History of Remark!

Remark! is a highly regarded Deaf-led organisation, established in 1999.

Our successes over the years have been built on the combined efforts of virtue-driven leadership, hardworking staff, the Deaf community, and our clients and students.

Please read below to find out more about our journey over the years!

1999

Remark! Ltd was founded as a Deaf Media company in November 1999 by Mark Nelson & Ramon Wolfe. Our offices were in the East End of London and our focus was producing videos for social services and for the local Deaf Community. This proved to be very successful with boroughs throughout Greater London and across the UK from Newcastle to Cornwall.

2001

In 2001 Remark! Training was formed with our first three students. This coincided with a move to our new office in Greenwich with seven employees and Mark’s father.

Remark! Training went from strength to strength, with the addition of further courses offering British Sign Language (BSL) Level 1 (beginner) to Level 6 (advanced), and eventually offering our sign language interpreting course, which allowed students to register with the NRCPD as a Registered Sign Language Interpreter (RSLI).

2003

In 2003, Remark! Access was formed specialising in making content accessible for Deaf, hard of hearing and visually impaired audiences across all platforms. We quickly become one of the main providers of BSL on TV.

We achieved this via the realms of Subtitling, Audio Description, British Sign Language (BSL) Translation, Audio Reading and Audio Transcription. For live media we often have teams working in shifts around the clock to provide accessible content within hours of the original broadcast.

2005

2005, Remark! hosted the Remark! Film and TV Awards, a sell-out event with over 1,000 attendees which was aired on the BBC. It was the UK’s only independent Deaf Film & TV awards ceremony that recognised the talents of deaf artists in the media. This gala, red carpet event took place at the Novotel Hotel, Hammersmith with proceeds of the evening going to support the continued work of the NSPCC.

The Remark! Film and TV Awards was a celebration of the continued contribution and dedication of all involved in the film and television industry whilst promoting the inclusion of Deaf individuals in mainstream programming. Finalists included the BBC’s Doctors, Holby City and This is My Family, as well as Channel 4’s Meet the Magoons.

2010

Jonny Nelson approached Remark! in 2010 about a potential partnership and the creation of a charity to support the Deaf Community around London.

Remark! Community strives for a world where Deaf people have accessibility in all that they do. The work of Remark! Community helps Deaf people of all ages to access services and attend social activities using their preferred language, BSL. Without Remark! Community, the barriers would still be there. We now have the UK’s biggest collection of Deaf Clubs with 14 across London.

2010

2010 also saw the creation of Remark! Interpreting. It provided BSL interpreters throughout the UK and internationally, and continues to do so. As a Deaf-led company we knew that setting up an interpreting agency would be a fantastic idea, as we know exactly what support our clients need.

2011

In 2011 we made the big move to Central London, to our Leather Lane office. It was a mammoth task transforming a run-down Victorian building with no heating or modern amenities. Remarkable staff, friends and family (including grandparents!) all rallied round cleaning, painting, building walls and restoring the character of the building. The final achievement was installing the huge crystal chandelier that takes pride of place in the famous grand entrance next to our iconic iron wrought spiral stairs.

To help fund the increased rent and to use the extra space, Remark! Events was formed and quickly built a solid clientele base from the NHS, Google and British Red Cross, to name but a few!

2012

What a magical year! London hosted the 2012 Olympics and Remark! was responsible for ensuring all footage was fully accessible including translation into International Sign Language and audio description.

It was a record year for Remark! Media with many commissions from BSLBT and the BBC. It was a UK first for mainstream TV to commission a Deaf production company and we went on to make three series and several one off specials.

To finish this amazing year we threw a Jubilee street party for a packed crowd right outside our office on Leather Lane.

2013

In 2013 we set up Remark! Living which supports Deaf people, including those with a wide range of additional needs and disabilities, to live independently and avoid isolation. Our support workers are Deaf BSL users themselves and therefore serve as role models for the clients they support, making our service unique.

After some business restructuring, which saw Remark! Media sold to Flashing Lights Media, Jonny Nelson, Mark’s brother, became the Managing Director of Remark!.

2017

Remark! were delighted to be ‘Highly Commended’ in the Small Business of the Year category at the Camden Business Awards 2017.

“It was a huge honour for the business to be recognised alongside so many other inspirational businesses,” said Managing Director Jonny Nelson.

2020

In March 2020, along with the rest of the UK, Remark! were forced to close down some of our services. However, when faced with adversity, we will always adapt and continue to provide where there is need. The demand for Remark! Living increased hugely, with our Key Workers looking after many vulnerable Deaf people, providing 1-to-1 support ensuring everyone had the meals and medication they needed.

Our interpreting services remained available online and in-person adhering to government guidelines. We provided technology that allowed our lunch club members to continue to meet online, and our training team worked hard with our students to complete their courses online. Despite the many challenges Covid put forth, we worked together to keep the Remark! spirits high. We couldn’t be prouder!

2021

The Remark! Community team had worked tirelessly in order to provide a real party to remember, in recognition of the 10 year anniversary of Remark! Community being established. This was due to take place in 2020, however due to the pandemic, we decided to move this to 2021, where everybody could celebrate together, safely. The theme was Alice in Wonderland, and i think its fair to say we have a fair few mad hatters join us for our day of celebration!

2022

What a moment to remember!

Remark! and Remark! Community were pleased to attend the BSL rally, both outside Westminster Abbey, as well as at the final reading, where the rally was moved to Trafalgar Square, due to the high number of attendees.

It was both an honour and a privilege for us to take part in this event, and witness history being made.

The BSL bill will improve access for the Deaf community as a collective, and allow better access and opportunities for future Deaf generations.

Thank you to every single one who supported Remark! over the years

Our Remarkable! staff, our loyal clients, our spirited service users, our supportive friends / families and most of all our beloved Deaf Community.

Without them there wouldn’t be a Remark! x