Nine Businesses Defy The Recession By Expanding At Round Foundry Media Centre. 

Despite the economic downturn, nine creative and digital businesses are bucking the trend by growing.  Over the last seven months, Round Foundry Media Centre has seen nine companies take larger offices to accommodate new staff and, by their own account, they are thriving despite all the odds.

PR firm Finn Communications have even opened a second office in London, acknowledging that there are opportunities for the creative and digital sector during these turbulent times. Managing Director Richard Rawlins said: ‘To overcome ineffective traditional advertising, brands need to invest increasingly high budgets in media spend, which are not available in the current economic climate. This means clients are turning more and more to our offer.’

Robin Hill, Director of Sales and Business Development for Random Storm, is similarly taking advantage of recent trends and new openings in their market sector.  ‘The need for IT security and certain legal legislations have become very prevalent recently and that’s where we come in as an agile and responsive team.

‘Round Foundry Media Centre has excellent, well-managed services. Also, most importantly for us at the minute, it’s very commercially flexible; we just can’t consider a lenghty lease.’  Able to give one-month’s notice on office rental with no penalty, many of the tenants at RFMC enjoy a city centre location on simple, pragmatic terms. AWA Digital recently moved to occupy the prominent suite in the Media Centre, more than doubling their previous workspace. However, Chairman Alasdair Wightman attributes the move to more than just a flexible licence agreement.

‘This location is doubly important for us. Firstly we’re in the heart of Leeds’ creative and digital industries and secondly, being in the city centre, we’ve been able to recruit some of the very best digital talent in the region.’

But AWA Digital’s expansion is simply an indicator to their true success, as recently acknowledged at the IDM Business Performance Awards. Scooping ‘Best Use of Online Display Advertising’, the team won national recognition and a renowned, revered award.

Cases such as this and the recent success of The Vast Agency see Yorkshire Forward’s designs on the Leeds’ creative/digital economy realised. The Round Foundry Media Centre intended to focus and drive local talent through its unique community and this recent upsizer has gone on to acquire a series of accolades. Their own ‘Shufti’ high-fashion magazine achieved Silver in a category of over 600 publications at the SPD awards, held in New York earlier this year. Richard Dempster, Creative

Director of Vast, acknowledges the team’s own innovation as giving them the edge despite the downturn. He said:
"We don’t approach campaigns in a traditional sense and a lot of our new work has been won with this ethic where maybe other agencies take a safer route. We work with clients who are confident, who are looking for more Bang-for-their-Bucks as we strive to challenge what our competitors are producing.’

The nine companies expanding at Round Foundry Media Centre since January 2009 are: YTKO (www.ytko.co.uk), Olympic Support (www.olympicsupport.com) , Phase 37, VAST (www.vastagency.com), Russell Smith Chartered Accountants (www.accountsforartists.co.uk), Finn Communications (www.finncomms.com), SDA Solutions (www.sdasolutions.com), Random Storm (www.randomstorm.com), AWA Digital (www.awadigital.com).

Round Foundry Media Centre is a successfully community of over fifty businesses all working in the creative and digital sectors and specialises in providing high quality and flexible services to support this target sector. Virtual offices and start-up services start from as little as £25 per month. Ring 0113 394 4500 or email info@roundfoundry.net for more information.