Early morning walk sets me up for the day

Oct 22 2008 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

HUSBAND and wife team Stephen and Michelle Helsby founded architectural visualisation firm, Evolve, in 2006.

It provides photo-realistic 3-D images and animations which bring to life the drawings of architects, developers and interior designers. This was Stephen’s day:

6.30am: Get up and take our new King Charles spaniel puppy, Cassie, for a walk in Calderstones Park. I enjoy the early morning walk as it clears my head before the start of a hectic day. Then back home to see Michelle and our five-year-old daughter Hannah before she goes to school.

7.15am: Arrive at our studio at the newly re-branded Liverpool Innovation Park, on Edge Lane. I check on the animation we are producing for The Forward Partnership. While the production of animations is a time-consuming process, once all the settings are in place you can actually leave the computer to work while you sleep.

7.45am: I catch up on emails and prepare for a production meeting I have this week with River Media. They have commissioned Evolve to create the computer- generated imagery element of a corporate video they are producing for a blue-chip client. The cutting-edge production will involve helicopter shots, moving imagery and actors.

9am: I have story-board and progress briefings with my senior visualisers John and Paul, who are respectively working on a college in Dubai for London architects,Penoyre and Prasad, and also on Greenfold Way for Property Alliance Group. The Dubai project is interesting as we are producing a 3-D walk-through of a proposed college.

11am: I head into town to meet with Paul Cook, business development manager at Galliford Try Northwest. We discuss the recent imagery Evolve produced to support its sister company, Galliford Try Midlands BID, in tendering for the construction contract to build a new state-of-the-art library in Worcester. We also discuss the prospect of future collaborations.

12.30pm: I take time out in Cafe Nero to respond to messages and emails on my phone. Most of my correspondence is project-specific. From first meeting through to completion of a scheme, I have a strong working relationship with all of Evolve’s clients.

1.30pm: Michelle and I meet up with Richard Wise, of Ryders architects, for lunch at The Olive Press to discuss current projects. Also, given that Ryders are relatively new to Liverpool, Michelle looks to establish how she can assist with some introductions.

3.30pm: Back to the office where John and Paul take me through the day’s production. With John, we discuss the lighting solution and camera tracks for the animation. I still and always will love the hands-on creative element of my role.

5pm: Have a long telephone discussion with Paul Warren, of Manchester-based design agency Richard Barber, discussing the Carlyle Street scheme in Bury. Our visualisations can make the difference between a successful marketing campaign or not, so our clients expect top quality results.

6pm: Tonight I make it home in time to read Hannah a story before packing a small bag and heading to the airport. I have an early morning meeting in Spain with new clients Cobham-Murphy and their Spanish architect to discuss the proposed imagery for an exciting new development in Murcia. No doubt I’ll have a beer and a quick nap on the plane .