Having moved into the heart of Swindon’s Old Town in 2024, there are loads of exciting things happening at O’Brien Media 2025 and we still share the same passion that we did all those years ago having never lost that startup mentality!
O’Brien Media was founded back in 2006 by our Managing Director, Chris, to work around a disability that made working a normal 9 to 5 job difficult. Chris had dabbled in website design since 1997 while still at School, back when dial-up ruled in Purton, where Chris’ family lived at the time.
Our first customer enquiry, from a local owner of a Bed & Breakfast, quickly followed and Chris’ professional career as a web designer began.
O’Brien Media grew slowly for the first 12 years of its life, with three part-time team members joining in 2019 and a commitment being made to be a Living Wage Employer, paying above the minimum wage.
We then made a move into an office on Swindon’s Cheney Manor Industrial Estate came in July 2021 to create a working environment that could enable team members who couldn’t work from home as the business grew to join the team.
We became a Disability Confident Leader in mid-2021 ensuring that we would be able to commit to both team members and potential team members that disability wouldn’t be a barrier to working for the business.
We saw rapid growth throughout the second part of 2021 and added additional full-time team members came on board fueling additional growth and resulting in additional team members coming on board with a mix of skills, bringing Chris’ desire to provide not only a fantastic service to our customers but also to provide an inclusive working environment for the team.
In February 2024 O’Brien Media became part of Pembroke Digital Limited and began also focusing on Wiltshire website design services.
As of 2025, we have a core team of three based in the newly renovated and modernised Marlborough House on the High Street in Swindon’s Old Town and champion inclusive approaches to working to anyone who will listen.
We have several previous team members who, while now working for big brands, join and consult on projects on a freelance basis.
So, enough about us, tell us about you and your project! Get in touch online or give us a call on 01793 239239.
Shirley Ludford, DL, from Swindon 105.5 radio, officially opened our Marlborough House office with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
November brought the successful renewal of our Disability Confident Leader status through to 2027.
September 2024 saw us made the move into newly refurbished and modernised offices on the High Street in Swindon’s Old Town to help our team feel more in control of our workspace.
February 2024 saw us re-embracing our web design roots, returning to use O’Brien Media Website Design across social media channels.
In February 2024 O’Brien Media became a Pembroke Digital Limited brand. All services provided by O’Brien Media transferred to Pembroke Digital who will continue to operate the O’Brien Media brand.
CyberSmart confirmed that we are fully Cyber Essentials compliant and rewarded certification for 2024.
O’Brien Media Winners in the SME News IT Awards, picking up Best Website Design & Support Company – Wiltshire
O’Brien Media has now been trading for 16 years – through highs and lows we’ve proved we’re here to stay!
The Digital Trading division of Oxford Power was acquired and integrated in the O’Brien Media business and some technology assets were acquired as part of an asset sale by Oxford Power Limited.
November 2022 saw O’Brien Media acquire the website design and website support clients of Swindon-based Manor Solutions following their new owner placing the business into Administration.
Renewed Cyber Essentials certification through CyberSmart
O’Brien Media Among Winners of the 2022 SME News IT Awards, picking up Web Design Agency of the Year in Wiltshire
CyberSmart confirmed that we are fully Cyber Essentials compliant and rewarded certification for a further year.
We’ve won Best Mobile Friendly Web Design Firm (Wiltshire) at the 2019 Southern Enterprise Awards
We picked up Creative Design Agency of the Year 2019 & Award for Excellence in Web Design Services 2019 – (SW England)
We were awarded “Most Innovative Creative Design Agency – Southwest England” by LUX!
O’Brien Media acquires the assets of Workwise Portal Ltd, the enlarged business becomes O’Brien Media Limited
O’Brien Media acquires the assets of London based SEO specialists Bright Web Solutions.
O’Brien Media is created following the success of the web design division of Christian O’Brien Public Relations
As a small business, you’re often juggling a million things at once – and cybercriminals know it. That’s why phishing emails and malware-laced calendar invites are becoming increasingly common.
In a world driven by innovation, where digital tools evolve almost daily and customer expectations shift rapidly, there’s one phrase that still lingers like a stubborn cobweb in the corners of too many boardrooms and businesses: “We’ve always done it this way.”
But before you copy and paste that AI-generated text straight onto your website, there’s something important you should know. Even if the content reads well to you (or your customers), search engines like Google may see it very differently.
Whether you’re just starting to think about optimising your website or you’ve been dabbling in SEO for a while, it’s totally normal to have questions. That’s where we come in!
In case you’ve not caught up with the latest from Royal Mail and Ofcom, big changes are on the horizon for how post gets delivered in the UK – and it’s something small businesses should be paying attention to, especially if you use printed marketing materials as part of your outreach.
Whether it’s rising costs, shifting customer habits, or just the general unpredictability of the market, we’ve all been feeling the pressure. And in times like these, the decisions we make about who we work with matter more than ever.
