01252 843200
hello@shinecreative.co.uk
Samantha Stokes
Creative Director
sam@shinecreative.co.uk
M: 07801 719696
Sam is co-owner of Shine Creative, which she established in 2000. She runs the company on a day to day basis and is responsible for new business development, as well as keeping a firm hand on the creative side of course!
Prior to setting up Shine, Sam studied at Berkshire College of Art and Design. She then spent the next 20 years helping other designers to understand that creativity is all about passion, mood and thought - rather than learning how to press the relevant keys on a keyboard to create pretty shapes and patterns! Over the years Sam has worked for a number of global agencies, on a broad range of projects including the design and implementation of numerous European and global brands for blue chip companies.
When not running Shine, she can usually be found wearing a pair of walking boots and planning her next expedition, with a glass of wine in hand!
Darron Thompson
Design Director
darron@shinecreative.co.uk
M: 07796 170333
Although also a managing partner of the business, Darron is purely focused on creative design, something at which he excels, having started his design career in 1987 shortly after the introduction of Apple's Macintosh Plus.
Darron has been lucky enough to work for cutting edge agencies throughout his career, at a time when the graphics world was evolving from marker pen to computer and beyond. Consequently his knowledge of electronic graphics and design software is extensive. In addition to his technical capabilities, Darron's ability to take any brief and create an end product which exceeds his clients' expentations is a talent of which Shine Creative is justifiably proud. He is a true creative designer, personable and easy to work with, but passionate, determined and not afraid to argue his point if he believes he is right.
When he steps away from his Mac, Darron is most likely to be found playing fuzzy felt with his daughter or listening to 80s hits and writing his own style of 'Electro' music!
Gill Taylor
Project Manager and Copywriter
gill@shinecreative.co.uk
M: 07595 161855
Gill is an experienced copywriter and is also an efficient project manager. She has excellent organisational and communication skills, getting involved with marketing consultancy and campaign planning, website structure development, supplier liaison and various other functions which assist Shine in the smooth delivery of multiple projects.
Over the last 20 years Gill has worked in agency roles to account director level, and also in various client side roles including four years as head of marketing for the UK and Ireland for a large US corporate. She is able to grasp concepts easily and to get under the skin of a campaign quickly, with a clear understanding of the audience for any given project. Her copywriting skills have been developed over the last 10 years and she is particularly strong in the IT and telecoms arena.
When not organising the rest of us, Gill is usually planning her next trip, always with camera in hand, or playing poker and sipping a Jack Daniel's!
Nadine Laws
Designer/Studio Manager
Nadine is our Studio Manager, supporting Sam on estimating and liaising with clients/suppliers, as well as managing the team and projects going through the studio.
She is also one of our team of trusty designers, working on numerous blue chip brands and with the ability to decipher and understand complex brand guidelines quickly. She keeps a cool head under pressure and isn't phased by almost impossible deadlines.
After studying graphic design at university, Nadine spent seven years with a leading full service agency, working on projects for many high profile consumer brands. She is now very much the driving force of the studio and keeps everyone on their toes!
Nadine spends much of her free time looking after her menagerie of cats and dogs, including an Alaskan Malamute and a Shiba Inu.
Dan Cripp
Artworker/Digital Specialist
Dan came to us from a print background where he worked in the pre-press department for over 15 years, giving him an extensive knowledge of production techniques.
He looks after all of our email marketing and database management projects, as well as ongoing client website maintenance activity. We think of Dan very much as our ‘digital guru’ - if there is anything technical that we need to find out about, Dan sees this as a challenge and will always come up with an answer! Much of his time is also spent managing a long term and highly demanding monthly catalogue project for one of our larger clients.
When not at work, Dan can usually be found playing cricket or badminton, supporting QPR and eating chocolate - but not all at the same time!
Lisa Cook
Designer/Creative Artworker
Lisa has been with Shine since the business was first founded and is an invaluable part of the studio team. She works predominantly on larger projects such as catalogues, which require a huge amount of organisation, patience and attention to detail - all things at which Lisa excels!
She is very loyal to the company, with a conscientious and considerate nature and a telephone manner that puts the rest of us to shame. Before joining Shine she worked in various agency roles as an artworker and junior designer.
Outside of work, Lisa spends her time running around after two small children, and if that wasn't enough exercise, she can usually be found snowboarding or cycling at the weekends as well.
Hilary Kipping
Financial Controller
Hilary manages all of the finances for Shine and makes sure that we get paid at the end of the month. She also keeps our suppliers happy by signing their cheques, eventually!
She always ensures that there are fresh flowers in the office, biscuits in the tin and a veritable feast on the table when clients visit. Hilary is very much the 'mother hen' of the company and always has the team's best interests at heart, making her invaluable to the business, with a role that extends far beyond simply adding up columns of numbers.
Hilary dabbles in antique collecting and at weekends can usually be found bidding for some obscure item at auction, or attending one of the many local plant sales. She is also partial to a Liquorice Allsort or two!
Ickle
Guard Dog and Mascot
Ickle has been a major part of the Shine family since 2008 when she joined us as a junior puppy. Her main role is to savage the postman (but never when he's carrying anything important of course!) and to give us all some light entertainment on more stressful days.
When not working hard as guard dog and mascot she spends her time chasing bright lights and seeking out the best sunbathing spots, even when there is only a sliver of light to be found. And when we let her, usually on birthdays, she also loves popping balloons.
Our Associates
We believe in bringing in specialist skill sets where necessary, to ensure every project we undertake is delivered to a standard that our clients have come to expect.
With this in mind we have developed a number of very close associate relationships over the years, which bring together some of the key capabilities which make a project glow! Some of the key team members are Simon Fuller - Head of Development Team, Daren Carter - Project Co-ordinator, Andrew Watson - Photographer and Sean Cook - Developer.
We are always on the look out for like-minded perfectionists, so if you believe you have a skill that could work to our advantage, then please do get in touch.
