Now more than ever, we need to rediscover our creative confidence. Our conversations with new Portas clients often start with one thing: ‘We want to be like X.’ We get it. Showing up in the world as you really are, instead of another slightly modified slice of what others are doing, is daunting. And of course, finding inspiration around you is no bad thing. But for us it’s about drawing out the core personality and philosophy at the heart of a business, what they’re in the world to do, their individual essence. And that means going into the roots of what makes them different – not the same. Nothing—not even a documentary, or a massive sway in public opinion—is going to change that outcome. Rofé said his film is more about exploring the ramifications of what happened, and how it runs counter to the feel-good philosophy Ross expounded during his life. “The disagreement at the core of the movie is not necessarily a legal one. It’s a moral one,” the filmmaker says. “Legally, the Kowalskis are absolutely the rights holders to the Bob Ross name. But the question that Steve Ross struggles with is how they arrived at that place.”

Aggressive collaborations - Crocs aggressively pursued collaborations with people like Balenciaga, Cheerios, and even KFC!That's what the world craves now. More and more. The force of individuality, in us as people, and us as businesses, is what makes us powerful. And the world a far more interesting place. Whatever the estate agent tells you.

The Crocs revival has been a smart masterclass in turning around a brand and provides a playbook for any brand who has struggled with being stale. Because despite all this standardisation, we know that the brands who really express their authentic personality, their viewpoint and true values are the ones people feel - and buy into far more deeply than those that get lost in the crowd. So lean into your individuality, your creativity, what makes you you. Don’t follow the field. Lead it. CodeClan’s students and graduates make a significant sacrifice when they take on their training. If you can offer mentoring, training, employment, advice or support to any of them, please reach out using the details in the sheet below.How did Crocs - a 20-year-old brand that went into fashion wilderness - reinvent itself as THE brand for the cool kids. Personalisation - maybe you might buy 1 or 2 crocs but to keep you in the ecosystem, Crocs amplified Jibbitz, those charms that let you customise your crocs. Sadly, that means that staff will no longer be in employment after today. It also means that our current students and job-seeking graduates have experienced an abrupt end to their training and job support, which will not continue after today.

I'm now looking for my next opportunity - I've been enjoying working shorter contracts over the last few years, getting the chance to explore sectors and industries unfamiliar to me to develop my own skills and attributes. I'm happy to continue working contracts but would also consider a permanent role if the right role came up. Major update: It was with extremely heavy hearts that we discovered that CodeClan has gone into liquidation and will cease all operations as of today. Reduce product selection - they trimmed their product selection by 40%! They realised that in times of expansion, there was a specific set of products that drove growth and focused religiously on them. Bob Ross is no longer here to speak for himself, but Rofé is reluctant to give BRI credit. “They’ve been very successful monetizing his name and likeness, but it depends on what your definition of ‘success’ is,” the filmmaker says. “Would Bob Ross himself want his face on boxer shorts and breath mints? I don’t know the answer to that. The people closest to him don’t seem to think so.” Every estate agent who’s walked into my home has said the same thing to me: ‘I think this will sell better with less colour.’ I’ve always ignored them. Funny that. Because what they really mean is ‘Make-it-look-like-every-other-supposedly-stylish-home.’ And we’re all at the mercy of this in so many ways aren’t we? The standardisation of everything from fashion and home, to bars, cafes, coffee shops, hotels and restaurants. But here’s the thing: by collectively following an arbitrary set of rules on how things should be – the look, the feel of so much has become a blur of similar in this visually overloaded world of ours. And it’s stripping our confidence. In our own individual selves. Our tastes. And in our businesses too.

BRI contends that the doc is an effort to dredge up old grievances. “Bob Ross may not have shared the inherent structural features of his corporation, which are very common in small private companies, with family and friends, which may have resulted in the hurt feelings and accusations that we understand are portrayed in the film,” the company said in its statement. “Again, without seeing the film, it seems that these accusations attempt to relitigate claims brought against Bob Ross Inc. in 2017 by RSR Art LLC, a company part-owned by Bob’s son, Steve.”