Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 36 | Page 27

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 27
Resolution Media and Publishing
directors Martin Walker (left) and
Dave Allan outside the Boho Five
offices in Middlesbrough.
Publishers plot
future growth
A growing publishing company says it plans
to create future jobs, with a number of new
publications in the pipeline.
M
iddlesbrough-based Resolution
Media and Publishing – sister
company to Aycliffe Today Business
publishers Mantis Media – already supports
more than 30 local jobs all year round.
Resolution is owned by former
Middlesbrough FC colleagues Martin
Walker and Dave Allan, who launched their
company – named after Captain Cook’s HMS
Resolution – in early 2017 after the success
of their pilot publication, Tees Business and
subsequent lifestyle magazine Tees Life.
Aycliffe Today Business was in fact the
successful business model which helped
launch the Tees publications.
With the two established quarterly
magazines, they’re now printing a whopping
3.4million pages of news and features
covering the Tees region a year, and reaching
a combined audience of 50,000 people in
print and online every quarter.
Resolution’s printing work supports
Middlesbrough-based MV Print and its 22
employees, while they also use a pool of
more than 10 local freelance photographers
and writers.
Local freelance design agency KINSHIP
– headed up by Sarah Carlton, who designs
Aycliffe Today Business – is utilised as well as
local digital agency Eighty8 Design to create
and maintain their websites.
Now the young but ambitious company
says it plans to create full-time posts to
The Resolution Media and
Publishing team (left to
right): Writer Jacky Stevely,
photographer Chris Booth,
writer Lou Murray, director
Dave Allan, photographer
Doug Moody, director
Martin Walker, writer
Michael McGeary, designer
Sarah Carlton and printer
Steve Allgood.
support future growth plans.
Walker, who runs Aycliffe Today Business
from his Mantis Media offices at Parson’s
Court in Aycliffe, said: “Our business model
of the quality free publication funded by
advertising has been a great success for us,
and we plan to roll the same model out to
other areas.
“We have some exciting plans for new
business publications in other parts of the
North-East as well as another publication for
the Tees region.
“To support these plans we’re aiming to
take on new staff over the next 12 months
which will enable us to grow, so it’s certainly
exciting times for us.”
Co-director Allan, who also owns
Middlesbrough-based DNA PR and Publicity,
said: “While running our own businesses
we started collaborating on Tees Business
almost four years ago now.
“Despite people telling us we were
making a mistake in launching a printed
magazine ‘in this day and age’, we felt
confident there was a gap in the market and
a demand for certain types of publications –
some people still like to read it in the hand.
“Since launching it has more than
doubled in size and we’ve since launched a
new lifestyle magazine which is heading in
the same direction.”
After 10 years working in the internal
communications structure of petrochemicals
giant ICI, Allan spent 17 years leading
Middlesbrough FC’s PR strategy throughout
a period that took in five major cup finals,
two UEFA Cup runs and a multitude of
superstar signings.
Walker, who trained as a journalist with
the Teesside Gazette, worked in Allan’s
media team at Boro from 2000 to 2005 and
then spent four years in Sunderland AFC’s
PR team before starting his own business.
Find out more about their publications at teesbusiness.co.uk and tees-life.co.uk