Digi rival fears
Jan 17 2008 By Jez Davison, Evening Gazette
CREATIVE AND digital companies say they will stay loyal to Teesside, despite major plans to create a rival “digital square mile” in Sheffield.
The project forms part of an economic master plan that links Sheffield’s business centre with those of Manchester and Leeds, creating what was described today as a “second cylinder” for the UK economy, creating 30,000 jobs.
Under the plan, development company Creative Sheffield would build a digital hub at the heart of the city’s business district, prompting fears of a digital brain drain from Tees to South Yorkshire. However, local companies remain fiercely loyal to the area.
Michael Siu, co-founder and director of moShine, the award-winning digital design studio, said Teesside was “four or five light years ahead of Sheffield”.
Mr Siu, whose company specialises in motion graphics and animation as well as illustration, branding and interactive media, said: “We are more than happy to be based in the Tees Valley, which has already built up a reputation for excellence in the creative industries.
“The area has an established network of contacts and is the ideal base from which we are now starting to secure larger contracts.”
Mark Elliott, director of DigitalCity Business said local expertise in the creative industries rivalled anything that the rest of the country had to offer.
“While we are aware of developments in other parts of the UK, the Tees Valley creative industries have made great strides in a relatively short space of time and have forged a growing network of contacts all over the world,” he said.
“DigitalCity Business is unique in that it is run by professionals who have many years of experience in the creative industries.” But he said there could well be “room for collaboration” with Sheffield.
DigitalCity Business is supported by the Institute of Digital Innovation at the University of Teesside, a major digital research and development environment.
A recent report from Culture NorthEast, part of the regional development agency, revealed that commercial creative industries, made up of 2,200 businesses, are worth £800m to the region’s economy and employ 30,000 people.
It is estimated that new media, games and interactive software companies generate £256m in turnover regionally, with 14% of the valuable new media, videogames and interactive software companies each turning over in excess of £1m per annum.
Creative Sheffield chief executive Ian Bromley claimed Sheffield was well placed to take advantage of the new growth industry.
