertising, Marketing & Digital space then you really should only be in one place on the 10th December 2014. 

We will be there and so should you! If you do please do come and say hello ...

For more information on Contagious, their Magazine and their awesome services, please visit http://www.contagious.com

For more information on Most Contagious and how you can get involved please visit http://mostcontagious.com

For more information on skignz, please visit the skignz website at http://www.skignz.com

Or check us out on our various Social media channels...