He is the quiet guy but in so many ways he is Happy’s secret weapon. Our thought leader, the go-to guy when there is a problem, a bit like a member of the real life A-Team.
But much more than The Face, Hannibal, BA or the other one, James Chantler is a member of the “three musketeers”, those founding fathers (and mother!) of Happy Creative. For 10 years he has been a steady rock, instrumental in the direction the company has taken, armed with a creative mind, a calming influence and an ideas machine.
Like Karen and Simon, he’s in reflective mood about the past decade of taking Happy from a three-man team to one which has almost quadrupled in size, has a healthy portfolio of clients and one which continues to grow, year on year, despite a huge economic storm, a ravaging recession and numerous brands tightening their financial clout.
Adding variety to creativity
“Seeing Happy steadily grow over the years has been my biggest achievement, and I think if you ask Karen and Simon the same thing they will agree,” says James. “No day is the same at Happy HQ, we work with such a variety of clients – from pet food producers to financial services – that you are constantly facing new challenges every day. Our culture is such that we have been able to bring experts in from different backgrounds who bring an extra dimension to the company. It’s always exciting and I never know what I’m going to be faced with when I come through those doors every morning.
“There are so many driving forces when you look around the office but Karen’s infectious passion for life and the way she faces every client and every problem with a smile is something which is part of the culture now. When Karen founded Happy she wanted to create an aura about us and she has achieved that. It is something which has helped us grow and the past few months with bringing in different faces will help us grow further.
Families
“I have two families, the one at home which is my real driver and my creative family which keeps me smiling all the time. It’s a cliche I know as lots of companies claim to be a family but Happy really is. Every single member of the team brings something new to the business and I believe that’s why we have been such a success.”
So what of the future, where does James see the Happy ship sailing to in the next 10 years?
“We have enjoyed steady growth over the past 10 years, weathered the financial storm, beaten a recession and made many friends along the way,” adds James. “To continue our gradual growth, bring in some new brands, continue our hard work and to be a success will do me just fine.”
James Chantler is Creative Director at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
