Member Article

Generator grows creative industries support

Music development organisation Generator has expanded its support capabilities into the film, photography, digital media and design industries.

The company has recruited film producer, Steve Bowden; the concept creator of the Agile Project Management approach, Fred Purnet; and North East digital entrepreneur and head of DigitalCity Business, Malcolm Taylor - to work alongside existing staff.

Generator CEO, Jim Mawdsley said: “Through our latest ERDF programme we have the resources and remit to put this expansion into practice and we have already been working with around 80 businesses in the wider sector.

“The sector is expanding rapidly and many people are starting small companies that have great ideas. Most people in the commercial creative sector are ideas people and we recognise that they need support in making sure their businesses grow so they can make a significant contribution to the North East economy.

“We need to be and want to be flexible with our approach. This sector develops quickly and as we learned from our initial experience with the digitisation of the music industry we need to be extremely creative, edgy and above all agile if our support is successful in ensuring that these businesses grow in the North East.

“Generator understands that the support we offer to businesses involved in the music industry is also appropriate to the wider creative sector.

“We are building this programme of support that is sector specific to provide something in the North East that is extremely unique, extremely cost effective and adds huge value.

“We aren’t aware of any similar business support programmes in the UK that provide the specialist support we do and this is one of the reasons why we have so much success with our clients.

“We’ve already started working alongside partners in the region including Digital Union and Digital City Business to identify their client’s needs and prescribe interventions that would assist with business growth.”

Responding to Generator’s expansion, Creative England’s director of business development, Jim Farmery, said: “Creative England backs any development of support programmes for the creative sector and its great to see Generator building on the fantastic work it has done with music businesses.

“Organisations that can provide relevant, in-demand support services to businesses are an essential part of the growth of our creative industries and we welcome Generator’s move into this area.”

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