Meet a Tenant: Allstar Crew

07 Apr Meet a Tenant: Allstar Crew

Just less than a year ago, Allstar Crew were battling to find the balance between home and work while growing their new business. Now, they find themselves settled at the Brentano Suite and growing faster than ever.

Tenants Anthony and James sat down with us to chat about how their company has evolved, balancing family and business, and what the future holds.

Can You Tell Us A Little About Allstar Crew?

James: Of course. Allstar Crew supply skilled and unskilled labour across the events industry. We mainly work in the UK, but we do offer our services worldwide. We often work in areas like festivals, theatres, the TV and film industry, and even removals. This ranges from anything from installing Audio & Video to building bars and even erecting marquees. Just like the good old saying, no job too big or too small.

That Sounds Really Varied! How Do You Find Your Clients?

Anthony: Our clients come to us, usually! People have everything they need to get their project going apart from the team to install everything. For example, a company that hires out equipment might need a few people at their warehouse to load the trucks.

Or, a client might have a festival that needs to be built. They find production teams and suppliers for the equipment and then they get in touch with us for the labour. For instance, they might need ten people for three weeks to install everything. We can help.

Tell Us A Little About What Makes Allstar Crew Unique.

Anthony: There might be plenty of other companies that offer what we do, but we’ve spent a lot of time and effort on the company, and we know it works. I believe that first impressions are incredibly important.

James: Because we’re still relatively small, we can make the experience personable. We’ve won clients from bigger companies because we can take the time to make them feel important and stay flexible.

And How Did Your Business Start?

Anthony: We’ve actually been in the industry for 20 years combined. I’ve worked with, and for competitors, while James was freelancing. That showed him a different side of the industry, too. We started to get so much work that we couldn’t do it all ourselves. At first, we brought friends on board, but we soon realized it was something we could build as a business.

We still like to bring friends and family in. There’s a lot of work out there, but a lot of people don’t know where to find it. We’re lucky to be able to work with people we know and also find new talent to bring on board.

That Sounds Like A Nice Way To Grow The Business. Have You Always Been Based At The Brentano Suite?

James: Well, we started the business in January 2020…so at first, we did a lot from home. But as the company grew, it started to take over the house! We did some research to find somewhere we could call home. The Brentano Suite stood out and we’ve been here ever since.

How Has Your Experience Here Been?

James: The Brentano Suite makes life easier. There are things that I didn’t know I was missing until I got here.

For example, Sandra at reception takes the post, it’s open 24/7… it’s even nice just to walk past our neighbours in other offices and pop in to say hello. Having even a five-minute chat can make all the difference. It’s just easy. We also only live about 15 minutes away, which is ideal.

Is It Important To Have An Office Nearby For You?

James: Yeah, definitely. We might do office work, but if we can get to site and do jobs ourselves, we do.

Anthony: Me and James have families, too. Trying to sit on a laptop in a small flat with a one-year-old running around, nappies and bottles to deal with, as well as thirty or forty staff on site to manage…it was challenging.

So, the Brentano Suite has given us the opportunity to make work, work and make home, home. But we’re still very local to where we live and our families.

It Sounds Like The Brentano Suite Is A Great Fit!

James: Yes, definitely. There’s no stress or pressure, it’s just easy. Because it’s a serviced office, we don’t need to think about various bills and hosting visitors. There’s a parking space, too, which is important.

We just have more time to focus on the business. We pay one invoice a month, everything is sorted, so we can focus on the things that are important for us.

So, What Does The Future Look Like?

James: The calendar is looking very full! People hear about us through word of mouth. We’ve got so many festivals coming up this summer… we’re talking with TV and film companies. The growth is looking fantastic and we’re hoping to recruit a lot too.

So, if anyone’s looking for a job, we’re hiring!

To find out more about how The Brentano Suite can help your business to thrive, have a look at our video tour.

Read more about Allstar Crew on their website.