NEWS RELEASE: 7th October 2016
BBC’s THE APPRENTICE FEATURES DRAGON’S DEN SUCCESS SWING PATROL IN NEW SERIES’ OPENING EPISODE
- New corporate events and team building services feature as first treat for winning team of entrepreneurs
- Scott Cupit first entrepreneur to feature on both of BBC’s flagship business reality TV shows
The opening episode of the new series of The Apprentice (Series 12) first broadcast on Thursday 6th October 2016 features the new corporate events and team building services of Swing Patrol – the dance school and events company which secured investment from Deborah Meaden on Series 12 of Dragons’ Den.
As the losing Team Nebula sit in The Bridge café reviewing what went wrong, and then get a grilling from Lord Sugar, Baroness Karren Brady and Claude Littner on why they failed to earn enough from selling collectables at Wimbledon Car Boot Sale, the winning Team Titans are sent off for a vintage treat provided by Swing Patrol. First they are inspired by a performance by Swing Patrol’s astounding aerials dance troupe Brat Pack, and are then given one of Swing Patrol’s engaging, team building dance lessons led by Scott Cupit, managing director of Swing Patrol.
The segment in The Apprentice episode gives a snapshot of Swing Patrol’s new team building offering to the corporate market, which is devised to encourage teamwork, creativity and communication. It is part of a whole new line of services aimed at the corporate market which is being launched in October as businesses’ event managers turn their attention to planning Christmas parties and entertainment.
Deborah Meaden, Dragons’ Den investor and entrepreneur said, “Having seen not only the positive effect the Swing Patrol events have on teams and individuals but also the immense energy and fun they generate, I am not at all surprised that they were spotted and picked to offer up as a reward to the winning Apprentice team.”
“Team Titans learned a lot in the swing dancing team building they received after winning the collectables task, such as how to communicate with and adapt to different people, work together, respond to changes, learn quickly, take directions and have fun with people they work with. If they all reflect on what they experienced on the Swing Patrol team building experience and adopt what they learned, I’m sure Team Titans will do extremely well in The Apprentice process,” said Scott Cupit, Managing Director of Swing Patrol.
As Scott Cupit is the only entrepreneur to appear on both of the BBC’s flagship business reality TV series, he has great empathy with all of the budding entrepreneurs: “Getting a grilling from high profile and respected business leaders on national TV is a challenging experience. It got pretty uncomfortable for me in a few places when I was facing the Dragons’ Den entrepreneurs, but on The Apprentice, entrepreneurs don’t just get a grilling, there’s a high likelihood of getting fired. Getting sacked in front of millions of TV viewers must be very sobering, so I really feel for Michelle Niziol. Swing dancing never fails to put a smile on people’s faces, though, so as a little gesture, we’re inviting her to a free swing dancing lesson so she can experience the joy of swing dancing, and hopefully she will also learn some of the important interpersonal skills that swing dancing fosters.”
Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, fashion brands and numerous blue chip companies, TV shows, marketing departments and event managers have recruited Swing Patrol to entertain and engage consumers, as well as inspire positive interaction between colleagues. The various services Swing Patrol has provided to businesses have now been packaged up into a new, very flexible offering to companies both large and small. As well as providing entertainment at events and stunts, Swing Patrol are now offering full event management, including venue selection and all the operational logistics of events, such as operating bars, cloakrooms and security.
Typically, Swing Patrol’s events include swing dancers being thrown into the air, flappers doing crazy Charleston, award winning dance troupes and floor shows, competitions, vintage hair and make-up styling, fun photo booths, and – most importantly – people finding it easy to learn to dance for the first time and beaming with joy.
“We will take a lot of strain off those given the task of managing office Christmas parties this year. As well as arranging large corporate events, vintage entertainment with crowd appealing aerials, fun taster lessons and perfect team building opportunities through dance, Swing Patrol is also encouraging groups of colleagues to celebrate Christmas at up to 40 venues across London. They can learn to swing dance, socialise with colleagues and perfect their new moves to a soundtrack provided by a vintage DJ,” said Scott Cupit.
Since successfully securing investment on Dragons’ Den, Swing Patrol has continued to diversify and grow in popularity. Over the last year the swing dance school and events company has successfully secured a Guinness World Record; launched of a new book, an online shop and new dance troupes for performances; and entertained tens of thousands of people at events. Scott Cupit was also awarded Dance Teacher Of the Year. As well as working on the corporate offering, Scott is now developing a new fitness workout regime, called Swing Train, which will be formally launched in December ahead of the New Year’s resolution season.
Useful Links:
For further information on Swing Patrol’s services for businesses see the corporate events page or call 020 3151 1750.
For further editorial information, images, press passes to events, sample lessons or to arrange interviews, please contact [email protected] or call 07904414889
