About | Our Story | Who We Are
Two Smoking Barrels
are a studio service,
primarily aimed at larger
design & branding agencies,
who require freelance &
outsourced studio resources.
The beginning
After being made redundant from FutureBrand during the 2004 recession Jason decided to try a new career path by becoming freelance. For the second time in his career, he found himself his own boss & obviously took to it like a duck to water. (The first time being when the company he worked for relocated to Southend-on-Sea, but that's a whole other chapter).
His apprenticeship in the print industry completed many years prior, had set him up with a wealth of knowledge that could not be gained anywhere other than the factory floor. This learning allowed Jason to adapt to the redundancy by way of embracing his entrepreneurial & go-getter traits & do something positive. Immediately within two weeks he had created Two Smoking Barrels and was up and running. He soon realized that he was never happy being pigeon-holed in one role by short-sighted colleagues of the past & that being his own boss actually suited him really well, allowing him to diversify as and when it was required.
Today
These days the business is not just about freelancing but it is aimed at servicing larger design & branding agencies by way of acting as a go-to studio. When extra resourcing is needed by the client, we want that client to be calling Two Smoking Barrels to handle all their needs. Whether it be artwork for print, powerpoint presentations for winning new business, animation teasers or bringing a logo to life. Logo Libraries, kit of parts, colour tests, retouching or brand guidelines, large format or online digital there's not much we do not do. With the addition
of Jason's son Kris, himself a creative now becoming the second 'Smoking Barrel' the business is moving into the animation field a little more. Kris already producing work shown on Saudi TV in his first year out.
We believe the mix of old school & new digital skill sets are complementary to one another.
So why Two Smoking Barrels?.
"Well back when I was at FutureBrand. [says Jason] I, as the Production Manager, deemed it appropriate & indeed necessary, to nickname all the guys in the studio, who lacked nicknames & or had poor nicknames, replacing them with more entertaining variations. (it's something that's common in the print industry, a tradition I happily brought with me to the world of branding). Anyway cut a long story short, after making sure everyone had an appropriately funny nickname it was noticed that I never received a nickname myself.
One day, however, we were told a new consultant was to be seated in our production area. We all look quizzically at each other, wondering why on earth a suit would be stationed with the grafters. A small slightly orange American man indeed joined us that week, well turned out, not a hair out of place, he had the most flamboyant & likeable persona.
He remained with us for a number of months (I think he liked the banter, to be honest) before, & here it is! one day, out of nowhere, he jumped up shouting "That's it...... I GOT IT!". We all turned around, "I am going to call you LOCKSTOCK!" he said, to a roar of laughter from the rest of the studio myself included (He had just watched the movie & thought I looked & talked like Vinnie Jones's character & from that day on, the name stuck).
That man went on to be my boss, none other than Chris Nurko, former Global Chairman of FutureBrand & now Chief Growth & Innovation Officer at C Space. He still calls me Lock to this day, & this is the reason why the company name is Two Smoking Barrels thanks, Chris!"
