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There’s been a lot of recent publicity about the growing digital economy here in Bournemouth, with notable national coverage from TheTelegraph and TheGuardian newspapers.
We thought this would be a good time to ask Adam King, one of our founders, a few questions about the area, the industry and of course, about Media Lounge. We also threw in a few strange questions (always fun when you have the boss in the interview chair)…
Firstly, tell us what Media Lounge does.
We often describe ourselves as online shopfitters. A specialist eCommerce agency. Put simply, we design and build online shops! Where we tend to differ from other agencies is that the majority of our team also own and run their own eCommerce businesses. This gives us a unique understanding and empathy of our client’s challenges and allows us to offer tried and tested advice and guidance.
So what is your role in the agency?
As one of the founders, I head up the Client Services team, look after new business, manage the money and generally keep the agency ticking! We don’t have a rigid management structure or hierarchy here though so I have a lot of help from a great team.
What’s the key to running a successful digital agency?
There are lots of factors to consider here but if I had to name just one thing, it would be environment/culture. I know that could cover a lot of different things but creating an environment that encourages entrepreneurialism and creativity and doesn’t restrict your team to things like job titles, hierarchy and agency politics is invaluable.
Do you have a favourite piece of work that the agency has produced?
That’s a hard question as I always get very excited about the project we’re just starting and spend a lot of time pestering the designers and developers with my ideas and thoughts. We also love our own eCommerce store, Jollybrolly. It’s where we try out all of our ideas and test new plugins and extensions before we recommend them to our clients.
Why do you think Bournemouth is so popular with digital businesses?
Well, it’s one of the best places in the UK to live which is a great start! We also have two fantastic universities so there’s no shortage of creative talent emerging with innovative ideas they’re keen to implement. We already have a diverse range of digital businesses here in Bournemouth that are well established, some with global success stories, and ready to develop and support those ideas.
What are your growth ambitions for Media Lounge in the future?
Our company values and objectives have always been defined collectively as a team so the growth and future of the company come from the people within it. I’m happy to see the consistent organic growth that we’ve been enjoying, projected to continue both from a client and team perspective. We also have plans to become more involved in collaborative digital projects locally and with supporting startups and entrepreneurs in the area.
What’s key to the Bournemouth digital and creative community continuing to thrive?
We have some fantastic networking, social and collaborative events held throughout the year and these have grown in recent months which is great. Many local agencies, like us, offer niche and specialised services so collaboration on projects is frequent and combining different skill sets and experience happens often.
What did you have for breakfast?
This could be a long answer, after all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
1: Pint of water
2: Beetroot, broccoli, lemon, turmeric, kale, 2 egg whites and a few berries in a smoothie
3: Mackerel and quinoa
What was the last gift you received?
A backpack. It sounds mundane but I use one daily and my last one felt like an old friend who had the pleasure of carrying around my used gym kit until the zip broke, so my girlfriend bought me a new one which has our company colours in it! I think we’re going to get on fine!
Jason Bourne or James Bond?
BOND, haven’t had the patience to even watch a Bourne film from start to finish yet but Bond is always an entertaining watch. They do seem to take forever releasing them though!
What 3 things would you take with you on a desert island?
The man on the island wants to be on the boat, the man on the boat wants to be on the island! Just enjoy and appreciate where you are, wanting something else is short lived!
1: Water
2: Hammock
3: Wilson
At Media Lounge we specialise in eCommerce and content managed websites, with over 16 years experience in our industry. If Magento eCommerce services are something you are looking for to help your business succeed then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us here at Media Lounge.