How did you and Adam meet and when did you decide to start a business together?

When we were five on the playground. We used to live quite close together. We started little schemes with each other. Like, school dinners were 95p and we found a way to get the 5p by charging the other kids to play on Adam’s yo-yo. Then we got a camera and took photos of local cats, then used those to make a calendar and sold them to the girls at school. 

We both went onto different things after high school and didn’t think we’d be working together again. Then in 2015, I’d been on a trip to Japan and when I came back I got the idea to start a video business. Adam had broken his leg in a motorcycle accident and asked if he could get involved. 

The company was originally called “Fifty Squid Limited.” What made you change it to Squideo?

The idea was it was a fifty-pound video – squid to rhyme with quid. We thought of it like McDonalds, we were just assembling it from pre-created content; we wanted customers who wouldn’t usually be able to afford videos to come in, choose what they wanted from a menu and walk away with a video. That got us a few clients, but the videos started to look quite similar. Which is when we decided to rebrand and switch things up. 

The original logo had a squid in it. Did the squid ever have a name? And what made you choose a squid as your emblem? 

No, it didn’t. We always meant to do that! I think the idea first came because it rhymed with quid, and the service would cost fifty pounds. Also, squids are intelligent. I think.

Did you think you’d be a business owner when you were younger?

I thought I would be self-employed, as I never really liked having a traditional career with a boss, but I didn’t think I’d hire other people. Which was weird to get used to. Although our team is quite tight, I like to think I’m just one of the team with the final word [laughs].

How has Squideo’s services changed over the years?

As I said, it was a very basic idea at the start. Almost a make-your-own video. The client would choose the style they wanted – modern, corporate – the colours, the music, then we’d put it together for them. Like McDonalds – they don’t make the ingredients on-site they just put them together. But it didn’t take long for our productions to look very similar and we wanted to make them a lot more professional. That’s when we changed our production process. Our original clients didn’t even have to chat with us; they’d make the choice online, upload a script, and we’d send them the finished result. 

What is one of your favourite projects that you’ve worked on at Squideo?

A couple of years ago we did some projects for the NHS, which we still do, but when we started I found I really liked those projects that had a clear public benefit from making them. Like our recent video for Chron’s & Colitis UK. I know people are going to watch that, learn something, and maybe it’ll make a difference. 

Squideo went fully remote in 2020. Is there anything you miss from the old offices? 

Definitely the camaraderie and getting to see people every day. We used to have a regular tournament to see who would make tea for the day; we’d throw tennis balls and whoever’s rolled the furthest would end up on duty. Fun stuff like that. 

And whatever happened to Squideo’s pet fish – Ink and Squidge?

Oh, man! Well, one of them… [EMILY: Crossed the rainbow bridge?] … yeah, I think it went down the toilet. The other one went to another business that was in the same office building as us. Once we were down to one fish we realised it wasn’t really worth the expense and time to maintain the tank. 

What advantages has remote work brought to the company?

A lot. Obviously it saved us costs, but the commute was a big one. If everyone in our company was having a 30-minute commute to the office, doing that both ways, then that’s 8 hours in total our staff has lost. It just frees people up; we can run errands during our lunch break, and get outside. 

And the technology boom post-COVID?

Yeah. We didn’t see a lot of clients in person even before the pandemic, apart from some people who weren’t really comfortable with the technology. But now, everyone knows how to use at least one video conferencing platform. And that has really freed us up to work with clients from anywhere in the world. 

We’ve been able to stay in touch as a team really well since going remote, through regular meetings and occasional staff outings. Last time was a trip to the bowling alley; where do you want to go next?

I think an escape room currently has the most votes. That’s been a popular request. Although, Callum’s mentioned going driving on a proper range, and maybe having a full game of golf. I’ve always wanted us to do a Christmas trip to Amsterdam. I used to go on that years ago, using the ferry, so that’d be great. 

Escape room next, probably. Providing we have a few good months!

I took a deep dive into Squideo’s social media accounts before we met and I have just one more question left from those; do I want to know what happens in the Squideo van?

[Laughs] In the van. A friend of Adam’s was wrapping cars and vans, so we thought it would be a cool marketing technique. Like people would see this orange van and think, that looks cool I’m going to check it out. Not sure it really worked. Adam mostly used it to take motorcycle parts to the scrap heap. We did rebrand it and he still has it; it’s just about hanging in there. 

Finally, can you give us an insight into where Squideo is heading and what projects you have on the horizon?

We’re working a lot with different NHS trusts and local authorities which we’re keen to pursue. For the team, I don’t think we want to expand massively past a couple more people. I like the level we’re at, I just want us to build more brand awareness. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Just that we’re always looking to expand, to reach new clients, and keep our service affordable while retaining quality. I’m really happy with how to company has grown, we’ve worked with some amazing people over the year, and I hope we keep it up for a long while to come.

Check out our next post to learn about our video production process as I sit down to talk with our Video Producer, Hannah Bales.