Member Article

North East media entrepreneur launches new ventures with Sunderland City Council support

Chris March, the man who set up and subsequently sold publishing house Room501, has launched two new businesses in the last year at Sunderland’s Evolve Business Centre, with support from Sunderland City Council.

The business centre at Rainton Bridge is now home to March’s new publishing company Remember Media, focussing on luxury magazine and book publishing. The centre also hosts recently established digital marketing business, Digital Allies.

Chris said: “It’s been a whirlwind year for Remember Media since we set up in December last year, and we’ve worked on some fantastic projects during this period, including a beautiful book “Faith, Hope, Luck & Love” for the Lakes Distillery and a luxury magazine for Rockliffe Hall, the region’s only 5 star hotel.

“Part of what made starting up Remember Media so easy was the support from Sunderland City Council and its business investment team. We were able to access financial support to set up the physical office at Evolve – for desks, computers, chairs – the basics that no business can really operate without.”

Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “As a council we do everything we can to ensure that businesses can thrive in our city. The support we can offer businesses setting up in some of our state-of-the-art buildings, like the Evolve centre, is just one of many benefits that businesses can enjoy when they choose Sunderland as their base.

“We have a thriving community of digital and creative businesses in Sunderland that are creating a sense of collaboration and innovation throughout the city, and with success stories like Chris March’s, more and more businesses are realising that it’s a great time to be a part of Sunderland.”

March added: “The team that we worked with at the council was exceptional, and thanks to the support we received through the Remember Media set-up process, there was never any doubt in my mind that Sunderland was the perfect place to set up Digital Allies too.

“As someone who has now successfully set up three businesses in Sunderland, I truly believe that this city is one of the best places to start a business in the North East, and that is in no small part down to the great spaces and fantastic support available.”

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