North East of England
The indication is that the region has a bedrock of traditional media skills on which to build a vibrant digital media industrial sector. Its new talent is diverse, both geographically and in terms of specialism. World-class excellence already exists in areas like virtual reality, games production, software applications, film making and multimedia.
Most organisations involved in developing digital content in the region work either exclusively or almost exclusively within the North East. Although there are a growing number that have a range of clients throughout the UK and export internationally, such as the games and e-learning sectors. In addition, many North East businesses in other sectors commission work outside the region rather than from North East interactive media suppliers, which can create shortages in the work available locally, meaning that freelancers have to travel to find most of their work.
The games businesses in the region, as across the world, are subject to cyclical demand for resources, reflecting their project-driven nature, as reported by Pembridge, in their work for Northern Film & Media . The sector has grown, however, in the region by 113% over the past four years.
Some useful links:
