Near the Newcastle Central Station and arguably the coolest pub in Newcastle, The Forth, our European headquarters is undergoing a significant expansion as we double production and staff over the next 6 to 12 months with plans to hire more soon after.
The Smashing Ideas UK headquarters in Newcastle upon Tyne was previously known as BlueskyNorth (BSN), a leader in content for mobile devices – founded in 2004 by Paul Lamonby, Graham Blake and Chris Petty.
In 2005 I, now the UK General Manager, joined the company. Soon after, Smashing Ideas Inc became a majority shareholder in 2006 and subsequently acquired the company in 2010 changing our company into what we are known as today, Smashing Ideas UK Ltd. Seattle, WA-based Smashing Ideas was established in 1996 originally as a digital animation studio charged with bringing engaging animated experiences to the web.
As new technologies emerged we expanded our portfolio. Smashing Ideas now focuses on interactive branded content across all screens and platforms including websites, mobile apps, games and tablets with titles including:
- - Discovery Ultimate Sharks App
- - Adult Swim Robot Unicorn Attack Game
- - Associated Press World Cup App
- - Living Language Apps
- - Sesame Street Elmo’s Big Birthday Bash App
This evolution aided the company’s 58 percent annual growth rate over the past ten years.
In business for over 16 years and offices across the world, we still continue to grow. Specifically in Newcastle we work on approximately 8-12 projects per year, this is expected to double over the next 12 months. Anticipating this growth, we are moving into newly renovated offices that expand over 3 times our current space and are aggressively looking to hire over 50% more developers, designers and producers with plans to hire another 25% soon after.
We continue to produce a number of mobile applications, e-books, websites and games while forging ahead on the cusp of innovation. We push the boundaries in the iOS and Android platforms while anticipating what’s around the corner in the mobile space. Stay tuned to see what’s next!
By, Spencer Britton, Smashing Ideas UK General Manager
