Record number of tenants set up at Media Centre

“CREATING a tech cluster is hard, you have to let it happen as organically as possible,” said chief executive of Huddersfield’s Media Centre, Brent Woods, as the centre celebrates its 21st birthday.

The Media Centre has been capitalising on the growth of the digital industries before anyone else knew it was happening.

Launched on Northumberland Street in 1995, the Media Centre, under the leadership of chief executive Brent Woods, has acted as a base for more than 1,200 businesses.

It started off with 15 tenants and as of this year has a total of 200 businesses that call it home, a record number for the growing site.

In the 2000’s its Lord Street offices were unveiled, following which its glass building on Friendly Street was opened by the Queen in 2007. The Media Centre, which has been supported by Kirklees Council, ranges from ultra-modern to grade-II listed.

Mr Woods said that Huddersfield was the perfect place for it. He said: “Huddersfield is this remarkably independently-spirited town. If you trace it back historically it was a centre for the suffragette movement and for the Luddites. It was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution – it’s a pride in place and it is beautiful architecturally. Huddersfield is a town that’s full of potential.”

Mr Woods, a Canadian by birth and an honorary Yorkshireman, was originally in the music and film industry, helping grow Sheffield Doc/Fest, which this year featured David Attenborough and Louis Theroux amongst other famous names, before developing media centres.

“Nowadays in creative and digital industries geography isn’t important,” he said. “As long as the area has good infrastructure, benefits from good broadband, and there is a physical space to be in, then it’s a possibility. It’s also important that businesses have access to people, talent and knowledge.

“We have the benefits of better cost of living in the country, which is a great place to start a business as well as a family.”

“For digital businesses, getting a good skills base with staff is a real challenge. New technology and approaches to flexible working are changing the way employers get the best out of their teams and we aim to adapt quickly to those changes.”

He said that being part of the Northern digital move was an advantage, but he did say: “What we need in the North is better skills and more of a network.

“The question is now, how can we scale up? The answer I think is getting everyone linked up. It’s still a fragile network up here and we need more support and investment for these networks.

“We have this wonderful Yorkshire trait of not shouting about ourselves and when we get an opportunity we should do it.”