52 Blue is a new independent creative and communications business based in London, Ontario, but the experience behind it comes from a rather less direct route.
My work has crossed business development, tourism, communications, community programming, events, digital projects and the arts. I’ve worked with businesses in London and across Southwestern Ontario, spent many years working in tourism in Germany, developed community programs, worked in sales and business development, built websites, photographed cities and concerts, and spent a considerable amount of my life around music.
At first glance, those things may not seem to belong together. For me, they do.
The common thread is communication: understanding what makes a business, place, project or idea interesting, and finding a clear way to communicate that to other people.
Local matters
52 Blue is based in downtown London, and a major part of my interest is local.
London is large enough to have an enormous amount happening in business, culture, tourism, entertainment and community life, but much of it can be surprisingly difficult to discover.
That has led me to work on independent local projects involving events, downtown London, community engagement and local information. I’m particularly interested in the space between businesses and the communities around them: how people discover local businesses, how organizations communicate what they offer, and how cities present themselves to residents and visitors.
That interest extends beyond London to Southwestern Ontario, a region full of independent businesses, communities, destinations and stories that don’t always receive the attention they deserve.
Business development without the corporate fog
I also have extensive experience speaking directly with businesses and customers.
My background includes business development, outbound sales, customer service, hospitality and tourism. I’ve spoken with everyone from independent tradespeople and small-business owners to travellers from around the world.
That experience has made me particularly interested in practical communication.
What does a customer actually need to know? What makes one business stand out from another? Is the website answering the questions people really have? Does the message sound like a human being wrote it? And does any of this ultimately help someone decide to call, visit, buy, attend or participate?
Those questions are often more useful than another 40-page strategy document containing the phrase leveraging synergies.
From London to Berlin and back
Germany, and particularly Berlin, has also played an important role in how I see cities and tourism.
I spent many years living and working in Germany, including more than a decade working in tourism and travel. Guiding visitors taught me that presenting a city isn’t simply about listing attractions. Good tourism communication helps people understand the character of a place: its history, neighbourhoods, people, contradictions and peculiarities.
Since returning to London, I’ve found myself looking at my own city through some of the same eyes.
What makes London distinctive? What would a visitor remember? What do longtime residents overlook? How can local businesses participate in that story?
Those are questions I expect 52 Blue to explore.
Creative work belongs here too
Not everything fits neatly beneath a “business” heading, nor should it.
Music, photography, design, writing and digital experimentation are also part of 52 Blue. Sometimes those things will support commercial projects. Sometimes they’ll support community projects. Sometimes an idea will simply be worth trying.
That’s partly why I created 52 Blue rather than defining the business around one narrow service.
It’s a home for useful ideas.
So what is 52 Blue?
For now, the simplest description is the one on the front page:
Ideas. Communication. Projects.
52 Blue works at the intersection of business, digital media, community, tourism and creativity, with London and Southwestern Ontario as its home base and a considerably wider world of experience behind it.
Some projects will be commercial. Some will be local. Some will involve websites or communications. Others may involve events, tourism, photography, music or something I haven’t thought of yet.
That’s intentional.
This is the beginning.
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