Interviews
Interviews
The best creative industries companies in the UK
11 min read
20 November 2018
The Amazon Growing Business Awards is right around the corner, but before the big night arrives, here’s an examination of the best creative industries companies to make the shortlist.
The Amazon Growing Business Awards are back. Here’s everything you need to know about 2018’s finalists for one of the most competitive categories: Creative Industries Business of the Year.
On 28 November, the finalists for the 2018 Amazon Growing Business Awards will congregate at The Brewery in London, hoping to win one of 18 accolades. Ahead of the big reveal, here’s what you need to know about the companies that made the shortlist.
2018 Creative Industries Business of the Year finalists
Recognising innovation and excellence in creative industries businesses.
West Design Products Ltd
West Design is a designer, manufacturer, importer, distributor and wholesaler of toys, art and stationery products.
West Design’s products.
Founder: A. West
Growth story: West Design Products has been a family-owned business throughout its history, passing on from the West family to the Bray family. It has shown consistent growth incorporating a continued policy of acquisition and consolidation. The company employs more than 130 people across two premises, working with over 20,000 products at any given time.
“Having our own product development and design team that has a wealth of experience, ensures we can create unique designs that target our market. This level of investment and commitment creates a strong foundation upon which our products can be successfully designed and developed, allowing us to stand firm and stand out against the competitive brands.” – West Design Products
ARTIQ
ARTIQ specialises in curating art collections for clients in the workplace, hospitality and high-end residential sectors.
The ARTIQ team.
Founder: Patrick McCrae
Growth story: Set up in 2009, ARTIQ was founded to bridge the divide between the art and business worlds and promote the fair pay and treatment of artists. Since its creation, ARTIQ has paid over £2 million to artists, with a projected £1 million to be paid to artists in the next year alone.
“ARTIQ believe that art has a power far greater than the aesthetic. We bridge the divide between the art and business worlds, proudly disrupting the traditional opportunities on offer to creatives. From productivity and wellbeing, to guest experience and brand storytelling, ARTIQ encourages workplaces, hotels and residential developments to unleash the power of art to inspire staff, clients and guests.” – ARTIQ
Buffalo 7
Buffalo 7 is a specialist PowerPoint presentation design agency.
Founder: Richard Barnes
Growth story: Buffalo 7 originally started life in 2009 as a full-service agency. It was reinvented as a specialist presentation agency in 2014. The company has seen major growth over the last two years – expanding to close to 50 employees – in areas like motion design and digital animation. This has manifested in a turnover of over £2 million – in presentation services alone.
“Buffalo 7 is extraordinarily proud of its people, and remains focussed on keeping them engaged, motivated and happy. It also channels its creativity through to the superior customer service journey it provides. By delivering value before, during and after each presentation (such as presentation workshops, tailored training and user guides) our clients come back for more, time and time again.” – Buffalo 7
MCCGLC Ltd
MCCGLC aims to use technology and art to bring brand stories to life.
Founder: Matteo Console Camprini
Growth story: Working largely with the pharmaceutical and consumer electronics industries, MCCGLC’s philosophy is based on elevating the customer experience. It operates in 18 countries, delivering 100% of its business outside the UK. Since 2013 the company has shown consistent growth, with a 152% increase in revenue. If the trend continues, MCCGLC will be looking into further expansion.
“Exhibitions and live events have long been a cornerstone of B2B marketing, but simply building a logo-clad booth is a thing of the past. MCCGLC is revolutionising the event space, combining architecture, graphics, video and interactive technology to create environments that facilitate memorable human interaction.” – MCCGLC
Reel Film Media Ltd
Reel Film is a Yorkshire-based UK-focused video production company.
Founder: Adam Chandler
Growth story: Founded in 2013, Reel Film was borne out of frustration at expensive video production costs. The Wetherby-based company now employs five employees and operates across numerous market sectors, including banking, fitness, construction, charity and retail. With over 160 clients and 700 successfully completed projects in eight different countries, the business consistently enjoys rapid growth.
“Versatile and forward thinking, we invest in the latest equipment. Clients work with Reel Film because of the Return on Investment (ROI) they see, excellent customer service and ability to turn video around quickly. Overall client reviews for Reel Film score 4.7 out of a 5-star rating.” – Reel Film Media
2017 Creative Industries Business of the Year finalists
Bulletproof
Bulletproof began in 1998 with two college friends frustrated with existing agencies. Today we’re 130 strong across London, New York and Singapore, delivering strategic brand design for clients including Coca-Cola, Heineken and Mondelēz.
Our tribal culture and intelligently naive approach sets us apart from other agencies, enabling us to deliver real commercial success for our clients while growing our own business at an impressive rate.
But we never let our growth cloud what’s truly important, fiercely protecting a company culture that puts the growth of our staff first, and committing our time and talents to local and global causes.
Coffee & TV
Coffee & TV is only five years old but it has established a world class portfolio of work, and a creative, problem-solving culture which transcends through to clients, encouraging them to continually come back.
The company has also managed to carve a niche as a high-end content producer and run the business cost effectively with a unique scaling model, so it can put every possible pound (or dollar, or yuan) of the clients’ budget on the screen.
Playrcart
As a business we have grown by 4,000 per cent in terms of the following KPIs:
200m+ player interactions in ten months
100m+ video plays (film content, such as trailers) in ten months
4m+ unique users
550,000+ average unique users per month
Additionally, we have numerous commercial agreements such as Andes Films (Disney, Universal Pictures, Sony, Paramount), Metro International, Picturehouse and many more exclusive agreements signed.
We’re a Wayra cohort (Telefonica) – one of only 15 startups out of 1,000 accepted into their 2017 programme – and Real Business Future 50 Winner 2017, and have an international presence, all of which was delivered with two staff.
Shopper Media Group
Our company is founded on an unshakable desire for growth. In the last four years, we’ve built our team three-fold to deliver on our mission to transform “shopper media”.
Through doing so, we enable brands to grow and retailers to become more profitable, which in turn, helps us grow YoY in an industry where many others struggle (SMG turnover growth of four times and increase in profits 16 times since 2014).
Constantly investing in our people and innovative tools help us to remain market leaders in the category, maintain our unique proposition and reach out to more brands, retailers and media owners.
Tiffany Rose
Tiffany Rose is a model example of a creative business flying the flag for British innovation in the fiercely competitive global fashion industry. The business identified and dominated a profitable niche domestically and then scaled internationally: the brand has now shipped to over 120 countries worldwide and is a respected global leader in its specialist field.
While its design aesthetic is often imitated by industry giants, it has maintained its leadership of the sector through constant technical innovation and an unwavering commitment to providing truly world-class service – no matter in which language.
The Amazon Growing Business Awards is headlined by Amazon and sponsored by Santander, Bridges Fund Management and ECI Partners. It is supported by CBI, the Department of International Trade and Real Business. This year, the awards partnered with Beanstalk, a charity that recruits, trains and supports volunteers to provide consistent, one-to-one literacy support to children aged 3 to 13.
Interested in attending the Amazon Growing Business Awards?
Get your ticket or book a table here.