Established creative agency files for administration

Sam Jones, Tunafish Media

Manchester creative agency Tunafish Media has been placed into administration.

In a raw Tweet last night, co-founder Sam Jones revealed the agency had ceased trading and had collapsed owing money to creditors after “some pretty spectacular mistakes,” he admitted.

But he vowed to do what he can to help alleviate the impact of the administration on trading partners.

He posted: “I told myself at the start of 2020, that this year would be the year I finally start to blog regularly and we’re now in Mid-November and this is the first blog that I’ve managed to get out. Sadly it comes with the news that we have had to put Tunafish into administration.”

He added: “I know business is tough for everyone at the moment but blaming Covid would be a cop-out, it hasn’t been ideal but the truth is I’d made some pretty spectacularly mistakes in the build-up.

“When we started the business a mentor told me that you are only ever really a couple of mistakes away from failure and I made them (sic) mistakes in late 2019/early 2020. Since then we’ve been rowing back to try and save it and Coronavirus was just the final nail in the coffin.”

He said: “The one thing that Coronavirus has meant is that we’re going to go under owing creditors which is really devastating.

“It’s something that we’ve been on the other end of before, it’s a f***ing horrible experience to see a business that owes you money go under and I’m absolutely heartbroken that’s happened to us and we’ve become part of that problem.

“I really truly will endeavour to put this right in any way that I can, and I am so so sorry.”

He continued: “In terms of what’s next, I’m not really sure to be honest.

“Having a failed business at the age of 32 wasn’t something I was ever really hoping for and I’m feeling pretty lost at the moment. The only thing I’m sort of sure of is that I’m 99% convinced that I’m probably done with the agency world.

“Finally, I’d just like to say thanks to everyone who has worked for us, worked with us, supported, mentored and rooted for us over the last decade; Me, James (Macca) and Ric really appreciate it all.”

Next January would have been the business’s 10th anniversary and Jones said: “Going from being pretty much straight-out of Uni with a rough plan, we have always been blown away by the kindness, love and support that people have shown us over the last nearly decade.

“Manchester really is a wonderful city to work and live and I genuinely can’t thank you all enough for everything you’ve done for over the last 9¾ years. I’m just sorry that it’s ended this way and to let you down.”

He thanked Jason Elliott from Cowgills who is handling the insolvency and helping the team through “what has been a pretty traumatic experience”.

Tunafish Media was founded by Sam Jones, Richard Brooks and James McDonald.

Clients included the likes of Barburrito, Skiddle, CTS and Muse Developments.

In 2015 Jones was behind the creation of ‘Not Just Soup’ which targeted the homeless of Manchester with food provided by local restaurants.

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