For the third time running Creative England has successfully made the case to Government for investment in creative talent and business across England.
Creative England has been awarded £8m from Round 6 of the Government’s Regional Growth Fund to invest in, support and develop businesses across the games, television, film and digital creative industries.
The Government’s Regional Growth Fund has invested nearly £3 billion to help businesses in England to grow; so far generating over 100,000 jobs.
The additional funding will enable Creative England to open up its investment and support programmes to creative businesses in the East of England and the South East regions – something that previous funds didn’t allow.
Caroline Norbury, Chief Executive of Creative England said:
“The creative industry is growing three times faster than any other and our creative talent is world-leading so serious investment in the people driving this growth and their ideas is a no-brainer.
“Creative England has so far invested nearly £14.5m in the creative industries, contributing directly to the growth of the UK’s economy. And our teams are expert at finding the most exciting new talent this country has to offer; we’ve supported award-winning games developers, digital healthcare platforms and the latest social media software and apps.
“This £8m means we continue to invest in the best creative talent and businesses in cities all across England, helping to bring their ideas to life and their businesses to flourish.”
Dr Richard Wilson, CEO, TIGA added:
“Creative England continues to be a powerful ally for the UK’s videogame businesses, with an impressive and consistent record of securing funding from Government.
“TIGA’s 2015 manifesto calls for greater support to boost regional growth, which is absolutely imperative for both our sector and the wider UK economy. So we are particularly pleased that this additional funding will enable Creative England to expand its investment and support programmes to videogame businesses throughout the country.
“I encourage all TIGA members to investigate the funding available here, and consider if it could help them to realise the creative and financial potential of their games businesses.”
The funding comes after record statistics showed that the creative economy had its most successful year to date with an increase of nearly 10% in GVA.Recent research by NESTA and Tech City has both highlighted the growth of employment and businesses in the creative economy across the whole of the UK.
The £8m investment is part of the Government’s Creative Industries Business Growth Programme and means Creative England will now be able to support creative businesses across all of England’s regions, outside of London.
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact Vikki Rogers: vikki.rogers@creativeengland.co.uk
0117 952 9973 or 07812 740567
Notes to Editors
About Creative England
Creative England invests in and supports creative ideas, talent and businesses in film, TV, games and digital media. We aim to grow the brightest, the best, and those with the most promise so that individuals and businesses can achieve their full creative and commercial potential. We help identify future opportunities to grow the economy and generate jobs. www.creativeengland.co.uk
You can find out more about the Creative England 50 here, a report which highlights 50 innovative and creative individuals and companies across England that are pushing boundaries in their sector.
In the last three years, Creative England has invested over £14,436,230 in the games, TV, film and digital media industries, from Newcastle to Plymouth. The organisation has also helped to create 49 new digital creative businesses and provided support to over 500 more.
About the Regional Growth Fund
The Government’s Regional Growth Fund has invested nearly £3 billion to help businesses in England to grow; so far generating over 100,000 jobs. 56 new awards in Round 6 and seven through exceptional RGF support – announced on 12 February 2015, gives £297 million to 63 projects and programmes to create and safeguard thousands more jobs and unlock an additional £1.5 billion private sector investment. The award is subject to the completion of satisfactory due diligence.
Here are just a few of Creative England’s success stories. Please contact us for more information, case studies or quotes from companies and individuals who have received our support:
IN THE NORTH WEST…
Carbon Digital – Manchester – Carbon Digitalis an award-winning visual effects agency delivering world-class content for game trailers, television commercials, broadcast through animation, visual effects and exciting visual imagery. Clients include Sony, MindCandy, Starship and Frontier. Carbon Digital was named in the Creative England 50 and chosen as a Future Leader by a panel of judges from across the creative industry including Nicola Mendelsohn, Saul Klein and Rory Cellan Jones.
IN YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER… The Floow – Sheffield – a technology company that has created a telematics in-car app which is which aims to make vehicles safer and cheaper. Their smart phone app captures GPS information and driver performance data from vehicles and analyses it for third parties such as insurance companies and car manufacturers. The Floow applied to Creative England for a loan to help expand their team and ensure a sufficient working capital to pilot their product with insurance companies. As a result, the app is now being used by Direct Line, Greenflag and AIG, and is helping good drivers to lower their insurance premiums. The Floow was named in the Creative England 50 and chosen as a Future Leader by a panel of judges from across the creative industry including Nicola Mendelsohn, Saul Klein and Rory Cellan Jones.
IN THE NORTH EAST… Komodo Design – Newcastle – designs responsive websites and develop mobile apps. They have worked with a broad range of companies including ITV, the NHS, the Harley Gallery and nPower. Creative England supported Komodo with funds to assist them with specialised design activities, which were crucial to the company’s development.
IN THE WEST MIDLANDS… Madfellows – Leamington Spa – Based in the games hub of Lemington (or Silicon) Spa, Madfellow is led by industry veterans, Paul Norris and Daniel Horbury who have been developing high-profile, cutting-edge video games for some of the world’s biggest publishers for over a decade. Their first project, SineWave, is an original music game for mobile platforms and was completed and released in July 2014. As a result of the Creative England funding Paul and Daniel were able to develop their own digital IP through to commercial release. MadFellows applied to Greenshoots in October 2013. Greenshoots is a collaboration between Microsoft and Creative England, offering indie game studios a cash injection of up to £25,000 to turn an original tablet or mobile game idea into a money-making application.
IN THE SOUTH WEST… Sponge UK – Plymouth – A family-run company, Sponge UK creates custom-built eLearning platforms for workplaces across the world, with tailored courses and campaigns that help businesses to transform their workforce. Their focus is on making learning more inspiring and more absorbing, and using digital techniques to connect people better with what they are learning. Sponge UK has worked with companies as diverse as Adidas, Tesco, John Lewis, Glaxo Smith Klein and Lexus.