The Sharp Project 2012 Roundup

With the national and European economies still being squeezed by torpor and crisis throughout 2012, The Sharp Project has proved to be an oasis of creativity, consolidation and steady growth. Sure, as a home for start-ups, the only way probably is up, but The Sharp Project is more than that. We’ve seen major TV productions, inspirational new tenants, Campus membership introduced and a monumental step forward for Manchester as a digital and technical hub. And there are still 20 days left!

This time last year, folks at The Sharp Project were preparing for the Christmas do and we were taking a rare excursion from future-tugging to reflect on the accomplishments of 2011. While all at the Project were naturally excited and optimistic about its own successes and potential, it was amid a national and global economic downturn without too many signs of recovery. So it’s interesting now, as 2012 loosens its grip on our nation’s psyche, to see what this year has brought – even if it’s only to check our trajectory.

Last year’s hopes that the creative and digital sector was strong enough and important enough to spearhead a recovery have not been without foundation. For our tenants, the picture has definitely been one of building, strengthening and preparing for better times. High street collapses certainly make it to the news, and construction is still in the doldrums, but there are still plenty of firms with an insatiable demand for the sort of digital content and services that The Sharp Project tenants produce. In many ways, it’s the very nimble startups that populate our building, with their low overheads and enthusiastic owners, that are best placed to take on the work and turn around innovative products.

New arrivals

We’ve seen a lovely set of newcomers to do it, too, with a diversity and enthusiasm that add depth and vision to the ecosystem. To name a few (in alphabetical order): ApplLearn, Digital Ninjas, EON Reality, Eposure, Gag Reflex, Inventid, Mighty Giant, Neilson Reeves Photography, Sedulo and Wigs Up North have all arrived this year.

TV productions

With the tenancies and Campus settled, The Sharp Project widened its focus to the sound stages, where household-name dramas have been produced. This year’s most notable productions have been Fresh Meat (Channel 4), Mount Pleasant (Sky Living), Lapland (BBC One), The Making of a Lady (ITV1) and Old Jack’s Boat (CBeebies). If you’ve never heard of the last two, it’s because they haven’t been broadcast yet, but suffice it to say that Joanna Lumley, Linus Roache, Bernard Cribbins and his dog will have Manc accents next time you hear them off-guard.

At the start of 2012, being glued to our TVs was being promised/threatened as we were to be treated to a Diamond Jubilee, a European Kickball Championship and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. It’s debatable how many people will even remember the first two, but the third was an elevator of enthusiasts and converter of curmudgeons as breathtaking as a Jade Jones body blow. The Sharp Project and its tenant businesses were probably too embryonic to play too great a part in the media event, although British Taekwondo’s promo video was made and promoted from here. (International media felt able to ignore our own table-impics, where tenants duked it out on the pool table, table tennis table and table football table at our inaugural Campus Sports Day.)

SharpFutures

SharpFutures goes from strength to strength too, with several local college-leavers finding their way in the digital world and proving to anyone who’s observing that it doesn’t matter where you come from; given responsibilities, respect and opportunity, young people will channel their natural enthusiasm in the most wonderful ways. Some of us had the privilege of watching the confident presentations our SharpFutures intake delivered to shadow chancellor Ed Balls MP and Manchester Central candidate Lucy Powell (now the MP), and just know we’re going to be hearing a lot about them – and the next generation – in the coming years.

We’ve also become a step closer to full functionality now that The Campus is open and accepting members, and ANS are busy building our data centres. And the cantina, which was under construction at the end of last year, is now open and is serving coffees, cakes, savouries, sandwiches and generously portioned dishes of the day.

Tenants continue to come

So 2012 saw a steady growth in tenant numbers, some top productions and a few truly groundbreaking developments at The Sharp Project. But if 2012 was about securing the gains we made in a meteoric 2011, 2013 looks like being a return to exciting times. Not only will Sharp Project 2 (working title) be opening its doors just down the road at One Central Park, but it will be home to a dazzling new tenant, EON Reality. In October the American 3D technology company announced that they would be locating their European hub right here. You won’t need funny glasses to see that they chose to locate themselves very close to the beating heart of Manchester’s creative scene. And with the promise of training a new generation of 3D expertise and employing upwards of 200 people, there’s no doubting the seismic importance of this major arrival.

Drama hub

Work is also under way to create our drama production hub in what was Fujitsu Tower in Gorton; this will expand on the fully-let production stages at our Thorp Road site. Hints have been dropped at council level about potentially having some kind of presence closer to the centre of Manchester, too. This all promises to keep up the pressure on any other city wishing to emulate or exceed the advances we have made in digital infrastructure that is already seeing mainstream and start-up enterprises beating paths to The Sharp Project’s growing number of doors.

Well, that’s our 2012 in 900 words. Come this time next year, we’ll be toasting the onset of 2014 as nature intended – yes, we’re finally going to become a licensed premises. Clink!

Charlie Hankers