Independent film company, Ithica Films, is continuing its steady growth with six new appointments to its Middlesbrough team.

The award-winning firm, which specialises in creating remarkable films and documentaries for brands, has welcomed six new recruits to its filmmaking, operations and management team.

Paula McGough returns as director following maternity leave while Kevin Firman takes up the post of head of finance and operations. Both will enhance Ithica’s leadership team and focus on growing the business after the pandemic.

Ithica’s filmmaking capacity will be bolstered by cinematographer Joe Macdonald, who has a background in features and TV filming and worked on Oscar-winning film Judy, and London Metropolitan University graduate Sam Harrop as a dedicated editor.

Kara Wilson and Pennie Sharp will become permanent filmmakers following a Teesside University internship and content creator apprenticeship, respectively, and will work across all filming disciplines.

The recruitment drive follows Ithica’s move to new premises on Marsh Street in April 2021, which saw it expand its base to six times the size of its previous home. The 8,000 sq ft space is being completely renovated to include ten editing suites, a studio, production offices and a creative suite, plus high-speed digital infrastructure, soundproofing and cinematography equipment.

Matt McGough, Managing Director of Ithica, said: “I’m so pleased to welcome a mix of experience and new talent to the Ithica team with these six oustanding people. Their fantastic skills and passion for filmmaking will help us provide even bigger and better films for our clients.

“We’ve settled into our new studio really well and are excited about the opportunities the extra space and facilities give us to work with clients across the world. It’s opened up a lot of new ways of developing the company further and increasing our creative capabilities.”

Since its creation seven years ago, Ithica has grown year-on-year and now has  a global client base that includes Anglo American, Newcastle Building Society, thyssenkrupp, Port of Middlesbrough, PD Ports and Venator.

So far this year, Ithica has delivered key projects for OSBIT, Centre for LIfe, Clipper and Great North Air Ambulance.

Ithica Films also works closely with local schools and colleges to nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent. It sponsors Middlesbrough College’s film studio and supports nearby Northern School of Art with student placements and use of its studio space.

Middlesbrough based SaaS company, Salesfire, has seen an outstanding year of expansion with a 75% increase in turnover throughout 2020.

Recent years have seen accelerated growth and development into new markets for Salesfire, which has allowed the company to invest in job creation, growing from just eight employees to 50 in three years, increasing its staff count by 52% during the lockdown.

The company is also proud to have recently won Company of the Year at the Tees Tech awards and Best Digital Project/Campaign for its eCommerce analytics platform, TrendDesk.

Rich Himsworth, CEO of Salesfire, said: “Throughout the pandemic, we turned our focus to helping online retailers continue to thrive during a particularly difficult time for businesses.

“Despite the setbacks thrown at all companies over the last year, the ambition of Salesfire has not faltered. In unpredictable circumstances, the team has been reactive, forward-thinking and innovative, responding to client needs and industry demands which have culminated in the success we’ve seen in the last year.”

Doubling its office space at Albert North’s Sixteen-26 building last year, the company has 10,000 sq ft of office space across two floors for the continually growing team.

Rich continued: “We’re proud to be part of something exciting in the tech sector in Teesside. We hope to continue to represent a thriving, growing tech industry worldwide, along with our growing neighbouring companies.

“We’re not only focused on growing Salesfire, but also aim to raise awareness of the other outstanding companies around us that, together, can help businesses across the country grow and expand into something outstanding.”

Growing by 332 new clients in 2020, Salesfire now works with over 600 eCommerce stores including Hamleys, TJ Hughes, Godiva and Select Fashion, as well as continuing to grow partnerships with eCommerce giants such as Klarna.

Close to realising its plans for growth into American, European and Australian markets, Salesfire’s recruitment drive continues with the aim to once again double its headcount in the next 12 months. Roles are available across the company from the Design team to Development, Sales and Business Development teams.

Specialising in helping eCommerce retailers utilise their website traffic, amplify their conversions and maximise their revenue, Salesfire provides a suite of tools to intelligently personalise the shopping experience for website users. 

For more information on Salesfire, please visit salesfire.co.uk.

Games developer and publisher Double Eleven have announced they have doubled the size of their team, having welcomed their 200th employee.

The company, which launched 12 years ago from humble beginnings in a loft, has remotely recruited 103 new crew members to its Teesside Headquarters and grown its Kuala Lumpur studio to 20 in the last twelve months alone.

This growth has resulted from recruiting world-class talent locally, nationally, and internationally from America, Japan, Europe, and many other countries.

Double Eleven has brought experience from outside the games industry to support their scale of growth, including welcoming Iain Farrell, who joined from Analox as programme manager and Sarah Lowe from Mitsubishi Chemicals as training & development manager. All non-development teams have seen growth, including publishing, people & culture and IT and operations.

The company has gained a worldwide reputation for being trusted with some of the world’s biggest IPs. It is currently collaborating on Minecraft Dungeons with Mojang Studios and Prison Architect with Paradox Interactive, as well as other unannounced projects for Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5. It recently launched the Rust Console Edition and is managing a vast community of players.

Lee Hutchinson, founder and CEO of Double Eleven, said, “Our recent growth has been phenomenal; it’s a reflection of the increasing scale and complexity of the type of projects we work on. We’ve built new teams and created new roles within the organisation to support our online services and infrastructure needs, people development and, most importantly, wellbeing. We are quite comfortable recruiting outside the game industry to find individuals we believe have the right capabilities and experience to help us grow and advance different business areas.“

“We have reviewed over 1,700 applications, and throughout the pandemic, our IT heroes have sourced, set up and shipped over £450,000 worth of high-spec equipment and office wear to ensure each team member has everything they need to thrive while we work remotely.“

During this time, the company has also made further investment in quality assurance engineering and process automation, opened a new development studio in Kuala Lumpur and expanded its facilities in its Teesside based headquarters.

Not stopping there, the company will recruit an additional 100 staff over the next 12 months. Making it by size, one of the top three independent, UK headquartered games publisher and developer in the UK.

Lee added, “We’re building Double Eleven our way; with a people before profit philosophy which heavily influences the business and people decisions we make. It’s benefited our games and their results.

“We’ve recently created an Employee Diversity and Equality Network group to provide a safe space to debate topics centred around equality, diversity and inclusion, and it’s already resulted in new ways to improve the accessibility of our recruitment and onboarding process.

“With 15+ different nationalities in our team, we truly believe that diversity creates great games.”

Putting the company’s philosophy and culture at the core of how they operate is resulting in happy employees. With a Glassdoor company rating of 4.9 out of 5, Double Eleven scores highly with anonymous employee reviews and 95% of them said they would recommend working there to a friend. Lee also holds a 100% CEO approval rating on the site.

Opportunities at Double Eleven are available across various disciplines within the UK and Kuala Lumpur, and some roles qualify for 100% remote working. To find out more, visit the Double Eleven website.

Salesfire, an award-winning SaaS company that specialises in conversion rate optimisation and intelligent personalisation, has doubled its office footprint to accommodate recent growth.

The Middlesbrough based tech company has taken a further floor at Albert North’s prestigious SIXTEEN/26 building, meaning it now has 10,000 sq ft of space on the second and third floors.

The company, which launched in 2017, was developed to replicate the experience of an in-store sales assistant online by intelligently recommending products and creating a personalised customer experience to increase sales, conversion rates and revenue.

Salesfire’s CEO, Rich Himsworth, said: “Our growth has been phenomenal; we started as a team of seven in Boho Six, and having outgrown the space, we moved to SIXTEEN/26 at Albert North, and we’ve grown exponentially ever since.

“During the lockdown, we expanded the team to over 50, and the additional floor space served us well as we could use it to ensure social distancing and provide a COVID safe working environment.”

A significant increase in sales means the company is now working with over 600 eCommerce stores, including Hamley’s, TJ Hughes, West Ham Football Club, Moda in Pelle and Psyche. It has also expanded its global reach after acquiring clients in the States and Europe.

With ambitious plans for further growth, Salesfire’s recruitment drive continues, and this time next year, it aims to have doubled its headcount again. As well as recruiting experienced developers, the company will launch its academy.

 “We’ve put all of our efforts into making the Salesfire enterprise platform the best in class. We’ve driven all of our profit into growing the business, and Jomast have played a pivotal role in ensuring we were able to scale quickly,” added Rich.

Albert Road was transformed by Jomast into Albert North almost two years ago. With support from Middlesbrough Council, the area has benefited from significant regeneration. It has welcomed numerous high-profile tech businesses, including Mabo, Big Bite, SockMonkey and Appamondo.

Mark Hill, commercial property director at Jomast, said: “We’ve been delighted to be able to support Salesfire’s rapid expansion plans and provide them with the space they need to grow and ultimately thrive.

“We designed Albert North to attract digital and creative businesses specifically, and it is now a vibrant tech cluster which is home to several world-leading companies.

“All the upper floor space at 16/26 is now fully occupied, and whilst our focus remains on letting the ground-floor units, we are also turning our attention to refurbishing the adjoining building TWENTYEIGHT/32, which Barclays occupied up until the end of last year.”

Businesses relocating to Albert North can take advantage of an incentive scheme that includes perks such as high-speed broadband, rent and rate incentives, free public health initiatives for all staff and a town centre loyalty card with exclusive discounts.

Anyone interested in leasing units should contact Jomast directly on 01642 666 936 or visit the Albert North website for more details.

A multi-million pound digital facility that will transform Teesside’s tech scene is taking shape at Middlesbrough College.

Diggers are on site and work is underway on the new three-storey, state-of-the-art Digital Centre – part of the College’s successful Government-approved bid to deliver pioneering new technical qualifications, T Levels.

The purpose-built facility will be home to around 2,000 sq. m. of learning space including a dedicated film and TV studio, industry-leading programming suites, cyber labs, special effects rooms, games design suite and video editing suites.

Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College, said: “There’s a real demand for digital skills across all industries, it’s part of every business and is growing considerably – not just in the Tees Valley but nationally too.

“The start of work on our dedicated Digital Centre is another level of guarantee that Middlesbrough College remains at the forefront of digital skills development, delivering cutting edge T Levels courses that will transform the industry.

“We’ve already been working with digital businesses across Teesside for many months to successfully trial T Levels placements and this dedicated digital destination means students can look forward to even more opportunities to enhance their career prospects.”

T Levels include a minimum of 315 hours of industrial placement and students will have the opportunity to work on live briefs from leading digital businesses in the region.

Digital courses will cover skills in computing networking, web and app development, cyber security, digital video production and games development. 

Zoe added: “Teesside’s digital cluster is growing considerably but as we know, through our relationship with local businesses, there is a real skills shortage in the sector.

“T Levels are fantastic routes for school leavers who’ve finished GCSEs and want to get qualifications on par with A Levels with hands-on experience that will make them attractive to employers.

“Our Digital Centre will transform the learning opportunities available to these students and equip them with the technical skills needed to secure high value jobs.”

Anne-Marie Chiswell, associate director of visual performing arts and computing at ‎Middlesbrough College, said: “As much as our role is to build digital skills for the future, it’s also about inspiring the next generation to really explore digital as a career option and promote the opportunities available to them.

“The digital community here in the North East is one of the fastest developing in the UK and there’s so much potential on our doorstep.”

A £1.8 million technology centre is opening at Teesside University to help the region’s industrial businesses embrace the potential of digital technology.

The Industrial Digitalisation Technology Centre will work with industrial SMEs across the Tees Valley and support them on their digitalisation journey.

The ERDF funded initiative provides a collaborative working space for eligible small and medium enterprises in the region’s industrial sectors to explore an array of Industry 4.0 technologies before making an investment.

Its Serious Play Facility is set to open in Summer 2021, subject to government restriction guidelines, and will allow businesses to gain hands-on experience of industrial digitalisation products and services and their benefits. The technologies available include a cyber-physical lab, interactive digital factory systems, data management software, a SMART digital lab, IoT (Internet of Things) and cloud services and hosting.

In a bid to generate real value for local businesses and minimise any investment risk, the Centre also offers fully-funded consultancy support. Its team of digital and academic experts will work on a one-to-one basis to structure a six to 12-month project which will be practical, pragmatic and the right option for each individual organisation. Eligible businesses can start exploring digitalisation opportunities now through the project with support to develop roadmaps and business cases.

The Centre builds on the work of the University’s DigitalCity initiative, putting digital at the heart of traditional businesses, and the School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technology’s expertise and reputation for innovation, academic excellence, world-class research, and industrial experience.

Dr David Hughes, Associate Professor who is leading the Centre’s development, said: “This project provides businesses with access to our expert academic staff alongside hands-on experience and de-risked test facilities. We are very excited to begin working with businesses to understand their challenges better and look at how digital solutions can support their growth and productivity.

“There are a wealth of regional digital businesses and projects who we want to work closely with to really grow the regional industrial digital eco-system.”

For more information about the Industrial Digitalisation Technology Centre, please visit the Teesside University website.

EE has announced it has switched on 5G in Middlesbrough, with eight places now connected across the North East on its network.

Middlesbrough is among 13 new towns announced by EE to receive the latest mobile network technology. EE has already brought 5G services to several towns and cities in Chester-le-Street, Jarrow, Washington, Newcastle, North Shields, South Shields and Sunderland.

EE launched the UK’s first 5G service in May 2019 and has now expanded to 125 towns and cities across the UK. The mobile network operator was also today named the UK’s no.1 network for gaming. According to the latest independent testing by RootMetrics, EE’s network recorded the fastest aggregate median download speed of any network, the lowest packet loss, and the lowest jitter** during Rootmetrics UK-wide testing.

Network insights from EE show increased appetite for mobile gaming. The launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in November 2020 saw peak traffic for gaming services increase by more than 50 per cent compared to the same time the month before. Mobile traffic for PlayStation alone increased almost three-fold between October and November 2020.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer business, said: “Today’s recognition shows the continued investment we’re making to keep our customers connected to what matters most to them, whether that’s enjoying the latest gaming release, sharing video calls with loved ones, or online learning. Our award-winning 5G service is now available in 125 towns and cities across the UK, and our rollout continues so we can bring the best mobile experience to even more people and places.”

Liz Needleman, BT Group North of England, said: “I’m delighted that both consumers and businesses in Middlesbrough will now benefit from 5G technology during this unprecedented time when connectivity is more important than ever before.

“Middlesbrough joins seven other places in the North East that now have access to 5G to help connect them to faster broadband speeds and more reliable connections.

“As demand continues to rise for 5G technology, this announcement will help the people of Middlesbrough stay in touch with friends and family as well as allow businesses to take advantage of the fastest and most reliable connections.”

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “Digital tech and communication is central to all our lives, and never has that been more true than during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The drive for greater connectivity is only going to grow over the coming years, and it’s vital that Middlesbrough is at the cutting edge of this latest industrial revolution.

“The latest 5G technology will play a key role so it’s fantastic that EE has connected Middlesbrough to its network which will further enhance our reputation as the place to live, work and do business.”

In addition to Middlesbrough, the other new towns to receive EE 5G today are: Burton-upon-Trent, Cannock, Grimsby, Ipswich, Leamington Spa, Neath, Portishead, Tamworth, St Albans, Halifax, Stockport and Swinton.

EE named UK’s No.1 network for gaming comes as EE is also set to imminently launch an exciting new mobile focused gaming bundle. Further details on this, including availability and eligibility – will be announced very shortly.

Ambitious plans for the flagship development at the heart of Middlesbrough’s digital powerhouse have been submitted this week.

They outline new designs for the Boho X building which will act as a regional and national focal point for the burgeoning digital sector.

And striking new artist’s impressions show how the seven-storey building will fit in to the wider Boho masterplan already transforming Middlesbrough’s historic heart.

It’s already carved out a reputation as one of the best locations in the UK for up-and-coming talent and skills within the digital sector, acting as a base for new businesses and industry start-ups.
 

Boho X’s state-of-the-art spacious, modern working environments will act as a further catalyst for social, economic and environmental change across the Tees Valley and the wider region.

Key elements of the development include:

  • 60,000 sq  ft of high quality grade A office space for the digital and creative sector
  • Flexible office space for large or small organisations
  • Swimming pool and gym, café, roof top bar/event space, lecture theatre
  • High quality public realm

Subject to planning permission, Boho X will be delivered by global property developer and construction company BCEGI who will establish a town-wide apprenticeship scheme and offer work placements to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Work is due to start in August next year, with a completion date in December, 2022.

Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston said: “Middlesbrough can compete with Leeds and Newcastle, and this building will bring the jobs and investment to make that happen.

“It’s the best office building for many miles and it will ignite more investment – tens of millions of pounds – that will start the process of reenergising central Middlesbrough. 

“From Berwick Hills to Stainton, everyone everywhere will benefit from this investment because it will boost our town’s financial security and help us to provide better council services.

“This building is a fantastic statement of confidence in a post-Covid Middlesbrough.

“As the pandemic struck and economic chaos arrived, we amended our initial plans for a much taller building and devised this stunning but less expensive alternative.

“For ambitious businesses, the facilities and atmosphere here will be a must: a rooftop bar and conferencing, gym, wellness suite and a magnificent cafe. Interest in this building is already huge.”

The project is being part-funded by £26.5 million from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It’s great to see this important project move a step closer.

“Growing our tech and digital sectors is an important part of my plan for jobs and Boho X will deliver the high-quality office space needed so that the amazing businesses we already have here can grow.

“It will also mean we have the space to attract other companies to the region creating even more well-paid jobs in an ever-growing sector.”

Dongwen Yu, Lead director at BCEGI, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Middlesbrough Council to deliver this iconic digital hub.

“Our vision is to deliver a thriving, successful and attractive heart to Middlesbrough which will serve the needs of local people and businesses for decades to come. 

“This is an ambitious and carefully crafted proposal that expresses the confidence in Middlesbrough. 

“Boho X will deliver a best-in-class destination that meets the aspirations of existing and new occupiers and reinforces Boho as a fantastic location for digitally focused businesses.”

Award-winning games studio SockMonkey has relocated to Albert North to accommodate ambitious growth plans which will see them triple staff numbers by the end of 2021.

Albert Road, which has been transformed into Albert North has been through a period of significant regeneration, with many of the town’s iconic buildings renovated to create a bustling commercial district and digital tech hub.

SockMonkey joins a host of other rapidly expanding tech companies who have already moved to the area including Mabo, Salesfire, Big Bite, Appamondo, LouTom Media and iConvert.

Founded in 2013, the video games development studio has landed prestigious contracts to work on console and PC titles around the globe, including US-based indie game developer and publisher tinyBuild and Outfit7, one of the fastest-growing multinational family entertainment companies in the world.

Acquiring 5,000 sq ft of office space on the fifth floor within the prestigious 16/26 building is another exciting step for the company. It follows an announcement in the summer that it had secured £250k investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, to enable them to fund Fish Tanks, its first original title that will launch next year.

Bob Makin, SockMonkey’s CEO, said; “We’ve experienced tremendous growth recently and having almost doubled the team we had quickly outgrown our studio space in Boho Five.

“Keen to stay in Middlesbrough’s digital cluster, we needed a new office that would accommodate our future growth plans.

“When we visited 16/26 at Albert North, we immediately loved the location and the large, modern open plan space.

“The big plus for us was Jomast had listened to the needs of the digital sector and already created a vibrant community that met all our requirements”.

Despite the current backdrop of COVID-19, the company has continued to add to its existing headcount throughout the year, meaning its phased growth plan remains on track. Having created many successful games for other companies, SockMonkey is incredibly excited to be launching their own original title.

“This year has been challenging for so many businesses. We’ve been lucky that despite everything that is happening the gaming sector continues to grow rapidly, and our ambition to launch our own game will become a reality” added Bob.

“Albert North has fast become one of the area’s biggest tech clusters, and with its central location, the mix of ambitious digital and creative businesses combined with a variety of independents and food outlets make it easy to see why so many want to move here.”

It’s almost two years since Jomast transformed Albert Road into Albert North and with support from Middlesbrough Council the area has benefitted from significant regeneration.

With so many high-profile, ambitious tech businesses making a move here the area has become a natural extension of the Boho Zone resulting in an expanded digital cluster and bustling commercial district.

Mark Hill, commercial property director at Jomast, said: “The response to Albert North has been tremendous, and the area is becoming a real success story.

“We’re delighted to have been able to help a number of fast-growing businesses in the local tech sector make a move into larger office accommodation so they can continue to pursue their growth ambitions.

“With all the upper floor space at 16/26 fully occupied our focus early in the new year will be to refurbish the neighbouring property 28/32. This six-storey building will offer a further 24,000 sq ft of bespoke office space.

“We also have some ground-floor units available which are suitable for a variety of uses such as food and beverage operators, independent retailers as well as office space.”

“The growing tech sector is complemented by other independent businesses including King B, Cocoon & Bauer, Pie Jackers, Alkaline Kitchen and Ananda Wellbeing, which together provide a vibrant business community.”

Businesses wanting to relocate to Albert North can take advantage of an incentive scheme which includes perks such as high-speed broadband, rent and rate incentives, free public health initiatives for all staff and a town centre loyalty card with exclusive discounts. Anyone interested in leasing units should contact Jomast directly on 01642 666 936 or visit the Albert North website for more details.

Middlesbrough start-up company, Bubo.AI, announced this month that it has won the award for ‘Best Emerging Technology in AI’ in Computing’s second AI and Machine Learning Awards. The awards were launched last year to recognise the best companies, individuals and projects in the AI space.

The winner is chosen by a jury of leading experts within the technology field. Criteria for the award focuses specifically on companies who support and drive innovation in all areas of artificial intelligence. As a result of their most impressive new solution, the challenges they overcame and how they achieved it, Bubo.AI won this prestigious award with their solution for product pricing across a wide range of industries.

Computing Judges commented: “Bubo.AI’s unique and innovative approach in bringing modern, advanced data and a solution focused software to wholesalers and distributors is driving “breakthrough” changes to the industry.” It’s not easy to standout in the crowded field of AI technologies, but Bubo.AI impressed us and we are thrilled to recognize the company in our 2020 AI and Machine Learning Awards.”

Working with leading universities and academics enables Bubo.AI to develop forward-thinking pricing solutions and deliver leading-edge technology. Their machine learning algorithm finds the maximum a customer is willing to pay for a product to ensure companies maintain demand, without leaving money on the table. Bubo’s pricing optimisation software also supports sales staff to avoid giving unnecessary discounts.

“For the first time, our solution means companies can use customer value-based pricing which could be key for them to recover revenue and build a roadmap to profitability”, said Alan Timothy, CEO of Bubo.AI. “Being awarded ‘Best Emerging Technology in AI’ serves as a recognition of the value that the Bubo.AI team brings to our customers and the pricing industry.”

Andy Preston, Mayor of Middlesbrough added: “Middlesbrough is the home of digital technology start-up companies delivering cutting edge technology products and services for companies across the world. This award is a great testament to the excellent work Teesside University and Bubo.AI produce, and we’re proud to be the home for progressive innovations.”