Acquisition creates £12m turnover content studio

Leeds and Sheffield-based brand content and activation agency, Ride Shotgun, has acquired Manchester-based Creative Content Works (CCW), a CGI studio and content production specialist.

The deal is designed to create one of the largest independent CGI Production businesses in the UK.

With a combined workforce of over 160 professionals, Ride Shotgun’s expanded team now operates across multiple locations, including Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and London in the UK, as well as Sofia, Bulgaria, and Portugal.

The acquisition is projected to contribute to a combined annual turnover of approximately £12m.

Mark Mallinder, CEO of Ride Shotgun, said: “After the successful integration of Set Visions last year, we recognised the growing significance of CGI as part of our business proposition.

“We have long admired CCW’s tech-driven approach to CGI production and are happy to be able to complete this acquisition.

“CCW is a brilliant fit with our existing team, both culturally and operationally, so we’re really excited to see what we can achieve together.”

Dimitar Dimitrov, director at CCW, said: “Joining the Ride Shotgun team has been an exciting journey, and our teams are already working well together to drive both businesses forward successfully.

“With our rich heritage in tech-driven CGI content and Ride Shotgun’s established brand and creative capabilities and broader proposition, we find ourselves in a unique position to deliver high-quality content, cost-effectively, and at unparalleled speed and scale.”

Ed Kennon, CCW’s sales and marketing director, added: “With a team of experts across Strategy, Creative, Digital, Photography and Video, combined with our tech-led CGI production capabilities, we now have a much stronger offer and are able to create impactful content to help our clients deliver effective results, without compromise.

“With 30,000 sq ft production facilities in Leeds and a sunny site in Portugal, our team can now effortlessly deliver any form of content production to suit the needs of our clients.”