Introducing the Refreshed Screen Machine Website
20 July 2026
A Digital Dispatch by Paul Galinsky, Director
There is something genuinely magical about the Screen Machine. For years, this mobile cinema has wound its way through the breathtaking landscapes of the Highlands and Islands, bringing the magic of film to communities that might otherwise be left in the dark. It holds a distinct and cherished place in the story of Scottish heritage and connectivity.
Recently, the team behind it undertook a massive – and wildly successful – fundraising project to build their new cinema-truck. It was a monumental effort that proved just how deeply the Scottish public values this service. We knew their digital presence needed to reflect that same vibrant, forward-looking energy.
Today, we are incredibly proud to launch the brand new screenmachine.co.uk.
In the digital world, there is often a temptation to tear everything down and start from scratch every few years. But when you are a charity balancing big responsibilities with limited resources, every penny matters.
Building Websites to Last
At Pooka & Co, our approach has always been about building things to last. Because we’ve worked with the Screen Machine and Regional Screen Scotland team over the long term, we were able to completely refresh their existing WordPress website, rather than putting them through the cost and disruption of a ground-up rebuild.
We took their brilliant, vibrant new branding and wove it throughout the site. More importantly, we sat down and looked at what visitors actually need to do. Visitors have far less time and patience these days, no matter how fun a website is. So we simplified the user journeys, making it quicker and easier for film-lovers to buy tickets, explore upcoming locations, and catch up on the latest news. No digital clutter, just plain sailing.
But a website should never just be a static shop window; it needs to work hard for the charity running it.
Streamlining through CiviCRM
That is where our new launch starts to tread a little deeper, by tapping into Screen Machine’s parent organisation Regional Screen Scotland’s CRM system, CiviCRM. We’re now in the early stages of rolling out segmented mailing lists and streamlined donation processing. These actions, with GDPR and digital privacy firmly in mind, represent a huge cost saving over segmented platforms like MailChimp and JustGiving, and are a stepping stone to more resilient fundraising capacity within the organisation.
At Pooka, our work is about supporting Charities by taking the complex and making it manageable, giving teams digital confidence, and developing tools that grow impact and demonstrate enormous value over time.
We are thrilled to play a small part in keeping the Screen Machine rolling, because we believe, quite simply, that good causes deserve good digital.
Pop over to screenmachine.co.uk to take a look around—and perhaps book a ticket for a screening near you.
