"In our business we must deliver excellence every time as there are no second chances when you are managing a client base like ours"
Jason Knights
A North East brand creative agency that works with some of the world’s largest character licensing brands has expanded due to an exponential increase in workload and a desire to futureproof the company by investing in young up and coming talent.
Blue Kangaroo have taken on five new graduates to help manage the acquisition of major new contract wins from existing clients in the toy, entertainment, and licensing sectors. The Gateshead based company have expanded its teams in the digital and retail sectors due to an unprecedented demand for its services.
Jason Knights, Managing Director of Blue Kangaroo is also a Northern Powerhouse Export Champion for the Department of Industry and Trade, and he has seen his business export around 80% of their services to EMEA, LATAM, APAC as well as NAD. Despite his extensive links with the rest of the world, Jason still retains a passion for the area that adopted him after he left the army almost thirty years ago.
“I’m fiercely proud of the North East and the incredible skills we have here which is why we have invested heavily in employing locally based people to help take Blue Kangaroo onto the next stage of our journey,” he said.
Indeed, the journey so far has been far from uneventful. Now celebrating their fifteenth birthday, the company specialises in brand strategy, design, digital and retail. They have generated growth particularly in the United States where they work with brands including Lucas Film, The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal Studios, Mattel, Tomy, Warner Bros as well as many others. Expansion into Europe has also recently occurred and new opportunities are constantly being developed by the firm.
The five new members of the team are junior designers Rachael Blackburn, Adam Dawson, and Elisa Edmondson while Dylan Knights and Ben Chick take on the roles of creative coordinators.
“Our recruitment process was very thorough, and I’m satisfied that we have the very best young people with the right skills, mindset and drive to take us to where we need to be.In our business we must deliver excellence every time as there are no second chances when you are managing a client base like ours,” added Jason.
Junior designer / Illustrator Elisa Edmondson (24) had freshly graduated from Newcastle College and was actively looking for a job in the design industry when she applied to Blue Kangaroo. Originally from Paris, Elisa is looking forward to making her mark in the design industry.
“Blue Kangaroo took a chance on me and offered me a job despite being a young graduate. Not only do I get to work on exciting projects but with their help I am also learning more about the industry and becoming a better designer. I’m now working with brands that are recognisable everywhere on the planet and that fact is one of the reasons why I applied for the role.”
Jason is placing a lot of faith in his new team and is already looking further ahead to expand the company even further.
“We’ve grown incredibly in the last fifteen years and a lot of that is to do with the skills that the team have and the way that we work with our partner clients. I’m confident that our new team members will carry on the great tradition we have of delivering excellence and that for the next fifteen years and beyond our clients will continue to use the Gateshead based brand creative agency with a world-wide customer footprint,” he said.
Ends
Photo: Jason and his new team
L to R Elisa Edmondson
Paul Richards
Adam Dawson
Ben Chick
Rachael Blackburn
Dylan Knights
Jason Knights (The Bigger Picture Agency)
Media: keith@highlightspr.co.uk 07814 397951
