Why Camvine?

At the time I was looking at three roles, all of which were very different.  What really struck me about Camvine was the opportunity for growth targeted around addressing a market that was largely overlooked by most other digital signage companies.   Quentin [Stafford Fraser, CEO and Founder of Camvine] is passionate about the 'democratisation of digital signage' - ie potentially making it available to everybody rather than just corporates or large organisations where they would have significant resource and people with extensive IT skills.

The team at Camvine had developed a very accessible system to aggregate everything SME organisations might want to communicate to their workforce using the 'water-cooler' screen.  Essentially, businesses have important information that they need to communicate to their people.  There are existing tools to support this such as intranets.  However, when people are at their desks, most are just too busy to proactively seek this information.  Screens displaying interesting and critical content that are located in common and regularly visited areas, such as over the water-cooler, provide an excellent platform to communicate this important information (and often in their audience's peripheral vision).  This can be equally effective when communicating to other audiences or indeed customers.  So long as basic rules about displaying interesting and relevant content are followed, most people will actively seek out and respond to the information displayed.

The technical know-how was all there, as well as the desire and ambition to make this a big financial success.  What I felt I could add immediately was an augmentation in audience experience understanding.  I knew that if we could simplify the messaging around the technology and make it about people creating their own experience, then there was a genuine space for this.  

You have a long commute to Cambridge.  It must be hard to find a balance given where you live? 

Sometimes it can be difficult to find a balance during the week. I spend on average 3 days in Cambridge and 2 working from home in Hampshire or travelling to meetings.  However, I am strict about separating work and home life at the weekends.

When did you realise you had what it takes to be a success in your chosen field and what does success look like for you? 

For me, success can be measured in more than one way. There are the obvious markers – how well you are doing against targets and business plan, and your career path.  If there was a time when I realised I was doing things properly, it was when partners, colleagues and clients with whom I had lost touch, started contacting me to ask for advice.  I inadvertently ended up being a mentor for quite a number of people, who have all become very good friends.  Talking to clients and realising that you know more than they do gives confidence and that leads to trust and a partnership. For me, success in these relationships is equally as important.  

Who or what has been your greatest inspiration and how have you implemented that into your success? 

Well, most people I have worked with have inspired me in one way or another.  However, this may sound strange, but I think my greatest inspiration has been a motivation to get where I want to be.  It really helps working in an industry that I love.  The whole broadcast industry has morphed into something that no-one expected, and at the cutting edge is digital signage.  It looks like old technology, but when deployed correctly - through integration with other communication channels that demonstrate a clear understanding of the end audience needs - it can be very dynamic and effective. I am passionate about the experience of the end-user, how consumers are stimulated by what they take in.  Fundamentally, understanding the changing needs and dynamics of both the network owner and its audience is a common strand that has driven me for the last 15 years. The broadcast industry has been an exciting place in recent years and I feel that I am just starting on the journey of how to get it right.  I will never tire of it, never get bored.  

Brian Boakes talked to Helen Poole of Bailey Fisher