The Creative Capital Fund (CCF) is delighted to announce the completion in November 2006 of its investment in Bridge London Limited.
The business
Bridge London (www.bridgelondon.co.uk) is a media agency specialising in branded entertainment. The company combines entertainment programming and other suitable content with brand strategy, to the mutual benefit of brand owners, broadcasters and other content aggregators. Brands provide new revenue streams for entertainment while entertainment provides the context in which brands can connect with consumers increasingly disaffected by traditional methods of advertising.
The programming typically takes the form of multi-part series aimed at television audiences, but will also be distributed using other media. Branded entertainment, also known as advertiser-funded programming, is a small but fast-growing market. Brands that have so far used this form of advertising include Philips, Amex, Vespa, Toyota, Audi, Gillette, Orange, T-Mobile and Cisco Systems.
The co-founders of Bridge London, Nick Price and David Edwards, until recently formed the core team at FBC Branded Content where they handled a number of contracts including the largest deal to date in the industry. Nick Price is Chair of PACT’s advisory committee to OFCOM on Product Placement and Advertiser-Funded Programming.
The funding
CCF has invested £37,800 out of a total of £75,600 in new equity for the business. The balance of the funding has come from Broadcast Marketing Limited, specialists in global sponsor-funded programming. Subject to the business achieving pre-agreed milestones, a further funding round of the same size is anticipated for February 2007.