A Norwich based animation & film production business has secured a £200,000 East of England Regional Growth Loan, managed by The FSE Group. The funding will be used to support sales and marketing activity and help create new jobs within the business.
Curveball Media is a well-established, award-winning video marketing agency that works with its clients to produce engaging video content that helps explain complex products or inspire change through emotive story telling. Over the last ten years it has gained an impressive client base that includes the NHS, Wellcome, Salvation Army, Heathrow, The Open University and Volvo.
Having been heavily impacted by Covid-19, funding is now needed to get the company back on track with its pre-pandemic goals for growth.
Oliver Lawer, Curveball Co-founder and Creative Director, said: “Video has boomed as the most engaging form of marketing content in recent years and as an established player we are well-placed to take advantage of the continuing growth in this sector. Growth funding options can be limited, especially if we don’t want to go down the equity route, so this loan is vital in helping us grow the team and take on all the opportunities available. We are grateful to FSE for backing us at this time and supporting our vision of becoming a £5m t/o business within the next 5 years.”
With 90% of consumers investing in brands they’ve seen in videos, this is the fastest growing segment of digital advertising. 87% of marketers now use video as their primary marketing tool and 93% of marketers state that video converts better than other content.
Simon Elliott, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, commented: “Curveball has an innovative team that uses deep-dive techniques and leverages technological advances to deliver a cutting-edge product that really gets to the heart of its clients’ key messages. Furthermore, in exploring and building strategic partnerships with PR and brand agencies, they are tapping into a huge opportunity for growth through these areas. We are excited to be supporting Oliver and the team as they look to scale the business and look forward to working with them on this journey.”
The Regional Growth Loan Scheme (RGLS) is managed by The FSE Group on behalf of Local Enterprise Partnerships in the East of England. Loans between £50,000 and £500,000 are available to established incorporated businesses based within the East of England that have a minimum annual turnover of £100,000. The funding can be used for a range of growth activities as well as to service short to medium-term trade and contract finance requirements. The scheme aims to stimulate job creation and economic prosperity and supports SMEs that have the potential to deliver high-growth and employment opportunities across the East of England region.