GETTING TO KNOW… THE PIRATES WHO AIM TO DEMOCRATISE CREATIVITY

Whilst the word pirate usually conjures up images of robbing ships at sea, nothing could be further from the truth for Lifeline IT client Pirate (www.pirate.com), who provide studio space for musicians and artists.

Pirate began as a rehearsal space for bands to hire and it now has over 700 studios worldwide that can be used by producers, DJs, bands, dancers or podcasters. We talk to Head of Product Operations Mike Brandon to find out more about the company.

What is Pirate?

We were founded about seven years ago in Bristol and we originally started with self-service rehearsal rooms for bands. Over the years we’ve grown and added various products to our offer – if you’re a DJ or dancer you can rehearse in one of our studios, producers can use our spaces and we also have facilities for podcasters. We provide the space and equipment and we now have studios in different parts of the world, including the UK, US, Germany and Ireland, and employ around 100 people.

Our aim as a business is to make our studios available and accessible to everyone. We’re very much about the democratisation of creativity – studio hire costs from as little as £6 per hour and we want to encourage as many people as possible from creative fields to come along.

What is your role within the business?

As Head of Product Operations I’m responsible for programme management of all our digital products. I also manage the IT for Pirate, which means working with Lifeline IT who are our external provider.

How important is IT to the company?

Because of the nature of what we do, having efficient IT and sound technical support is crucial. Lifeline IT have been with us around 18 months and they look after all our office-based support. This includes desktop support and onboarding and offboarding. They’re a super company to work with – the guys who come out to our office are great and are interested and interesting. One of the things I like about Lifeline IT is how varied the team is – they’re from all walks of life which is something that’s particularly important to us as we’re a very diverse business.

What’s the best thing about working at Pirate?

It’s definitely being able to help people in the creative industry who would not be able to do what they’re doing without access to affordable studio space. My focus is very much on helping those people find better spaces and equipment and showing them that we value their creativity. People ask me if there are bands or musicians who use our studies that have gone on to be famous but for me it’s not about that – it’s about giving opportunities to everyone who wants to pursue their passion.

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