Business

Creative digital agency Wurkhouse in major Derry expansion

CREATIVE digital agency Wurkhouse in Derry is to create 30 digital marketing jobs as part of ambitious expansion plans to help it grow its export sales.

Wurkhouse creates, develops and markets brands online and offline, with services ranging from initial consultation to delivery, marketing and ongoing management of online projects.

The company, based at the Catalyst Inc science park in the city, has already built up a wide client base in Northern Ireland and beyond.

And when the new jobs (roles include a range of designers, web developers and social media roles) are in place, it will contribute more than £780,000 in additional salaries to the north west economy.

Wurkhouse chief executive Troy Armour said: “We are focused on becoming the leading digital agency in Northern Ireland through our export driven growth strategy. The advice and support we have received from Invest NI is helping us to scale quickly and has been vital to our ongoing growth and development.

“We play an integral role in the success of many of our clients and we believe that this success comes from our experienced staff and in-depth knowledge of the digital sector.

"We are confident that the north west region has the skills base we need to enhance our team, which will help us to achieve our ambitious plans for growth over the next three years and beyond."

He added: “These jobs are for what we call ‘creative intelligents’. We seek two core attributes when hiring: intelligence and passion, so we are looking for people with intelligence, who have a passion for what they do.

"This helps us deliver smart solutions for our clients and their passion is carried over into the delivery. It is like that old adage - cooking with love just makes the food taste better.”

Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton said Wurkhouse is a young and innovative business with high growth potential, adding: “The creative industries sector has been identified in Derry City & Strabane District Council’s Strategic Growth Plan as a priority sector for future economic growth and prosperity.

"Wurkhouse is a great example of a successful firm that is making a valuable contribution to that plan and providing local job opportunities for the talented workforce in the north west.

“We are delighted to support the company in the next stage of its journey and to ensure it has the skills and knowledge necessary to exploit the substantial export opportunities it has identified, particularly in the GB and RoI markets.”

In 2015, Wurkhouse received assistance from Invest NI of £24,000 to help with developing its design team.

Last year Wurkhouse opened a New York office in the bright lights of Times Square, which followed a £1m investment when it merged with Blue Splat from the city as part of plans to double the company's workforce by 2019.