A leading animation studio in England decided to expand into Scotland to allow local talent to stay in their home country.
Salamandra.uk was set up in Eton in 2014 and opened its second office in Dundee’s Seabraes Lane last year.
The entrepreneur behind Salamandra.uk is Christine MacKay.
The chief executive and founder of the firm said: “The opportunity to start a studio in Dundee came to me when a member of staff said they were moving to St Andrews.
“I am thrilled that I set up shop in Dundee.
“Not only is it the UK’s only UNESCO city of design, but the talent that emerges from the universities of Dundee and Abertay are of very high calibre.
“The creative and tech scenes are also thriving, and the community could not have been more welcoming.
“When we arrived, we were shown around town by Dundee City Council and Dundee Chamber of Commerce who have been among our biggest supporters over the years.
“We love the business community here and feel that we have been able to get to know other businesses quickly and successfully.”
Salamandra.uk looking to grow in Dundee
Salamandra.uk now has 12 permanent employees and four contractors – with six of the full-time employees in Dundee.
Ms MacKay said the Dundee operation will continue to grow and look for good talent – and is actively seeking more animators.
“We are making inroads with new and existing clients here and I couldn’t be happier.
“We already have a larger office earmarked with our landlords, so plans are afoot to grow and offer more services.”
She explained how a lifelong love for imagery brought about the business.
She said: “I have always had an affinity for imagery.
“After falling in love with animation whilst working in New Zealand, I decided to run with my passion, so I founded Salamandra.uk.
“At the time, animation as a medium wasn’t so common within business-to-business communication.
“However, it has grown enormously since then.”
Adding jobs during the pandemic
She said Salamandra.uk had made it through the Covid-19 pandemic without using furlough or redundancies.
The firm even added five new roles during that period.
Salamandra.uk has carried out work for the likes of Sky, Deliveroo and the Royal Albert Hall.
It has also worked on gaming and blockbuster movie franchise projects.
The entrepreneur describes her company as a visual problem solver which comes up with creative solutions to clients’ problems.
“We have found that Augmented Reality is a service that we are doing more of, in industries such as engineering, pharmaceutical and marketing,” she added.
“Virtual Reality is another service which is eliciting more interest as businesses find new, engaging ways to interact with their customers.
“It’s great to know that we are contributing to the success of clients in such a difficult time.”
Salamandra.uk’s plans for growth
The chief executive said opportunities for Salamandra.uk were endless.
“We are constantly experimenting with different platforms and software to offer our clients the latest and greatest in our field.
“This includes watching an interactive animation where you can adapt the outcomes.”
Ms MacKay said her company is on target for its expansion, with San Francisco on the board.
There is also a still-secret European destination in the planning stage.
“We continue to help overseas clients and are currently working with clients in Hong Kong and UAE.”
The firm is looking to have a few more hubs in the UK and overseas, each keeping to around 10 people, in the next five years.
“This will give us the reach we want whilst keeping it small and perfectly formed in each one,” she added.