Member Article

Bdaily talks to Jason Knights of Blue Kangaroo

Bdaily talks to Jason Knights, managing director of design agency Blue Kangaroo.

What is your career history to date?

I joined The Royal Signals as a junior soldier at 16 but ended up being medically discharged. From there I got a job as a van driver for a reprographics company which I did until one of their sales reps left. Then I thought - I wouldn’t mind having a go at that. And that’s where it all started really, I learned about the print and design industries and how to develop business sales. I met my business partner, Ian Smith, at a design company where we both worked and in 2007, we decided to go it alone and set-up Blue Kangaroo Design.

What is your current job title and what does your role entail?

I’m managing director and in charge of all things operational and financial. I work closely with existing clients to make sure we are meeting their needs and they’re happy and I build relationships with potential clients to grow the company.

What will be the big success story for your business in 2012?

We’ve just celebrated our 5th birthday in April and thanks to a period of quite rapid growth we have been able to move out of our incubator offices and into bigger premises in the brand new, trendy Northern Design Centre. So hopefully our success will continue from here on in, with more clients coming on board.

What has been your biggest business challenge to date?

Our biggest uphill struggle was, without a doubt, surviving the recent recession. Lots of our peer companies have gone to the wall, so to still be here and actually be growing is a massive achievement. I would also say that it’s been a challenge getting the right staff. We recently recruited a studio manager and finding the right person for that pivotal role is crucial for a design company.

What do you believe will be your biggest opportunity in the next 12 months?

There are a couple of significant opportunities for us this year. One being the consumer goods sector in the north east. We have vast experience in consumer marketing thanks to the work we do for media conglomerates, Walt Disney and Warner Bros. The other thing we’d love to do this year is break into the gaming and filming industries. Gaming is actually even more lucrative than films these days and because we do original illustrations as well as general design, we are well placed to help gaming companies get ahead through powerful design.

What has been your proudest professional moment to date?

We have worked with some amazing clients on some really high profile projects but to be honest, what makes me most proud is that, despite some really tough times, we have always managed to pay our staff and pay them on time. We are proud to be able to employ some great people and look after them.

Who, or what, has inspired you most in your professional career?

Two people spring to mind straight away. The first is my business partner Ian Smith who is our creative director. He oozes talent and stops at nothing to meet a brief. His sheer brilliance in everything he does inspires me. The other great influence is my friend, Keith Whisson. I was working for Keith when we decided to set-up Blue Kangaroo and he has been supportive from day one. I knew little about running a business when we started out and he has helped me immensely. He has been like a mentor and gave me a worthy bit of advice that particularly helped – he said, keep your processes simple – clients pay you, you pay your suppliers, don’t mess about.

Outside of the workplace, what is your main passion?

My family are my world. My wife Melanie is a midwife and she works shifts so we make the most of the time we have with our kids – Jake, 10, Dylan, who’s 14 and Anna who’s 18.

If you weren’t in your current position what would you be doing now?

I’ve always thought being a tree surgeon would be a cracking job. Working outdoors in the fresh air, with a packed lunch, felling trees - that would be a pretty cool thing to do for a living.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .