To celebrate its second anniversary, Birmingham PR Agency EAST VILLAGE. has moved into new premises and recruited team members, marking its ongoing growth and expansion.
Specialising in PR, marketing and events for retail and leisure brands, EAST VILLAGE. has moved into their new offices at 65 Church Street, in the heart of Colmore Business District, as it continues to expand both its team and client base. The Victorian building, which sits on the corner of Church Street and Great Charles Street, was a former Diocesan Lodge of the Girls’ Friendly Society in the early 20th Century and has been converted into stylish office space that now houses leading professional services businesses.
EAST VILLAGE. is also welcoming two new team members as part of its expansion. Nicole Gauntlett joins the agency as an Account Executive from WAA Chosen, where she worked within the PR team on retail clients including intu Merry Hill, intu Derby and Sutton Coldfield’s Gracechurch Centre. This experience will stand her in good stead with EAST VILLAGE.’s Retail PR client base, which includes Great Western Arcade in Birmingham and Coventry’s Lower Precinct. Hattie D’Souza, a Bristol University Graduate who has relocated to Birmingham for the role, also joins the team in the role of Junior Account Executive.
“I can’t believe it has been two years already; it has flown by! I always knew Birmingham was a fantastic city but I never really knew its true value until I set up EAST VILLAGE. The connections I’d made in the seven years’ previous have really come to fruition and support for myself and the agency has been somewhat overwhelming,” said Tara Tomes, who set up the agency in 2013.
“Anyone who’s friends on Facebook or follows me on Twitter will know how excited I am about the agency’s growth. I’ve found two true gems in Nicole and Hattie, and we are lucky to have them on the team. Their enthusiasm, experience, and overall passion is going to benefit our clients immeasurably, which can only take EAST VILLAGE. to new heights. Previous to this, I worked with some incredibly inspiring people and was given some fantastic opportunities, which I will always be grateful for, and now I’m excited to helping young talent get the same out of their early careers. It really has been an incredible two years, which I couldn’t have done without Demi, who has been at the agency from day one. As she embarks on a new challenge and role at another agency, I’m happy that I was able to give her the experience she had here and can’t wait to see how she develops. The move to Church Street is so exciting; within my BPS Birmingham Future role, I’ve seen how Colmore BID has developed and nurtured the area and being part of it, first hand, is really exciting for me as an owner of a small business. It also means that we’re closer to some of our clients and a selection of the best restaurants and bars in the city!”
Tara Tomes set up EAST VILLAGE. in 2013 and has, since then, grown the team and worked with a host of great brands. Focusing on Retail and Leisure brands, the agency has recently picked up new clients including SANTAI BY EF MEDISPA, H-J Wealth Planning, Lucy Kite’s Strong Happy You 2016 Diary, and The Studio Venues’ three locations; thestudiobirmingham, thestudiomanchester and the newly-opened thestudioleeds. Its existing clients include Great Western Arcade, Lower Precinct Coventry, Malmaison Birmingham, Big Green Coach, Hollywood Monster, and Heath Lodge Clinic, to name a few. It is also a service patron to LoveBrum, a charity that unearths hidden gem projects in the city and raises money to support them.
This summer, Tara was also announced as the Deputy Chair for BPS Birmingham Future, the city’s only membership organisation for the business and professional services sector, which runs Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) Awards, the Future Mentoring Academy, and over 80 networking and development events each year. She will take the role of Chair next August, using her seven-year Future membership as the basis for her leading the organisation. In addition to Future, Tara is also involved in two local charities as Trustee for Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer and Ambassador for LoveBrum. She also won CIPR Outstanding Young Communicator in 2010, was a finalist in the Communications category at the 2011 BYPY Awards and was shortlisted for Entrepreneur of the Year in the West Midlands Women of the Year Awards 2015.