Jeff Coghlan, the digital visionary behind branded entertainment specialists, Matmi, has joined the board of Creative England.
The move comes as Creative England, the development agency for film, television and digital media industries, completes its first year of operations and announces new initiatives to help gaming and digital SMEs grow.
Jeff founded Matmi in 2001. His digital marketing breakthrough came with the success of online game, Monster Poolside Sumo, which he created to promote the company’s first website. The game, which features a sumo ring in a swimming pool, swiftly racked up millions of plays, going global before viral marketing even had a name. The success led him to realise the power of engaging with consumers via discreetly branded online games, and award-winning Matmi has since gone on to work with brands including United Airlines, EMI, Vimto, ASDA, ITV and Parlophone.
The successful young entrepreneur is also a highly sought after digital strategist. His speaker engagements include The Develop Conference (2009, 2010), Elmwood’s Digital Picnic (2008), Brandhouse Digital Sparks (2010) and most recently a roundtable with branded entertainment specialist site Brand-e.biz on “Why Brands Play Games”.
Creative England’s Chief Executive, Caroline Norbury, said: “Jeff joins us at a particularly exciting time. The worlds of film, television and digital media are converging at an ever greater pace, opening up hitherto unforeseen opportunities for innovative digital companies to grow. It is fantastic for us to have someone with Jeff’s experience on the board so that we can shape our support to offer these SMEs the help they need to realise their creative ambitions.”
Jeff joins Creative England along with fellow new board member, finance director services expert, Erica Ingham, as the organisation rounds off a successful first year, having engaged with over 500 companies, invested over £500,000 in new and emerging talent and secured £5million from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund to invest in digital and creative businesses.
As part of its remit to tackle the issues hampering the growth of small and medium sized digital and creative companies, Creative England has recently announced funding initiatives in collaboration with partners from both the public and private sectors.
A joint initiative with Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Europe recently awarded £25,000 of development funding to indie developers, Nosebleed Interactive, for their new PlayStation Mobile game concept. The organisation is also currently reviewing expressions of interest for a £100,000 funding opportunity in partnership with the Library of Birmingham to develop digital engagement solutions.