I’m the Finance & Operations Director at Skyhook Games. I have been working here for almost 4 years now having originally been engaged on a part-time basis to support the Managing Director to formulate a business plan then retained to help implement this.
Skyhook was originally founded to provide video game art, helping other studios make video games. In the last 12 months we have developed our own game and are now striving for continuous improvement to become a leading creator of digital content. It’s fantastic to be working within the world of digital entertainment which is such an exciting and vibrant sector, and makes each day interesting.
Being a small but growing video game development studio I wear many hats making my job varied and enjoyable. At its core my job is to ensure we have the right financial resources available to adapt and develop our studio, but aside from the nuts and bolts of finance my role also includes support to the Managing Director on commercial and strategic initiatives whilst also ensuring our studio is a smoothly run operation including the move to our current premises last year.
We have been based in the Baltic Triangle ever since our studio was founded in 2014, and now occupy 2,500sq ft of our own dedicated space. Liverpool has always been a hub for great video game studios, which makes it a perfect base for Skyhook Games. The challenge for LCR is to grow the local talent pool in our sector so that its big enough that all the organisations within it can prosper together
I was born in Liverpool and studied here through to LJMU, I have spent all my working life within the city as a Liverpudlian through and through.
I’m inspired by the people, and how the city has adapted through the decades; the challenges it’s faced and how these have been overcome. It’s fantastic to stop and think how far the city has come across the last 4-5 decades and now has a growing reputation as a destination across all manner of industries, not least our own. On one hand it’s unrecognisable as a modern city which embraces change and has moved with the times, but on the other it’s also a city which has remained close to its identity, traditions and values.
Modern Liverpool is an eclectic mix of people which has welcomed people who have studied, moved or now work here and has fused with the local heartbeat to make it into the melting pot it is today were the spirit of collaboration, and creativity is a healthy dynamic to make the region prosper
Having been brought up in the city and studied here, I have never had to look outside to develop my career where I have spent my entire working life. Throughout, I have had fantastic opportunities to work in some great organisations, with great people, and across different industries and sectors; all of which have been fantastic learning to develop and grow my career. Growing up, the perception was that you needed to leave and move “down south”, but I don’t think that is the case anymore. Today Liverpool has so much to offer beyond our world class reputation for sport and music.
We’ve been fortunate to take advantage of NPIF funding to develop our business plan a few years back. Coupled with support from organisations such as DIT, and New Market funding as well as developing ties with local educational institutions and apprenticeship schemes; all of these combined helped our studio scale up to the position it is in today.
