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January | 2009  
Jim Gill's Retirement by Gareth
 04.43 pm January 18, 2010 Send to a Friend  
 
The announcement today of the departure of Jim Gill, the Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision, is one which raised a few eyebrows. Although unsurprising as he made no secret, privately or in public that retirement was looming. So what should the digital sector hope for in his successor?

Jim’s leadership of Liverpool Vision has been an undoubted success, delivering genuine success to the City Region, even through the dark and difficult days of the last 24 months. For the Digital sector Vision supports ACME – the creative and digital sector industry body. They have also been great supporters of ICDC, the only UK University research centre focused on New Media. In addition to this Vision, do handout the occasional new business grants – although not specific to our sector, Vision’s/NWDA’s Financial Assistance to Business grant is worth having a look at.

All the people I speak to in the digital and creative sector say that the main issues facing our sector can be summarised as:

  • Skills Gap of School leavers/Retention of talent leaving Universities

  • Foreign direct Investment – getting the best digital companies here.

  • Financial help for digital start ups/SME’s


All three issues are clearly on Vision’s radar as the laudable Foundation for Growth report in 08 highlights. Keeping them on Vision’s radar, is our job.

The incumbent of Jim’s post will need to address all three issues to keep our sector on the upward curve that it has fought hard to climb onto. What is needed is a visionary, a person who ‘gets’ digital. A spokesman, with real flair and detailed knowledge of industry. For my mind, they have to have a private sector background. Not just a public sector re-tread.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jim at the Merseyside Property Forum’s annual dinner some years ago. His legacy is one of undoubted success; he is one of Liverpool’s champions and real nice guys. They will be big boots to fill indeed.

As a sector, we need to keep pressure on the new Chief Executive. I’m sure they will have an open door policy, we need to ensure the new person is engaged and on board with our issues and concerns. But I’m sure you will all join with me in wishing Jim an enjoyable retirement.
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Merseyside ACME? by Gareth
 04.42 pm January 15, 2010 Send to a Friend  
 
Apart from being the mail order catalogue of choice for Wile E Coyote in his harebrained schemes to get that roadrunner. What is ACME? I know from the website that it’s the body that supports the creative sector in Liverpool…ect ect, but in all honesty I really don’t see it out there day to day.

Now unless I’m missing something, and I’m happy to be proved wrong, what is it actually doing? Apart from the occasional random poorly designed e-newsletter (which more often than not carries last months news) I really can’t see it out there. I can’t even log into their rather bizarre website these days.

Vision’s involvement in ACME (or more rightly - acquisition of) hasn’t seen a great increase in activity. I watched with interest as the body moved to the Capital to see if there would be a sea change of activity. As i say I’m happy to be proved wrong and welcome all comments from this piece.

I can guarantee that between salaries, suppliers, rent, office costs etc Liverpool Vision don’t much change from £100k . Now by my reckoning there’s around forty five major agencies active in Liverpool. Now here’s a question. ACME or an annual cheque from Vision to those agencies for £2,200. I know what I’d have.

For the record, I’m 33 and I still find Roadrunner funny.

Confused

Liverpool
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Latitude Problems or Not? by Peter
 04.25 pm January 12, 2010 Send to a Friend  
 
I read with interest the news emanating about Latitude’s problems and its left me slightly confused. Their funders Barclays are believed to have lost several million pounds as a result of a pre-pack administration but the business says they are doing great, so why the call in from the bank?

Pre-Packed Administration – This means their business was sold back to its management and their existing private equity backers Vitruvian Partners, basically like a NEWCO. In my experince others also get burned here along with the banks, what happens to thier suppliers?? Barclays is understood to have written off up to £5m of loans after a poor 2008 from latitude; however the SEO firm claimed to be getting back on track last year. confused.com?

Ian Riley, managing partner of Vitruvian, said in a news release: “No jobs will be lost as a result of the deal as the new company bought the entire assets of the business out of administration.

In another news release this same deal was described as a management buyout and did not mention the pre-pack, chief executive Alex Hoye said: “This deal secures Latitude’s ability to innovate and grow in a disruptive market. Marketing spend online surpassed TV for the first time in the UK this year – advertisers’ continued shift of expenditure to digital services provides growth opportunities for firms like Latitude in any economic environment.

Vitruvian acquired a majority stake for £50m in December 2007 from Dylan Thwaites and his former father-in-law David Ashton, who founded Latitude in 2000. Under the founders, turnover grew from £500,000 in 2002 to more than £40.5m in 2007 when it made a pre-tax profit of just over £1.46m.

Dylan Thwaites left the business in December 2008 amid a management shake-up which saw the departure of several other top executives. Chief financial officer Julie Morgan, chief technology officer Rob Shaw and head of client services Judy Dewsbury all went. The workforce was cut by about a dozen to around 95 in 2008 after customers cut back on spending and the company posted a turnover of £58m.

According to Latitude’s website the company is still recruiting, advertising three jobs at its London office and nine in Warrington, where the majority of the staff are based.
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Digital Switchover - Office Space Opportunity by Gareth
 04.27 pm January 5, 2010 Send to a Friend  
 
Looking to move? Looking for space alongside an award winning Digital Agency?

The perfect opportunity has arisen for an inspiring business to take space in one of the most prestigious offices in the Central Business District. Grade A space available for a Grade A company.

  • City Centre location

  • Plug and play facilities

  • One monthly fee - all costs included

  • Very flexible leases


Enquiries to Digital Liverpool or c/o Gareth@creativeliverpool.co.uk
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