NWVM move to MediaCityUK

Northwest Vision and Media announce their move to MediaCityUK and receive over £2.7million of ERDF funding.

Over £2.7 million of funding from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme has been approved for Northwest Vision and Media, following over £3m announced by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) in April. This will help to support their recently expanded role as cluster organisation for the creative and digital sector in the region and deliver a programme of activity for their industries to 2012.

In addition, the organisation will become a new tenant for MediaCityUK, relocating to Broadway, opposite The Pie Factory in autumn of this year. They will join other tenants, the BBC and University of Salford.

Vision and Media, who in April were announced as the single organisation to lead, support and promote the creative and digital industries in the Northwest by the NWDA, will use the £2,735,000 worth of funding to provide additional capacity to increase local delivery, respond to the urgent needs of the sector during the current downturn, raise awareness of and access to specialist and relevant business development resources and help ensure the creative and digital sector take advantage of the global opportunities the MediaCityUK development presents.

Alice Morrison, Chief Executive of Northwest Vision and Media said, “We are absolutely delighted to receive this additional funding which will help us make even more of a difference to our sectors delivering programmes to really help grow businesses and encourage innovation and collaboration, particularly in this difficult climate. We are also incredibly excited about our move to MediaCityUK. The presence of MediaCityUK in our region truly sets us apart. It will provide global opportunities that our industries can take advantage of and it is a natural home for Vision and Media.”

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said, “The investment by the ERDF programme complements the NWDA’s investment in Northwest Vision and Media to create a single, region wide sector body. Vision and Media working with partners across the North, will ensure that the benefits for the investment of hundreds of millions of pounds of private sector monies that accompany the BBC move North will result in lasting benefits and high value jobs across the region.”

Bryan Gray, Chairman of Peel Media, said, “Northwest Vision and Media are responsible for supporting and promoting the creative and digital industries in the region with direct responsibility for the TV, film, radio, digital / ICT, games, music, publishing and creative services sectors, so it makes perfect sense for them to move to MediaCityUK. Their location opposite the Pie Factory ensures that they will be at the heart of current developments within the studios and close to the diverse array of tenants already doing business at MediaCityUK”.