Manchester Focus: Has the industry noticed any effects from MediaCity yet?
Manchester is already regarded as one of the creative hot spots of the UK. But this reputation is growing – fast. And with the MediaCityUK development in Salford now almost fully operational, the creative kudos of the area is only set to grow. So, to find out more about what’s really going on in the city, The Drum put a series of pertinent questions to a number of agencies that operate at the coal-face of Manchester’s creative industry.
Fergus McCallum, CEO, TBWA\Manchester I love the idea of MediaCity being in Manchester - the effects are probably still in their infancy, as is MediaCity itself, but the momentum is clearly picking up. It is a fantastic opportunity for Manchester and can become an integral part of our future growth. We need to embrace it is a vibrant part of our identity but at the same time ensure it does not become our identity, otherwise we will limit our potential for growth overall.
Steve Peters, Code Computerlove Access for local and regional agencies to the BBC can only be a good thing. There is real opportunity for collaboration and innovation which is really exciting. Before Vision and Media was taken out it had made tremendous progress in connecting BBC and C4 to the local agency scene; and its legacy will be some of those relationships.
Garry Byrne, MD, Reading Room Manchester I'd say it's all still fairly quiet as a whole - the main consideration tends to be all the new contracts that might be available from the companies who are moving in over the next couple of years!
Reuben Webb, Creative Director, IAS B2B It’s too early for the financial benefits to be seen, but it’s definitely galvanizing the community. There is no way this isn’t going to work! Bring it on.
Julian Gratton, Managing Director & Creative Director, Red C We’re several hundred yards down the road from MediaCity. So far the only thing we’ve noticed is that the traffic is really bad.
Reform Creative At this stage in MediaCity’s life, it’s the television and film industry that is seeing the most change and therefore has not really had a noticeable impact on graphic design for print and web.
Wayne Silver, Director of New Business, One Marketing Communications As a self-confessed Radio 4 junkie I am bombarded with the news about MediaCity all the time - whether it’s a debate about the capital cost of the move, or simply the fact that Evan Davies is sometimes broadcasting the Today Programme from the fabulous new studios in Salford. The one thing that is indisputable is that it will be a huge social reengineering project for the North West and brings real economic and commercial opportunities but also a significant amount of kudos. I think the effects have only just begun and we all need to watch this space to see how we can all benefit.
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Code Computerlove
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