Chris profiled in PR Week

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'Read All About It' (Some more Media coverage )

The PlayGroup is a collective, featuring projects and ideas by Chris Ward, his family and partners from specialist fields.

Chris Ward has founded two successful and award winning marketing agencies, working with many of the UK's most well known art and entertainment properties and brands in the process, including leading to its success the website, turned reunion phenomenon, Friends Reunited.

In 2001, after ten years, Chris sold both Beatwax and Firstmovies to a larger media group and finally left his CEO role for both companies in late 2003.

This year Chris has taken the opportunity to try to achieve things with his body as well as his brain (and to help raise funds for two cancer charities). To that end he has cycled from Lands End To John O’Groats, climbed the Three Peaks, started bike racing and cycled up Alps and over Mallorcan hills, taught himself to ski the black runs in Chamonix and in November runs in the New York marathon!

Background

Prior to founding Beatwax in 1992 Chris undertook an Art / Design / Fashion Foundation Course, worked at the BBC for three years and spent seven years running his own music management company. Beatwax was launched as the UK's first specialist student marketing company and over the years demand for its services saw the company grow to become one of the UK's foremost contemporary communications agencies.

Over ten years Chris has overseen all activity for a wide range of clients, mainly through his expertise in the fields of marketing, design, fundraising, interactive media and public relations, for clients and properties such as:

Trainspotting, Blair Witch Project, Shrek, Radiohead, Blur, Franz Ferdinand, Nokia, Casio, Barclays, Stella Artois, Allied Domecq, BBC, The Labour Party, Evian, Carlsberg, Rizla, London Film Festival and Sony PlayStation. He has worked with all UK movie distributors, record companies, computer gaming companies and many diverse venues. Often this work has involved marrying together cutting edge and art based events for brands to support and fund.

Chris grew Beatwax to a company incorporating 45 creative and business personnel and has won many awards for creative communications. Beatwax were PR Week’s fastest growing agency and picked up the ‘PR Campaign Of The Year Award’ for its work on launching Friends Reunited. Chris speaks at conferences and presented the plenary speech aboard the Orinana at last years Communications Directors forum, alongside Rory Bremner and William Hague. He is also regularly asked to comment on brands and entertainment properties by various trade media.

Chris founded Firstmovies in 1999, as a research and marketing agency for the worldwide movie industry. He attracted Stewart Till CBE to work alongside him as Chairman (currently Chairman of UIP and the UK Film Council). The two oversaw the securing of investment and building of the reputation of the company to enable it to be at the forefront of research and on-line database marketing for major new Hollywood movies and new British productions.

Chris has also created ‘Lifeslide’ cards, a fun personalised timeline product, that is available at retail and has been used by Adidas, E4, Gran Marnier and Future Publishing, amongst others.

Chris is married to Helen Kalli and they have three young children; Molly, Bob & Rose. He is a West Ham United supporting Samaritan - which he finds a useful combination!

Molly, Bob & Rose's Summer '04

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Chris, Molly, Rose, Bob & Helen

Helen and Chris