When I launched Gladiator I must say it was kind of a step into the dark. I noticed lots of people talking about how popular mobile would become. We all saw the slides “This will be the year of mobile internet” passing by ( yes, every year ). But when it came down to actually create mobile experiences, not even to mention doing this full time.. That seemed quite tricky, as there were not many people in Belgium doing so. I talked to several people before I gave birth to Gladiator and while some were very positive, I noticed lots of doubts too.. “I think it’s too early” was one of the popular quotes flying into my direction. Nevertheless, I believed in my vision on mobile and I decided to go for it. If the market was not ready, I would do my very best to help open it up.
The time is now!
The last couple of months were a combination of investing time in upgrading my skillset, educating clients and most of all, working very hard to deliver high quality, on time. I saw lot’s of opportunities and cool projects coming my way. Together with Bluetalk, Gladiator delivered mobile design and ux optimalisation for Audi A5 applications. In order to promote the Belgian Beers at the Shanghai World Exposition, Gladiator worked together with The Creative Stores, building several iPad apps. Jupiler Bartender, created together with Famous, became the number 1 free iPhone app in a few days.. That being said I think I can honestly ( and proudly ) say that it was not too early. As mentioned in my opening post:
I noticed that in a world full of innovation, creativity and mind-blowing digital experiences, I still feel like something is missing. That’s why I think the time is now!
Let’s Talk!
So what about Little Miss Robot? Well, they are an interactive agency creating engaging digital experiences, focussing on design, usability, new technology & innovation. They got in touch with me a while ago with a catchy email: “Thomas, let’s talk!” We quickly noticed that there were several matches in both our visions on digital and mobile experiences. After a few good meetings they asked me if I wanted to work together with them, implementing mobile as part of their concept & creation service. They were not looking for someone to employ in-house, they were looking for creativity, passion & ambition. It’s a request for collaboration, no need to give up my own brand, and that’s exactly what teased me. I took a few days to consider their offer and I quickly ran into some pretty interesting advantages. Moving into a very impressive studio based in the middle of Ghent, working together with experienced and talented people, more focus on creativity and innovation.. and last but not least: an active vision and ambition to create stunning mobile experiences! Besides that, this collaboration would allow me to work on bigger projects too.
Gladiator says hi
After a while I noticed more and more excitement on my side. I tried looking for reasons not to dive into this adventure and I must honestly say.. I did not really find any. That’s why I decided to go for it and say hi to Little Miss Robot. I truly feel this is a win-win situation for all parties. I feel that I’m able to offer a more professional service and environment to clients, which can only increase the quality of my work. And for Little Miss Robot, focussing on creative & digital innovation, it’s a big advantage to have mobile expertise and experience by their side too!
We have been working closely together for a couple of weeks now and we really started some exciting projects. If you want to know more about digital innovation and the things we are currently working on, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are always happy to have you over for a chat!
[...] with the digital mad men at Little Miss Robot. Some of you might already read this in one of my previous posts. We worked on a few amazing projects together: Suske en Wiske, Vacature iMag, Samsung Dance Wall, [...]