Manchester based, full service agency Amaze, has been selected as one of the first companies that will be commissioned under the BBC's @North initiative.
Amaze joins Numiko and Brass from Leeds, The Workshop from Sheffield, and Th_nk from Newcastle, who will share £270,000 to produce BBC Children's content under the @North initiative.
@North is a pilot project led by BBC Children’s, involving multi-disciplinary teams from across different divisions of the BBC including Future Media and Technology (FM&T) working collaboratively. The project also represents a new model of how the BBC will engage with independent companies and digital agencies across the north of England as well as with the regional screen agencies.
Vision+Media worked closely with companies in the North West, facilitating a launch event and workshops in each region, took part in weekly steering calls, they also helped various companies through the process.
Eight companies in the North West were initially shortlisted; All Out, Amaze, Dolphin, Glasshead, Magnetic North, Milky Tea, Splinter and SASS/Mosquito.
Maureen Walker, Sector Lead for Broadcast, Publishing and Music at Vision+Media commented: “@North has been an exciting and informative journey for creative companies in the North West, giving many first time access to the BBC.
“Another key element of @North was to develop and strengthen relationships with companies beyond individual commissions. Since the launch of @North, the BBC has engaged with over 50 companies across the north of England through a range of workshops, facilitated by the regional screen agencies, that offered both creative and technical development expertise. We hope that companies in the region can continue to grow and develop on the back of this and the relationships they have built with the BBC.”
The @North digital initiative was launched by Peter Salmon in November 2009 to encourage and support the development and delivery of interactive content for CBBC and CBeebies. This first wave represents over half the money available, with a total amount of £500,000 earmarked for commissioning in the pilot of @North, and a further wave of commissions will be announced in the coming months.
Peter Salmon, Director, BBC North said: “The investment announced today marks a significant step towards realising the creative benefits that BBC North will ultimately deliver working in partnership with locally-based creative companies. The @North initiative has provided a valuable insight into how the BBC will work and engage with companies in the region to make the best content for audiences across the UK. I want to congratulate those companies whose ideas and creativity have been successful today and look forward to announcing the other companies in the forthcoming months.
"@North has been a new way of working for Children’s and these companies have come up with some great ideas that will engage our young audiences and reflect how they consume content in the digital world," added Joe Godwin, Director, BBC Children's. "In addition to direct new commissions, @North has also enabled us to develop new relationships with small companies in the creative sector right across the north of England to the companies that we already work with. This is an important part of our objectives as BBC Children’s prepares to move to our new home at MediaCityUK in Salford next year. ”
The companies who have won the first commissions from BBC @North are:
Manchester based Amaze is a leading pan-European integrated marketing and technology company, specialising in digital strategy and communications, web-based business solutions, advertising, and PR. With other offices in Liverpool, London and Brussels, Amaze's team of connected specialists works to create engaging interactive experiences with leading brands including Coca-Cola Enterprises, the Co-operative Group, ODEON Cinemas, Toyota, Siemens Enterprise Communications, Opal Telecoms, Sage and Lexus.
Leeds based Brass is a strategic and creative communications agency with digital thinking at the heart. They provide knowledge, creativity and technical skills to deliver digital solutions for some of the world's biggest brands including first direct, Ribena, Schwarzkopf, UK Trade and Investment, Asda, Seven Seas and Warburtons.
Newcastle based TH_NK is a digital agency, who also have offices in London and work with world-leading brands, including Bupa, bmi, BlackBerry, Northern Rock, TNS, Hays Recruitment and many more. They are one of only ten companies in the UK to be members of the W3C - the global organisation that ensures the Web is reaching its full potential.
Numiko are an award winning digital agency based in Leeds. Their work is firmly focused on digital media strategy and creation including; websites, platforms, tools, applications and ‘content experiences’ that help engage audiences. Numiko work with a range of clients from entertainment organisations, to world famous brands and not-for-profit organisations including the BBC, ITV, LIVING TV Group, Arts Council and the NSPCC.
The Workshop is a creative consultancy specialising in interactive learning, digital media, branding and marketing. Sheffield-based, with a team of over 40 people, The Workshop develops design and learning communications in all media. Established in 1993 and featured in Design Week magazine’s top 10 digital and top 30 design companies, The Workshop has a strong creative track record - clients include the BBC, Morrisons, learndirect, John Smedley, Parliament’s Education Service and the Royal Institution.