We recently caught up with Antenna members, Nick Cuthbert and Stefan Loncar. Friends and business associates for many years, they agreed to be interviewed and filmed for a member profile, produced by two talented students from Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies.
Nick is a freelance consultant with a number of roles in the education industry, as well as some local businesses. Stefan is originally from Rijeka, Croatia, he came to Nottingham to study at Nottingham Trent University and soon after fell in love with the city. With close ties still to NTU, working part-time as a Water Polo Coach, Stefan was recommended Antenna as a base for his new business:
“I came to Antenna through my friend Nick. We know each other because he used to be my Director in an international student recruitment company, and then after a year in employment I started my own company, it’s called Loncom Consulting, it does data and financial analytics.”
Find out more about this dynamic duo, their business ventures, what drew them to Antenna, and why, for them, Antenna is special and unique:
So, Nick and Stefan, thanks for joining us here today. We’ve already touched on your businesses in brief, can you tell us a bit more about your work and the kind of clients you support?
Nick:
“The kind of customers that I work with are very much interested in engaging with the creative industries, from videographers or illustrators to web designers, and obviously, there’s a huge talent hub here at Antenna.
“So, it’s really useful to be in amongst the Creative Quarter in Nottingham, where I can get good connections and connect them to my clients.”
Stefan:
“With Loncom Consulting, I support clients from all different industries, I work with them to become more data driven.
“For myself, it’s very easy to communicate numbers, but for others it’s not so easy, and so I support my clients to extract and read off their data, helping them to better understand what’s happening in their businesses and make sound business decisions.”
What would you say drew you to Antenna?
Nick:
“I’m lucky enough to be a non-executive director for Art of Football, a Nottingham business that has grown up over the last 8 years, it’s based in the Creative Quarter in Sneinton Market, which is just a short walk down from the Antenna building.
“Art of Football has been a huge success, they sell to football fans a range of apparel and print works and engage with lots of sporting brands and football clubs on creative content. My role there is to support with the business’s expansion as it grows, and in some ways, I have to be quite impartial to the team, and so day to day I don’t want to be too much involved with their work, but it’s good to be close by to have meetings and engage with them.
“So, for me it’s great being able to use the Antenna space as a separate hub to being stationed in their offices.”
Stefan:
“What drew me to Antenna is I’m an NTU alumni, so I know about the Confetti campus and the location, and then my friend, he told me about the possibility to come and work from here, and he was like “oh come on, let’s remain in the office together”, and so, that’s kind of how we were searching for a coworking space. Nick thought of Antenna, and he made the right choice.”
Antenna is described as a space to create, how does it inspire your own creativity? Tell us why you enjoy working from here.
Nick:
“Antenna is special and unique because of the building that it’s in, the proximity to the creative talent, the members that work here, it does the fundamentals right.”
Stefan:
“Walking around Antenna makes you feel different than any other part of Nottingham. It has that special feeling when you walk about it, you know? That new ideas are flowing, that new, creative things are happening behind its doors.
“I think Antenna’s community feel is the best I’ve experienced. I think coming in after lockdowns and working from home, it’s just great to be in the company of people having business conversations, networking and having meetings. It’s amazing to see and it just gives you the motivation to push harder. It feels like we’re all one team helping each other out.”
Nick:
“For me, flexibility is a big benefit. I often drop in because I’m working in town, in Nottingham, and I need to come in and do some work or have a meeting on Zoom.
“And so, the flexibility here allows me to come into the coworking space and find space. There are options for booking professional meeting rooms and it is very flexible and professional in terms of meeting clients here.
“So, these are the things that matter to me. I’ve met a number of clients on the premises here and it’s just a little bit more professional than say, meeting them in a café or bar.
“It has the things that you need: strong Wi-Fi, good hospitality, and good food and drink.”
Thank you for your time gents! Should members of the Antenna community want to learn more about your businesses or reach out, how might they get in touch with you?
Nick:
“Come and have a chat with me in the coworking space. Otherwise you can get in touch with me on LinkedIn. There’s also the Art of Football website, where you can find out more about our clothing brand.”
Stefan:
“Likewise, please say hello when you see me. I’m always looking to make new connections and get to know people over a coffee. You can also find me on LinkedIn and on the Loncom Consulting website.”
Not an Antenna member or tenant?
Antenna is Nottingham’s most established co-working space. Whether you’re a freelancer or small company looking for a studio space, Antenna offers flexible memberships and a great city-centre location.
You can find out more by heading over to our membership page.
