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We have found Next Studio consistently produce excellent work, on time and on budget. Not only that, but their vast knowledge (and their willingness to share it) have proven invaluable.
About_
Overengineered solutions, delivered yesterday
Overengineered solutions, delivered yesterday
Why Next Studio? :
Society continues its progression from print to pixels, pen-pals to Facebook friends and regularly scheduled programming to high definition video-on-demand. Advertisers, industry, governments and organisations find themselves in a continuous state of flux, wrestling with the most effective ways to reach their audience on an ever-changing playing field. An exponential demand for digital services, digital delivery and digital content, coupled with ongoing systems evolution and device convergence is leaving yesterday's marketers gulping for air.
Even the self-proclaimed experts need to seek help or advice from time to time... and that's where we fit in. Think of 'Next Studio' as your on-call Macgyver - ready to diffuse your digitally-driven projects with a winning combination of technical brilliance, creative flair and comforting voice over.
While we don't claim to rock Richard Dean Anderson's stone wash jeans and slick 80's mullet, or have the ballsy nonchalance to diffuse a nuclear warhead with a lowly paperclip, we do claim to be Melbourne's premier digital service provider and technical consultancy.
For several action-packed seasons we've serviced leading national and global advertising agencies, the commercial industry and local business, earning an industry reputation for excellence and reliability. Comprised of a merry band of nerds who live and breathe the digital frontier, we produce bleeding edge digital solutions across multiple disciplines. Whether you're an international advertising agency looking for a dependable technical partner, or an old school marketer for a new school SMB, our extended team of digital specialists has the depth, knowledge and experience to solve almost any technical conundrum or produce virtually any digital project you can conceive.
Methodology :
However the term may have been distorted over time (most commonly to suit the communication requirements of wanky spiritual health retreats) we take a truly "holistic" approach to digital projects. This approach aims to provide you with transparency, long term reliability, maintainability and value for money. We do this by adhering to industry best practice methods and remaining accountable for the work we produce. We also take into consideration your past, present and predicted needs as well as the way you currently do business and any systems you may already have in place.
Process and documentation
A large part of our process is aimed at helping you, at the earliest stage possible, to best understand how we intend to implement your plans, avoiding wasteful and costly re-work. Guided by your brief, we develop an in-depth technical and creative response along with timeline and cost estimations, and expert recommendations on the best way to proceed. Through ongoing communication with key stakeholders from the very beginning of the project, we develop detailed information architecture and functional/technical specifications as required. Coupled with "look-and-feel" creative concepts and proof-of-concept prototypes, this documentation creates the blueprint from which a project can be efficiently developed.
Creative control
There's much more to a successful website or UI than simply discovering the "Save for web and devices" function in Photoshop. All 'Next Studio' creative resources are dedicated Web or Multimedia Designers who understand the nuisances and critical considerations of working creatively within their specialised disciplines. Specialisation aside, a broad understanding of how developers, content creators or advertisers may need to interface with or build the creative elements is also essential.
Standards compliance and best practice
'Next Studio' prides itself on standards compliant web development. Okay, so we understand that this may not cause you the same excitement that it does us, but our strict adherence to W3C standards and industry best-practice development methods provide you with browser portability, enhanced accessibility and search engine compatibility.
Flexibility
We take great pride in our work – so we won't lock you in. If you want to take your project elsewhere down the track – different hosting, a new in-house developer or even a different set of nerds (but trust us, they won't be anywhere near as much fun to deal with!), you will be able to do so. The tools we wield are open source and freely available, and we stand by the quality of the projects we build on top of them.
When digital is not the solution
Okay, so it pains us to admit it, but we understand that on some occasions digital may not be the best solution to your problem. For instance; if your niche market happens to be illiterate retirees living in remote island villages off the coast of Venezuela, the best way to reach them isn't through a killer new mobile application, no matter how excited about it you or we are.
Simply put, if we don't believe that digital is the best way to make a return on your investment, we'll happily explain why, and do our best to point you in the direction of some of our less nerdy, but equally-skilled colleagues.
Culture :
'Next Studio' is comprised exclusively of amicable nerds, enthusiastic geeks and uber intelligent egg-heads. Consequently, our culture and workplace reflect a rather unique take on traditional office life.
Our Richmond headquarters, colloquially known as 'Leggoland', is conveniently situated amidst some of Australia's largest advertising agencies and corporations, within a stone's throw of the CBD, and most importantly a hop, skip and a jump to some of Melbourne's best bars and cafes. The infamous Melbourne coffee culture is proudly upheld by our nerds; caffeine plays an essential role in the team's ability to function day-to-day at the required superhuman level. The humble flat white is our version of gummy berry juice, granting us power and ability above and beyond that of the common nerd!
Animated lunch time discussions usually focus on perplexing conundrums, moral quandaries, social politics, science and technology, TV and film, evil in the media, news headlines, the latest Think Geek specials, Dilbert, comic books, the best way to destroy Superman and of course, the latest developments from the digital front. A who's who assortment of retro cartoon action figures and movie memorabilia proudly line the walls. Nintendo Wii and World Cup Foosball are our entertainment pillars of choice, effecting battle cries to randomly ring throughout Leggo Place, sometimes startling passers-by.
Although our attitude is friendly and our workplace relaxed, we are a tight knit team using the unique skills and personalities of our individual members to collaborate towards a single cohesive goal, always striving for the most effective outcome. We love what we do, so we're enthusiastic about doing it. The mutual respect we have for each other and our clientele is apparent in our culture, and shows in our work.
Key Team :
James Macpherson aka "Jmac"
Managing Director
With interests reaching across design, 3D modelling and computer programming, James graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) in 2003. With his degree including a year of industry-based employment starting in 2001, James continued to work within the online industry throughout the remainder of his degree.
Focusing his interests on software development, James has been involved with the development of Australia's largest independent new car retailing website, as well as numerous projects for Deakin University interfacing with their campus-wide accounting, asset management and student databases. A founding partner of 'Next Studio' in 2006, James provides a flexible range of interactive and back-end development skills.
Thomas Kerr aka "TJ"
Technical Director
With a strong interest in mathematics and the theory of computing, Tom graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Computer Science in 2002. Entering the online industry in 2005, Tom contracted primarily to boutique web design and development firms. These contracts involved a range of systems management and software development tasks, including implementing an automated invoicing system for Australia's largest wine storage and cellaring provider.
Tom was one of the founding partners in 'Next Studio', in 2006, and continues to provide a strong technical and theoretical background to the work produced.
Marco Damiano aka "Macrovision"
Creative Director
With a penchant for all things shiny and new, and a fascination with the (then) emerging field of New Media, Marco was among 'Swinburne University: National School of Design's' first graduates from the 'Bachelor of Design: Multimedia' course in 2001. In 2004, following the completion of his honours degree and after freelancing with several boutique Melbourne web agencies, Marco co-founded SuperActionGoTeam, an award-winning New Media Design firm, with two of his ex-Swinburne contemporaries.
Marco has since produced projects as varied as interactive tools for the Australian Red Cross and Ford Motor Company, to motion graphics and music videos for the likes of Sony BMG and telecommunications giant Sybase 365. Having already worked closely with 'Next Studio' for several years, Marco officially became a part of the team in 2008 following 'Next Studio's' acquisition of 'SuperActionGoTeam'. His passion for photography, film and social media keeps the nerds looking good and up-to-date with the latest digital trends.
Ben Graham aka "Hammur Anvilsson"
Senior Developer
Ben joined the 'Next Studio' team on a short-term contract in late 2007, before graduating from Swinburne University in 2009 with degrees in Robotics & Mechatronics and Computer Science & Software Engineering (an obvious underachiever!). Ben has since become a full-time nerd, offering invaluable insights into 'Next Studio's' software engineering processes. He has worked on a wide range of projects including an asset management utility for an Australian film industry importer, large projects for household brands and government initiatives, and e-commerce sites for a range of small-businesses entering the online market.
Whilst not staring deeply into beaches or taking long walks into the eyes of loved ones, Ben enjoys debating with himself which of his guitars he would most like to play, or reading widely in any number of genres, albeit strictly limited to science/non fiction.
Next Studio's vast technical knowledge and contacts have helped us to find specialist hosting on more than one occasion.
Strategic Partnerships :
Although our service offering is (conveniently) broad, we don't claim to offer every digital service known to man, in-house. We focus on what we excel at, and leave everything else to select experts in their respective fields - who we carefully manage. Consequently, we've invested much time and research into screening and fostering close working relationships with specialist service providers and technical partners who, like us, are at the top of their game.
If the services of one of or more of our recommended third-party providers are required for your project, we can contract and internally manage the resource on your behalf. This ensures our strict standards are met and maintained throughout the process and effectively shields you from the frustration involved when working directly with multiple suppliers. Ultimately this approach affords you one dedicated point of contact, accounts with just one provider, and peace of mind that your project is being managed by experts who can talk the talk on your behalf.
