We’re invested in every step of your marketing campaign – from ideas and planning, right to your print being placed in the perfect venue for your target audience. So to introduce to our team and high quality level of our print distribution, get acquainted with Marc Randall – the man behind our London print networks (and stay tuned for interviews with more of our drivers)!
Name: Marc Randall
How long have you worked at London Calling/Culture Calling?
15 years.
What do you do at London Calling?
I head the distribution department. I manage the fleet. I manage the drivers. I manage the schedule. I make sure the schedule and all orders are adhered to, and all the clients are happy at the end of the day. So Monday to Friday, the guys go to the various types of work: network specials, neighborhoods, posters, door-to-doors, and they’re allocated specific tasks that are good for them.
What are the drivers like?
They all have different needs and they’re all good at different things. For example, Christos does Dalston, Hoxton, Hackney – that’s his area, so he does all the posters there. He does the ambient type of music venues, because that’s just his thing. He’s like a dark DJ – and he’s really good at it – he knows the venues very well and that relationship with the key participating venues is really important.
What kind of print stands out to you?
The Barbican. They do the most amazing posters and they know they work. They’ve got the most eclectic mix of exhibitions – really good, hard-hitting stuff. Personally, I’m into Bauhaus, and that sort of era, and they tend towards that artistic appeal, which I really like!
Do you have a favourite venue?
The Horse Hospital! It’s right in the middle of Bloomsbury. Blink and you miss it. It is what it is – used to be a horse hospital, where all the horses would go to be looked after. It’s beautiful, it’s strange, it’s weird, and they host the most unusual exhibitions. Slightly dark, but that’s my thing.
Where do you go to relax on a weekend?
I don’t! I go running. There’s a walk called the Parkland Walk from Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace, it’s a disused railway and that’s always where I do my warm-up miles, and then I go further on to Highgate Woods. If I’m feeling really brave, I’ll run as far as Regent’s Park.
What kind of cultural activities appeal to you?
I do like strolling along the Southbank, which is really nice. Or getting one of those hire-bikes, and getting around and seeing a street I haven’t seen before.
I really like photography. I’ve got two really good cameras – classic but digital. I love taking dark shots of London. It’s all about the light.
Do you have any tips for arts or cultural organizations when creating/distributing print?
I don’t see it from that side. Anything that comes here, we make it work. We can offer so many different things and our drivers know what they’re looking for. We already have a list of places, of good venues, which we put together to match the print with the target audience they’re looking for. And we do it really well.
London Calling is very proud to announce that we will be one of the first distribution companies to run an entirely electric fleet of vehicles, in order to do our bit for our environment. Our switch to electric vehicles will help reduce emissions in the capital and better the air we all breathe, as well as reducing noise pollution. We are replacing our diesel vehicles in London with eight Citroën Berlingos, and hope to go electric nationwide once there are enough charging points across the network to facilitate it, a process we should be able to start just next year.
Are you excited about the green vans?
Very. This is the biggest change in distribution. It’s been a long time coming, but the timing is right, particularly for London. We’re going to kill it.
Make the most of Marc’s expertise and passion. Click here for more information on our extensive range of print networks and distribution campaigns.