2024 was a real tactical year for the company. We’d spent the last few years developing a number of key new pieces of technology that were ready for market, and we’d been actively putting plans in place to start shouting about ourselves – something we all know is generally pushed to one side when you are hugely busy with clients, but we had to make it happen!
This meant a PR drive and an upturn in client meetings to present new engagement solutions to contacts old and new, which resulted in many of us spending plenty of time on the road arranging meetings, attending events, and juggling our day-to-day projects. That, mixed in with the fact that our services support our clients, and we operate in a way that is reactive to their needs, means the very essence of what we do can be fairly unpredictable and results in each week being very different. But here’s a recent week in my life working for fan engagement experts Fourth Wall.
Monday
Today we’re embarking on the first of a two-day film shoot which will form a global campaign for one of our longest-standing Premier League clients, Liverpool FC. This shoot has been in the planning for a couple of months now, and with over 70 people and 10 locations involved it’s going to be a full-on couple of days. We’re straight in at the deep end on day one, assembling at LFC’s AXA Training Centre to film three members of the first team who are all playing separate parts in the campaign.
We’ve decided to meet an hour early to do a final run through of scripts and check nothing has changed within the areas identified as shoot locations during the previous week’s recce. Having ourselves set up and ready to shoot early at a training ground is never a bad thing as the players schedules can change at a moment’s notice, so being prepared to adapt our approach or change shoot order can make all the difference in ensuring we capture what is needed.
With three cameras, several sets of lights and all the sound equipment rigged and ready to go, it’s shoot time as each of the players feed through one after another and nail their lines to camera perfectly – we couldn’t have asked for a better delivery from them.
After three hours we’re wrapped up at the training centre and making our way into the city to meet up with the Andy Hodgson, a well-known musician in Liverpool who does a lot of work with the club. Today he’s turning his hand to acting as he plays the lead role in the campaign.
Thankfully the weather is on our side, and we get straight into it, ticking off scene after scene as we shoot against iconic backdrops, including the Liver Building, Albert Docks and the River Mersey, for what feels like it’s going to be a special campaign.
Kit packed up and we’re done for the day. It’s been hugely hectic, but the cast and crew have been brilliant and we’re already looking forward to day two after a well-earned rest.
Tuesday
Day two of the shoot and we’re filming in and around Anfield, starting at a local pub, The Arkles, where we’ll be producing the first four scenes of the day.
The Arkles is a long-standing Liverpool FC supporters bar, perched on the corner of Anfield Rd, no more than 150 yards from the stadium, so it’s quite the backdrop for an important set of scenes.
We’ve got a huge cast and crew present today, with circa 30 people turning up before 9am to help get the first scenes captured. Andy, our main character, is joined by 20 extras as we start to film the first scene; a tight shot of what looks like a busy pub full of punters watching the game on the big screen. We want to keep the pub feeling cosy and traditional, so the crew do a great job in using as much natural lighting as possible to capture the various scenes. Everything runs like clockwork, and we wrap up in The Arkles ahead of schedule.
Next up is quite possibly the most challenging series of shots we need to capture, and it’s taking place inside Anfield, so after packing up all the kit it’s a short walk over to the stadium for our 30-strong cast and crew.
The challenge here is making the stadium look like it’s full on a busy matchday for a crucial series of shots, so the whole crew have a part to play in making sure people are positioned in a way where the camera can’t see any empty seats. Our initial extras from the pub scene are joined by another 25 actors and actresses, made up of club staff, supporters and even some of our own team. Each and every one of them are playing an important part, and the sea of scarves, hats and football shirts instantly provide an authentic looking setting!
This is when I have to orchestrate the next few scenes, letting Andy deliver his lines from the middle of the crowd before I signal for everyone to jump up and celebrate as if the team have scored. The fine details are key here – everyone has to react simultaneously, they need to bring passion and excitement to the celebration, and they all need to be looking in a specific direction, not down the camera lens.
A quick run-through of what is required from everyone and we’re straight into filming the scenes. Every person gets it immediately, I honestly think the first attempt was perfect, but we do it another four or five times just to make sure we have what we need before watching it back through the monitors. It’s perfect, probably better than we had envisaged, and with that we say a big thank you to everyone involved and let our extras head off to get on with their day.
Five or six more shots with Andy around Anfield and it’s a wrap, again somehow managing to cheat the weather and capture everything we need without having to run into one of our designated overflow days.
Wednesday
Wednesday has the camera crew out picking up some B-roll for the campaign and filming a couple of small segments with the LFC Women’s Team at Melwood Training Ground, but I need to leave them to it today.
Our CEO, Anton Botes, and I have an early start this morning for an impromptu last-minute meeting with a potential new client who wants to know more about our suite of tech-led fan engagement services, and how we would go about developing a comprehensive membership programme for them. It’s always great to get an intro meeting with a new client, especially when they come to us via an industry contact who’s been singing our praises, so we’re excited to head off to tell them more. It’s a smoothish run down the motorway followed by a productive meeting and a return journey the same day.
Thursday
Another early start this morning as three of us are picked up at 6am to head to London for meetings. We’re seeing a number of existing clients today to talk about a range of different strategies. First stop is British & Irish Lions where we are putting the finishing touches to the roll-out of a new piece of technology which is launching as part of the Lions Rugby Club membership programme. The tech is a new social platform, the first of its kind, which gives Lions the ability to build an online community for like-minded fans where they can interact and engage with each other in real-time, earn loyalty points, and access all of their membership benefits in one place. The excitement around having a platform with this level of engagement as the Lions draw closer to their Tour of Australia in the summer is peaked when we agree the final pieces of the jigsaw and set a launch date.
After that it’s a short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to catch up with a longstanding client to discuss their plans for the coming year. The stadium is one of the best in the UK, so we always enjoy getting a look behind the scenes, and the coffee is pretty good too!
Next up is a trip right across London for the last meeting of the day – another Premier League client that we’ve worked with for a number of years and who are now looking to use several of our tech solutions to help drive enhancements around the club.
It’s 5pm and we’re done, time to head home. We’ve used a driver for this trip as it gives us the flexibility to work whilst travelling, and although it’s a long journey back, it proves to be much more relaxing than battling the various trains and crowds.
Friday
As a company we have a hybrid working culture, and whilst Fridays are generally one of our work-from-home days, my team have agreed to meet in the new office that morning to catch up on projects following the whirlwind of the week that’s just gone. Our new office is based within the Vanilla Factory in the heart of Liverpool city centre, so it’s a great location with some tempting coffee shops and cool bars and restaurants close by.
Working from the office on a Friday usually results in a quick drink after work, but today the senior leadership team is heading to the golf course for a late afternoon off-site meeting and round of golf. We’ve committed to improving our handicaps in 2025 and taking a bit more time to work on business planning and strategy over a round of golf before the weekend starts. With most of us being avid football and sports fans, the day job doesn’t stop when the weekend starts, as we’re usually talking shop about our football teams and any associated sporting fixtures, but it’s a great couple of downtime days before the busy week starts once again.
