Training Company: “Hello, I understand you’re an actor … can you roleplay”?
Graham:”Yes, of course”.
Training Company: “Do you know anyone else who can roleplay?”?
Graham: “Sure .. what do you need?”?
Training Company: “We’re running a session next week on assertiveness, would you like to come and be rude to the police?”

In an extraordinary “what are the chances of that” moment, the phone rang a second time that week .. this time a bank wanting Graham to mime in their foyer (don’t ask!) Graham accepted both jobs.

A month later, one of the clients asked who would be invoicing them… With no real idea why it came out like this Graham said “Blue… Beetle… Productions” and the company was formed – well after a dash to the bank the following day to set up the relevant bank account.

Over the next few years the company grew organically, gradually attracting attention as trainers told trainers, and delegates on open courses went back to their companies and mentioned “the drama bit.” Blue Beetle went from delivering one half day session every six weeks , to three-four sessions every week.

At the start of 2001 Graham decided it was time for a “big launch”. We found a training trade show, dispensed with all the usual stand etiquette, painted a man from head to toe in blue paint, and staged arguments on the stand, inviting delegates to step up and mediate, taught juggling and in a spectacularly non- Health & Safety moment, had delegates unicycling!

The stand was incredibly busy, and we started working with a number of major clients, including Ashurst Solicitors, Direct Line and Hilton Hotels. All of these clients, unlike previously, were interested in wanting to co-produce training sessions, so instead of Blue Beetle supplying only the drama content, we started creating the entire session.

Since that time we have tried constantly to adapt and alter what we offer to suit what our clients have told us, and along the way have explored more and more ways to improve and enhance our training sessions .. SDI accreditation, Coaching Academy, Accelerated Learning Techniques, and Neuro Linguistic Programming are all mixed into our sessions along with Classic Theories and models, and totally practical tools, tips and techniques.

And we are still learning and adapting. You have to, don’t you? Otherwise … well … its hardly good for a training company to never change its ways now is it?