Feb06
How time flies. This domain, www.jam-factory.com was first registered 10 years ago today! It started life as my online ‘playground’ when I was a young pup, an 18-year-old junior designer at my first job in Leicester at a company called Christon Davies. I came fresh out of design college, skipping University and started working as a junior designer. Not long into the role I was offered to learn the ways of the web, being a web designer, I never looked back. My then boss suggested I should really have my own site, to display my own work and by making my own site It would be really beneficial to learning to design and code my own stuff. So on February 6th 2001 I chose the domain name www.jam-factory.com (from a random set of words, “jam…. erm…. factory!?… yeah that’ll do”) and here we are, a decade later! After working for Christon Davies for 4 years, I took a big gulp and decided to go it alone, working for myself as a freelance designer. I’d spent a lot of time working on ‘JamFactory’ as a site itself and as my own ‘alter ego’, so decided to keep the name and embrace it, so JF became my official company and onwards I went, getting my own clients and doing my thing in the big bad world! Nearly 4 years later after that and a location change to beautiful Bristol, I left the freelance life behind and became Senior Designer for the Digital department of the illustrious Aardman Animations, a dream job that I still can’t believe I have! I thought JamFactory would unfortunately have to take a back burner but not so, I was as busy as I ever was, doing lots of exciting fun projects in my own time, free from the constraints of finances, I could do things just for fun, rather than panicking what would bring in the next pay cheque! Things are still the same here today at the factory of Jam but much more mellow. 10 years changes you quite a bit, I’m still the same person but I like to think a bit wiser and a much greater understanding of my own work and how I work. In my own time my pace has slowed right down, I’m working on just one project instead of the usual 5 and it feels great. I have focus and pouring my heart and soul into the wonderful projects at Aardman and then coming home and beavering away on my bike film BOIKZMOIND. I’m very, very lucky to have been able to make pretty things for 10 years and I am eternally grateful to everyone who’s ever given me a chance to create something for them. The people who where there for me in the beginning; Nath, Nib, Andy and everyone at Christon Davies, Andy at Casino, Ed at Peel - there’s a huge list of people that gave me their time and I am most grateful. Thank you to you too. For sitting there and reading this, the people that have kindly given me their attention over the years as I put out these silly pictures and have left a comment or sent me an email, bought a t-shirt or came to a show, I’m genuinely overwhelmed my the kind-hearted community of people i’ve met from ‘being’ JamFactory. I can’t say thank you properly without mentioning my lovely partner Sarah. We’ve been together for over half of this decade of JamFactory’s existence and she’s been a fantastic support over the years. Having patience whilst I’ve worked myself into the ground, selfishly focused on my own career whilst sacrificing my own relationship, health and friendships. It’s down to her that I’m at this point now, where my work / life balance is as it should be and I’ve never been so content. To her i want to say both ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’. I want to thank my family too, they’re always been there for me and my brother, in whatever we do and I’ve always known I can count on them to be there for me whenever I need. They’ve been incredibly supportive in anything I’ve tried my hand at, I’m very lucky to have them. To those who are out there now, husting hard and working to forge a career ahead of you, I really recommend surrounding yourself with passionate, caring people who will always be there to support you, through good and bad times. Be sure not to forget them and realise that you will always be a better creative to know you have their support behind you. I hope there’s another 10 years to come and I hope you’ll come with me. - Gav. 

How time flies. This domain, www.jam-factory.com was first registered 10 years ago today! It started life as my online ‘playground’ when I was a young pup, an 18-year-old junior designer at my first job in Leicester at a company called Christon Davies. I came fresh out of design college, skipping University and started working as a junior designer. Not long into the role I was offered to learn the ways of the web, being a web designer, I never looked back.

My then boss suggested I should really have my own site, to display my own work and by making my own site It would be really beneficial to learning to design and code my own stuff. So on February 6th 2001 I chose the domain name www.jam-factory.com (from a random set of words, “jam…. erm…. factory!?… yeah that’ll do”) and here we are, a decade later!

After working for Christon Davies for 4 years, I took a big gulp and decided to go it alone, working for myself as a freelance designer. I’d spent a lot of time working on ‘JamFactory’ as a site itself and as my own ‘alter ego’, so decided to keep the name and embrace it, so JF became my official company and onwards I went, getting my own clients and doing my thing in the big bad world!

Nearly 4 years later after that and a location change to beautiful Bristol, I left the freelance life behind and became Senior Designer for the Digital department of the illustrious Aardman Animations, a dream job that I still can’t believe I have! I thought JamFactory would unfortunately have to take a back burner but not so, I was as busy as I ever was, doing lots of exciting fun projects in my own time, free from the constraints of finances, I could do things just for fun, rather than panicking what would bring in the next pay cheque!

Things are still the same here today at the factory of Jam but much more mellow. 10 years changes you quite a bit, I’m still the same person but I like to think a bit wiser and a much greater understanding of my own work and how I work. In my own time my pace has slowed right down, I’m working on just one project instead of the usual 5 and it feels great. I have focus and pouring my heart and soul into the wonderful projects at Aardman and then coming home and beavering away on my bike film BOIKZMOIND.

I’m very, very lucky to have been able to make pretty things for 10 years and I am eternally grateful to everyone who’s ever given me a chance to create something for them. The people who where there for me in the beginning; Nath, Nib, Andy and everyone at Christon Davies, Andy at Casino, Ed at Peel - there’s a huge list of people that gave me their time and I am most grateful.

Thank you to you too. For sitting there and reading this, the people that have kindly given me their attention over the years as I put out these silly pictures and have left a comment or sent me an email, bought a t-shirt or came to a show, I’m genuinely overwhelmed my the kind-hearted community of people i’ve met from ‘being’ JamFactory.

I can’t say thank you properly without mentioning my lovely partner Sarah. We’ve been together for over half of this decade of JamFactory’s existence and she’s been a fantastic support over the years. Having patience whilst I’ve worked myself into the ground, selfishly focused on my own career whilst sacrificing my own relationship, health and friendships. It’s down to her that I’m at this point now, where my work / life balance is as it should be and I’ve never been so content. To her i want to say both ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’.

I want to thank my family too, they’re always been there for me and my brother, in whatever we do and I’ve always known I can count on them to be there for me whenever I need. They’ve been incredibly supportive in anything I’ve tried my hand at, I’m very lucky to have them.

To those who are out there now, husting hard and working to forge a career ahead of you, I really recommend surrounding yourself with passionate, caring people who will always be there to support you, through good and bad times. Be sure not to forget them and realise that you will always be a better creative to know you have their support behind you.

I hope there’s another 10 years to come and I hope you’ll come with me.

- Gav. 


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