Digital Case Studies
Index
Maverick Television
Maverick Television was established in 1993 and now employees more than 100 staff in its Birmingham and London offices. BAFTA award winning Maverick specialises in television and digital media content and services, and is responsible for a number of well-known programmes and digital applications including ground breaking Embarrassing Bodies, Film4 and NHS Local. These programmes are screened by all the UK national broadcasters and on screens across the globe.
Director of Digital Media, Jonnie Turpie MBE, says,
Maverick is involved in a number of public service and commercial initiatives around the city and is one of the founding partners of the Birmingham Ormiston Academy. Maverick recognises the importance of nurturing the next generation of creative, digital talent and offers a number of employment and work experience opportunities across the company. Birmingham benefits from excellent access to the rest of the UK and globe. Its digital sector’s talented and forward focussed people and businesses recognise the opportunities of delivering in the local and global digital environment.”
One Black Bear
One Black Bear is a strategic digital design and development agency based in central Birmingham's burgeoning digital quarter, Digbeth. It engineers web systems, crafts user experiences and builds new media campaigns.
Partner at One Black Bear, Steve Price, says:
Striving to stay at the forefront of the fast-moving digital economy, One Black Bear's location in the heart of Birmingham gives us a distinct competitive advantage. Its excellent levels of connectivity, both virtual and physical, makes sure we can service our clients' needs with agility and efficiency.
The city has a welcoming business network that can help anyone looking to set up shop in Birmingham and there is a broad range of space available to suit anyone - from the sole trader on a budget, right up to global players. All of that, together with the great lifestyle the city offers, makes the case for Birmingham compelling."
Find out more at http://oneblackbear.com
Substrakt Ltd
Substrakt is a digital media and design agency based in Fazeley Studios, Digbeth. The company was established in Birmingham by MD Andy Hartwell in 2006 and now employs 9 members of staff.
He says,
I decided to stay in Birmingham after graduating from BCU. Its central location means it’s easy to access cities across the country. The local universities provide talented graduates that really understand our sector and can hit the ground running.
The wider city area offers supportive networks that help digital media and creative entrepreneurs and companies to thrive. Substrakt is involved in various initiatives which aim to nurture new talent including Birmingham Science City, Digital Birmingham, UKTI and mentoring schemes.”
Find out more at www.substrakt.co.uk
Daden Limited
Founded in 2004 by David Burden, Daden Limited is based at Birmingham Science Park Aston. Daden specialise in built environment visualisations, immersive training and learning systems, visual analytics, creating interactive virtual personalities (chatbots) and web and real world integration.
Working in OpenSim, Second Life and other virtual worlds, Daden offers consulting advice, design and build services. Its virtual world and chatbot based solutions help organisations enhance and improve their business.
Clients range from the private sector to central and local government, education, public safety, health and care within the UK and abroad. David Burden comments on how being located in Birmingham benefits this ambitious SME, he says,
Birmingham is home to a number of world-class universities, many with specialisms around AI and gaming. The city benefits from great travel links, especially to London and Europe, and a city council that is leading on the Digital agenda and not afraid to do interesting and innovative things.”
Burden believes the future is bright for Birmingham’s digital sector, he continues,
Building on the long-standing success of companies like Rare and Blitz, and utilising the wealth of new talent, Birmingham already has a strong presence in the digital arena. The city’s ever-increasing use of social media and growing capability in mobile, coupled with its innovative attitude, make this a really exciting time to be doing business in Birmingham.”
Daden is a member of the Serious Games Institute in Coventry and Intellect in London. Daden is a Linden Lab Gold Solution Provider for Second Life. Find out more at http://www.daden.co.uk
Soshi Games
Birmingham Science Park Aston (BSPA) based social games developer, Soshi Games, is about to launch “Music Festivals” a ground-breaking new social game, aimed at millions of players globally and is on the lookout for private sector investors.
A member of BSPA’s Entrepreneurs for the Future (e4f) scheme, which provides start-up technology businesses with office facilities and support, Soshi has already secured £125,000 of funding from a public sector venture capital organisation and is now looking for match funding from private sector investors to unlock the funding. Cliff Dennett, Commercial and Design Director of Soshi Games, said:
Around 90 per cent of the funding that we are looking for will go into employing full-time graphic artists and programmers, and is critical to our continued development. Social games are a relatively new concept, but have widespread appeal as they are easily accessible to everyone, be they dedicated gamers or those looking for a distraction during their lunch hour.
The social element of the genre is great because it encourages players to interact with each other in order to get the most out of the game, rather than play in isolation."
He continues,
The e4f programme has been completely invaluable in assisting us in getting off the ground, while being based at Birmingham Science Park Aston has put us right at the heart of Birmingham’s creative, technology-savvy start-up businesses through whom we have been able to network and share best practice.”
Radio to Go
Sutton Coldfield based Radio to Go Ltd was first set up as a partnership in 1993, and incorporated in 2008. It offers a complete range of radio production services.
The company launched the West Midlands Pilot Project website in 2010, working with the British Library to document new British online music. The Pilot Project is a first regional testbed for a grassroots archiving and curation methodology, that Radio to Go hopes will roll out nationally by 2014.
Radio to Go CEO, Robin Valk, says,
This first incarnation takes a snapshot of bleeding-edge music from across the Midlands, working with dedicated local advisors/curators. As the idea originated in the Midlands, it seemed logical to run it here first.”
Valk is involved in supporting digital initiatives across the city, including developing a new model for low-cost inventive internet radio, and believes Birmingham is an excellent location for business. He says,
Birmingham is a BRILLIANT place from which to serve international clients – it is at the heart of the country and benefits from a huge talent pool.”
Find out more at http://radiotogo.com/
Buto TV
Digbeth based online video platform company, Buto TV, was established in 2008 and now employs more than 10 full-time members of staff.
Director, Steffan Aquarone, says the city’s overheads compared with the capital are just one of the benefits of locating in Birmingham. With Grade A office space at almost 50 per cent cheaper than the capital, the cost benefits are obvious. Aquarone says,
People are often surprised when they learn we’re based in Birmingham, but it’s the right location for our business. Overheads are lower than comparable locations and the area is home to some great talent - we recently successfully recruited for a senior level technology role from within the region.”
AT New Media Limited
Established in Birmingham in 2001 and currently located in the Custard factory, Digbeth, AT New Media Ltd is a Digital Licensing agency positioned at the junction where Intellectual Property Rights meet Digital licensing. Focusing on games, gaming and associated merchandising opportunities, AT New Media has worked with a number of high-profile brands including Carte Blanche’s Me to You, Chorion’s Mr Men and industry leader, Games Media.
CEO, Simon Kay, believes Birmingham has the capability to bring together like minded commercial entrepreneurs and students with an affinity with games, gaming, merchandising and brands. Commenting on the need for a joined up approach, Kay says,
Now is the time for Birmingham’s digital media sector to work together and bring core competences to the table for the mutual commercial gain of all. The way to compete in the future will be strategic partnerships that bring top quality stakeholders together.”
For more information please visit http://atnewmedia.wordpress.com/
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