The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop
The Sweetshop

About

AI is a tool, a very useful tool, but nevertheless a tool that only creates the best outcome when wielded by a highly trained and creative mind.

Better creative, delivered more effectively.

We believe the future of creativity lies in finding new ways to leverage AI to enhance and amplify human creativity, rather than replacing it. We aim to use AI to both amplify budgets and enhance creativity and storytelling and to remove the complexities of AI for Agencies, Creatives and Brands.

In the attention economy, where success means landing in the top 1 percent of content, The Gardening.Club sets ambitious goals. We value our AI talent roster as we would any of our film directors. We only work with the very top artists in the world, and we delight in the extremely unique talent of each of them. Craft is always the key in our work whether it be in traditional or AI film.

The Gardening.Club is headed by Tom Roope (Futurist), Jacqui Kenny (celebrated AI Artist) and Melanie Bridge (co CEO & founding film director of The Sweetshop).

Tom has been at the forefront of exploring the intersection of technology and creativity, particularly in the realm of AI. Jacqui, a celebrated digital AI artist, has gained recognition for her unique approach to digital art. Her work has been showcased at prestigious venues like the Gucci Gallery and Louis Vuitton, as well as other digital-first spaces, earning her a dedicated following. Both Tom and Jacqui have been deeply invested in this new technology since its inception. Full bios can be found at the bottom of the page.

Sweetshop co CEO Melanie Bridge says: “As a futurist Tom has a vision beyond what most people can imagine, and Jacqui's exquisite artistic sensibility ensures that we continue to push craft to the highest level”.

Services

We provide AI artists and tech support to produce full AI films and TVC’s for AI suitable ideas, at the very top end of creative. Our roster of talented AI artists have been chosen for their unique vision, storytelling capabilities and style, just as our directors are selected today.

In fact, many of our AI roster have been successful film directors and Creative Directors, with years of experience in the industry. We support traditional projects, AI-assisted ventures, and fully AI-driven productions, including commercials and branded entertainment. We are particularly excited to produce films that have been scripted with the unique style of the AI artist in mind.

The ideal time to utilise TheGardening.club in your workflow is before your project has even been conceived, right back in the ideation phase. Our founding and lead AI Strategist Tom is often brought in to collaborate on creative ‘sprints’ with agencies to see how AI can be utilised to optimise creative and delivery for clients.

Work with our inhouse AI expert to scope out potential opportunities for AI integrated creative. With our teams combined knowledge of traditional production processes and new technologies within AI, we can advise you and your team on how you can best utilise AI filmmaking to enhance your specific project. 

The Gardening.club have the ability to create tools and tech for bespoke & effective marketing campaigns, such as scaleable targeted personalisation systems, that are built specifically for your brands needs.

The team recently completed personalised recommendation software for well known UK glasses brand Black Eyewear, where the creative IP from the company’s founder was made into personalised tech for their website.

With our legacy and commitment to beautiful craft, we leverage our knowledge of both traditional and AI to enhance the end result, we are always looking at how we can maximise the craft.

With over 20 years of experience in high quality film production, we are able to advise when it’s appropriate to blend AI and traditional shooting techniques, and supply the shot replacements needed. More production value on screen = better creative.

With expert advice from top copyright lawyers worldwide, we’ve developed our own rigorous and meticulously crafted set of protocols, systems, and guidelines that our AI artists follow. This ensures we can confidently use AI in our commercial projects. Not only does this framework protect our clients, but it also establishes a new benchmark for the industry. We’re so proud to be breaking new ground and setting a precedent that we believe is among the first of its kind.

AI WORK

Our Team

Jacqui Kennyco Founder & Creative Director

Jacqui has a long history with The Sweetshop, working alongside co-CEO Melanie Bridge as a creative for many years, then as co founder of The Rumpus Room with Tomas Roope. Jacqui's focus with new company The Gardening.club will be as Creative director and AI talent curator. In the ever-evolving intersection of art and AI technology, Jacqui Kenny stands out as a true innovator. Since 2020, Jacqui has embraced AI and NFTs, producing three sold-out collections and collaborating with brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Known for her groundbreaking project, "The Agoraphobic Traveller" Jacqui has captivated audiences worldwide with her unique vision and creative resilience. Utilising Google Street View, she captured stunning snapshots of remote locations she couldn't physically visit due to agoraphobia, transforming personal limitations into a powerful narrative of overcoming obstacles through creativity. Her work quickly gained international acclaim, featuring in National Geographic, Vogue, The New Yorker, and Wired, and inspiring millions. ​Jacqui's latest projects continue to push the envelope. "Safety Behaviours," her upcoming collection, delves into deepfake technology, promising to explore new realms in digital art. She is also working on an experimental AI film funded by the British Art Council.

Tom Roopeco Founder & Chief A.I. Strategist

Tom Roope is a digital creative director and futurist with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He has been at the forefront of exploring the intersection of technology and creativity, particularly in the realm of AI. Notably, in the digital space, he has worked with many high-profile clients such as Coca-Cola, Nike, Google, LVMH, Pharrell Williams and David Beckham and produced a crowdsourced campaign for Xbox with Lily Allen that garnered an enormous viewing of 32 million in 2012, and was rumored to have inspired the early days of Music.ly/Tik Tok. Tom and Jacqui co-founded The Rumpus Room with The Sweetshop in 2007, a digital agency focused on creating immersive experiences. In 2016, Tom took on the role of Group Creative Lead at Google ZOO, their creative think tank where he led a team of creative technologists to solve complex problems for Google’s top clients using advanced technologies like machine learning. ‘Fabricus’, was a project conceived by Tom’s creative team at Google, while working on Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed Origins" the team created the concept and software to harness the power of machine learning to translate hieroglyphics. Tom has won many awards for his digital and creative work, including 3 D&AD Silvers and a Gold Lion at Cannes. He is an Honorary Royal Designer for Industry (awarded by the Royal Society of Arts), is in the BIMA Digital Hall of Fame, and has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lincoln for his contribution to digital culture. Tom's latest project has been to create an AI tool for Black Eyewear. Tom worked with the founder, to train an AI with his perceptual skills, that can now make personalized recommendations at any time, from anywhere from your phone.

Melanie Bridgeco Founder & CEO The Sweetshop

As a creative, AI is the most incredible way to get an idea out of your head, explore it, and make it better than you ever thought possible. AI is smart in many ways but needs a good idea and an artist's vision to produce truly groundbreaking results. Melanie is leading The Sweetshop's focus on AI in partnership with Tom and Jacqui and has been learning AI filmmaking since the partnership began, with the aim of exploring her AI work in both commercials and long-format film, while guiding the company and its directors through all of the possibilities AI offers. "From my work so far, I genuinely believe it is the most incredible tool for storytelling. I am already creating work." Early in her career, Melanie’s remarkable eye for filmic detail and visionary mindset propelled her to great success in directing, including being selected in the Cannes Young Director Showcase and nominated as one of the top 100 directors in the world. Committed to fostering a culture of excellence, Melanie empowers individuals within The Sweetshop, serving as a mentor, guide, and source of inspiration. Her ability to nurture and support the team has been instrumental in the company's success. Her understanding of the creative process ensures that the company maintains its unique identity and pushes creative boundaries. Melanie is immensely proud that The Sweetshop is one of the few fully female and director-led film production companies in the world, as well as being well on the way to gaining full global B Corp certification.