Spring’s event for graduate creatives, GradPitch2012, is building up momentum.

On the evening of July 6th, we will be bringing some of the industry’s biggest names together with the region’s most promising young creatives, providing them with a unique opportunity to mingle, question, learn and showcase their work.

Our judges are:

Damian Ferrar, Global Innovation Director, Imagination

Gary Walker, Creative Director, Abbott Mead Vickers

Greg Quinton, Executive Creative Partner, The Partners

Chris Murphy, founding partner of Fox Murphy/ Balloon Bog

Lisa Walker, Head of Digital Marketing Comms, HSBC

Stephen Bennett-Day, Creative Director, Skive

Ian Cochrane, Non-Executive Director and DBA Expert

Andy Wood, Chief Executive, Adnams

Erika Clegg, founder, Spring

But here’s the catch – there are just 12 spaces for graduate talent.

To enter, we’d like to you send us your ideas about how you would change the design communications world. What’s your thought that’ll make the creative industry sit up and pay attention?

How will you communicate it? It’s a transmedia world, so you can use any media you like to carry your concept.

Please submit your entries by June 11th. Email address for entries is erika.clegg@springagency.co.uk and post is Spring, The Press, 4 Church Street, Southwold IP18 6JG. The 12 attendees will be selected and informed by the 17th June.

This weekend I took the younger members of the family to the newly restored Woodbridge Tide Mill.

For those of you who’ve not had the chance to go yet, I’d heartily recommend a visit. I’m currently in the process of arranging a day trip from Southwold for members of the historical society, of which I am a trustee, so the historically-minded residents of our home town can enjoy this great living museum.

Spring feel truly privileged to have played a part in this Heritage Lottery-funded million pound restoration of a historical Suffolk landmark. Working with the Woodbridge Tide Mill Trust, we created an interactive mixed-media experience that transforms the Mill into a living museum.

The Tide Mill has a variety of interactive exhibits with plasma screens, games and puzzles. There are also practical demonstrations in flour milling alongside workshops for a variety of ages. Other improvements include a walkway around the mill and video cameras on the upper floors to allow disabled people to see what is happening.

It’s safe to say that the 1793 working Tide Mill is now one of Suffolk’s top visitor attractions. And I can vouch that it really is a magical experience, even on a grey, dreary day in April!

Springers – Simon and Bex in particular – dedicated masses of time and energy to this project, and it really shows.  Congratulations to the team at the Tide Mill Trust too for their vision and impeccable project management.

Our eighth judge is a high profile figure in the East Anglian agency world, Chris Murphy.

Chris developed a passion for great advertising and design in his youth and entered the agency world as an “office Boy Friday.” His career progressed to a management buyout of an agency in 1990, which was followed by a merger in 1997 to create Fox Murphy.

This agency became one of the biggest outside of London with clients including Aviva, Barclays, Adnams, Pret a Manger and Disney.

Chris sold the agency to the senior management in 2008 and Chaired the newly named Balloon Dog until exiting the business in spring 2011.

His passion now is to help others be the best they can be personally and professionally. He is opening a Norwich Centre for a national charity, Christians Against Poverty, in spring 2012.

Judge seven, Steven Bennett-Day is the Creative Director of Skive, an independent digital agency in London. He creates global campaigns for Carlsberg, Nestlé KitKat, Nestlé Aero, Vauxhall, Tetley, Dunhill and London Fashion Week.

Before Skive Steven held board level Creative Director positions at Soup, where he won clients such as innocent drinks, BSkyB and ABF Foods Group. Then Green Cathedral where he was part of the management team to take the agency from 84th to 13th in the NMA Top 100 in just one year.

He understands how to weave different technologies, channels and human motivation together for maximum commercial impact. He likes tinkering with stuff like Processing, Arduino and toys to make odd things talk to the internet.

Steven has been recognised for his work over the last 20 years through many creative and effectiveness awards.

Damian Ferrar, our sixth judge, is the Global Innovation Director of independent creative agency, Imagination.

As Director of Imagination’s Global Digital offer for Ford Motor Company, Damian leads a global team of strategy, creative and technology experts who create strategically driven, innovative digital experiences across multiple channels and platforms.

Damian joined Imagination to develop pioneering digital experiences for clients including Ford, Guinness, Samsung, Vodafone and Unilever utilising innovative digital marketing initiatives including social media, mobile, film, and interactive installations as delivery platforms and channels.