Download creative and digital sector

Firesprite delivers its first game for Sony’s Japan Studios “The Playroom” a launch title on PS4
CREATIVE AND DIGITAL SECTOR
Liverpool is renowned globally for its creativity.
It has a long track record of producing not
only some of the greatest artists of our time,
but some of the most innovative and ground
breaking digital content and global brands.
WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE
CREATIVE AND DIGITAL SECTOR?
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Rapidly growing creative and digital cluster which
is promoting innovation and collaboration allowing
companies to quickly embed themselves in the network
and access the necessary talent and expertise.
It has all the assets required for digital businesses
to thrive; deep pool of creative talent, first class
connectivity, countless events and industry
showcases, access to a variety of funds and
comprehensive industry support services in what
is a truly low cost, low risk business environment.
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Ability to enter one of the UK’s priority technology sub
sectors in eHealth and Telecare - Liverpool is one of the
most important clusters of digital companies producing
ground breaking solutions in this space.
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Strong and dynamic video games cluster typified by
innovative, independent studios taking advantage of the
wealth of digital skills and artistic talent. The companies
are led by some of the leading minds of the video game
industry past and present, in what is arguably the fastest
growing and most important gaming cluster in the UK.
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City’s strength in the games industry ensuring a leading
role in the ‘gamification’ of other industry sectors
providing opportunities to diversify the market for your
tech solutions.
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Purpose built digital incubation and studio spaces that
are low cost and future proof - Liverpool enjoys world
class connectivity and resilience, one of the few places in
the UK where you could order a 100 GBPS connection,
satisfying even the largest of data consumers.
Baltic Creative sheds
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Multitude of data centres and data solution companies - Liverpool is home to one of the UK’s only Tier Three datacentres.
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UK’s first dedicated Studio School, industry led and
specifically aimed at developing games development
skills and entrepreneurialism in the 14 - 19 year old
demographic. The Studio is producing the future digital
workforce possessing the skills required to transition from
education to industry seamlessly.
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Liverpool’s Tech community at forefront of developments
around the Internet of Things
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An industry leading film stage and post - production
facilities in the process of development.
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A range of internationally significant showcase events
such as Liverpool Sound City; a metropolitan music
festival and tech conference and Designival; the largest
festival in the North dedicated to design.
Sound City international music and digital showcase event
Liverpool’s THREE UNIVERSITIES
provide the Creative and Digital
sector with a wealth of new and
emerging talent.
Nearly 50,000 people are
employed in digital and creative
businesses in Liverpool including
gaming, music, digital media and
design.
High quality, well connected city
centre office and studio space
typically ranges from £7 - £15
per sq ft before incentives.
CAN YOU GET THE SKILLED PEOPLE YOU NEED?
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Access to skilled people is one of the core strengths of Liverpool.
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With a population of just over 1.5 million people, and
a working population of nearly 1 million, companies
locating in the wider city can access a considerable pool
of labour. In addition, over 6.2 million people live within
an hour’s drive time of the area.
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It is estimated that nearly 50,000 people are employed
in digital and creative businesses in Liverpool including
gaming, music, digital media and design.
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Nearly 2,000 students studying for degrees in Computer
Sciences in Liverpool alone with a further 4,000 within
easy commuting distance.
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Liverpool is home to the Studio School, an industry
lead Digital skills focused University Technical College
specifically designed to provide the practical skills in
order to produce the future digital workforce.
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The SAE Institute have a major hub in Liverpool,
regarded as one of the country’s premier audio and
creative media education facilities.
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Major research strengths across the city include the
world class University of Liverpool Computer Sciences
Department, Liverpool John Moores University Open
Lab, Centre for Cultural leadership, Art & Design
Academy and School of Computing and Mathematical
Sciences and the Liverpool Hope Creative campus
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The average unemployment level in Liverpool is 5.6%, a
little higher than both the North West and UK average.
The local unemployment level means that there is a
sustainable pool of labour available to new companies
locating to the area. The slightly higher unemployment
tends to place less pressure on wage rates, skills and
may potentially improve staff retention rates.
HOW COST EFFECTIVE IS A LIVERPOOL BASE?
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UK government data estimates that wages in Liverpool
are lower than the national average for digital and
creative talent.
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In terms of commercial property, Liverpool currently
enjoys the lowest net effective rent of any key UK city
location. High quality, well connected city centre office
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and studio space typically ranges from £7 - £15 per sq ft
before incentives.
HOW EASILY CAN COMPANY STAFF AND
CUSTOMERS VISIT LIVERPOOL?
Liverpool offers a broad portfolio of incentives to inward
investors as well as being a leading location for raising
finance. Incentives include business growth grants,
training grants, numerous loan and equity funds as well
as a comprehensive, free of charge recruitment package.
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Wherever your customers are based and no matter which
of your offices need to stay connected to Liverpool, the
city is easy to reach.
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London is 2 hours away by train - and just as importantly
there are train services every hour.
Home to a variety of data centre and digital services
companies offering cost effective, robust, super high
speed broadband packages.
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Liverpool is also connected to by direct rail services to
Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham
and others - and of course by motorway the central belt
of Scotland, Newcastle, Bristol are all within 4 hours drive time.
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For international connections there is a choice of both
Liverpool and Manchester airports which are both within
45 drive time.
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Between the airports there are flights offered to virtually
every European country as well as scheduled flights to
the US (New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and
Orlando); Canada; Middle East and Singapore.
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Once here Liverpool can boast the range of hotels,
restaurants, nightlife, culture, events, shopping and
attractions that you would expect from a major
international city.
WHO ELSE HAS ALREADY RECOGNISED THE
OPPORTUNITY?
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Red Touch Media - Industry leading, global media
distribution company who recently chose Liverpool for its
European software development studio.
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Sony Computer Entertainment, Evolution studios and
Spiral House are producing and assuring some of the
major titles for the next generation of gaming consoles.
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Award winning mobile game and app development
companies such as Sawfly studios, Citrus Suite, Atomicon,
Lucid Games and Playrise digital.
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New Mind, the leading E-Tourism software company in
the UK
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One of the leading broadcast companies in the UK, Lime
Pictures, producing some of the most viewed shows in
the UK as well as productions for global brands such as
Nickelodeon.
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Some of the biggest global music brands operating out
of Liverpool include Cream, Sound City, Sentric Music
and Ad Lib.
8 million people,
13% of the UK
population live within
50 miles of Liverpool*
APPROXIMATE ROAD JOURNEY TIMES*
APPROXIMATE RAIL JOURNEY TIMES*
Cardiff
3hrs 32min
Birmingham2hrs
Bristol
3hrs 11min
Edinburgh
4hrs 5min
Glasgow
3hrs 40min
Hull
2hrs 11min
Leeds
1hr 18min
London
3hrs 30min
Manchester46min
Newcastle3hrs
Nottingham
2hrs 8min
Plymouth
5hrs 6min
Sheffield
1hr 42min
Southampton
4hrs 10min
Cardiff
3hrs 40min
Birmingham
1hr 30min
Bristol
3hrs 20min
Edinburgh
3hrs 24min
Glasgow
3hrs 30min
Hull
3hours 13min
Leeds
1hr 47min
London
2hrs 8min
Manchester48min
Newcastle
3hrs 23min
Nottingham
2hrs 38min
Plymouth
5hrs 37min
Sheffield
1hr 43min
Southampton
4hrs 37min
* Source: AA
* Source: National Rail Enquiries
20.5 million people,
33% of the UK
population live within
100 miles of Liverpool*
* Data source ONS mid year estimates 2010
CAN SENIOR STAFF RELOCATE?
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Liverpool can offer city centre living or a selection of
coastal, suburban or countryside residential locations.
House prices offer tremendous value - average house
prices are half the price of the average for the South East
of England.
Across Liverpool there is a range of high quality education
establishments. The Liverpool Blue Coat School is one
of the 50 highest performing state schools in the country
and Merchant Taylor’s Liverpool is one of the 100 highest
performing independent schools. Of course there are also Further and Higher education establishments notably the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John
Moores University.
Outside of all the usual city centre activities, Liverpool
is perhaps unusual with the coast offering a range of
opportunities for water sports, whilst the Lake District,
Snowdonia, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales National
Parks are all within 2 hours drive.
The city has several theatres, two Premier League football
teams and the City Region is unique in England as an
area with 2 Open Championship golf courses.
CAN WE ACCOMMODATE YOU?
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WIDER LOCAL ECONOMY?
The major companies are investing here include Peel - who operate the Port of Liverpool; Novartis who manufacture
vaccines; and Bibby Line who straddle maritime and financial services activities and are one of Liverpool’s oldest
major companies.
Other companies with a significant presence in Liverpool
and the wider region include Princes Group, Royal and Sun
Alliance, Bank of New York, Ineos, Unilever and many others.
The Port of Liverpool is a major success story - the largest UK container port on the west coast; a major new (£300m)
post - panamax scale vessel terminal; further investment in port facilities and road, rail, inland waterway multi-modal
facilities; and already a location for 5 of the 6 largest global
shipping lines.
Investment in the city continues with perhaps the UK’s
largest regeneration project; Liverpool Waters, extension of
the Arena and Convention Centre, the redevelopment of
the Royal Liverpool Hospital and associated Bio Innovation
Campus, a major bridge project creating a second crossing
of the Mersey, further investment in broadband infrastructure
and the on-going investment in offshore wind and oil and
gas in Morecambe Bay. Collectively these projects have an
investment value in excess of £7 billion.
Liverpool has a wide variety of office, studio and warehouse
space ranging from low price, functional space right through to
state of the art, grade A office accommodation. Liverpool has
a number of growing clusters of creative industry companies
located throughout the city centre including the Baltic Triangle
and Ropewalks districts and, increasingly, the Knowledge
Quarter and Commercial District.
All in all, there has never been a better time to move business
into Liverpool. The Liverpool City Region generates £23bn in
economic output every year and in the last decade Liverpool
was one of the UK’s fastest growing cities recording a 39%
increase in output - the city is vibrant, dynamic and alive with opportunity.
Liverpool also enjoys the fastest broadband speeds in the
country, providing up to 100 gbps meaning we can satisfy the
largest of data requirements.
WHAT NEXT
IS THERE SUPPORT TO HELP YOU ESTABLISH EASILY?
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Liverpool Vision’s role is to help set out what you need to
make your investment happen and address any concern
that may arise as your plans progress. Generally this will
mean Liverpool Vision providing the information that
can build the business case - typically (but not limited
to) information on the availability of people, property,
finance, research opportunities and suppliers; and the
cost of each of these various elements.
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In some cases, it may be that your project qualifies for
some support from public funding and we can also assist with the identification of any suitable routes for this support.
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As the project progresses we can help ensure that the
implementation of the project goes to plan and introduce
you to the wider network of professional organisations
across the city that can help ensure that you prosper into
the future.
Liverpool is known for its distinctiveness, friendliness, passion
and pride - we are waiting to hear from you to demonstrate
our offer and answer many of the other questions that you may
have concerning our great city. Email or telephone the contact
points to help and we look forward to working on your plans
with you.
Email Liverpool Vision at [email protected] or telephone 0151 600 2961 for help and we look forward to working on your plans with you.