FEATURE
MAKIN IT BIG
Fresh from being named Tees Business Leader of the Year , Bob Makin tells Peter Barron how his hobby became a career that ’ s helping bring talent to Teesside …
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PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH
s a kid , having fun with his pals on Teesside , Bob Makin never minded when dark clouds gathered overhead .
Much as he enjoyed playing football , or making dens in the woods , a downpour was always an opportunity to go indoors to indulge in his real passion … for playing video games .
“ I preferred it when it rained because I couldn ’ t get enough of video games ,” he laughs as he sits in the sun outside the Devonport pub in the riverside village of Middleton One Row , between Yarm and Darlington .
Bob lives up the road in Middleton St George , and the newly crowned Tees Business Leader of the Year is enjoying the view – looking back on how a childhood passion evolved into a career that ’ s helping put Teesside on the global map for video games development .
“ You don ’ t often get the chance to reflect on how much has happened in a relatively short time ,” says the Teesside University graduate .
So , here ’ s the summary : Boy from quiet Teesside village launches video games company , creates hundreds of local jobs , before it ’ s acquired by one of the world ’ s leading developers , and he ends up running its UK operation .
“ It ’ s crazy when you think about it ,” is his assessment .
Bob grew up in Maltby , a village on the outskirts of Middlesbrough . Dad , Norman , was a construction engineer with Shell , and mum , Lynn , was a PE teacher .
It was an “ idyllic ” childhood , with the tranquillity of village life a contrast to the excitement of his beloved Nintendo and SEGA consoles . Mario , Diddy Kong Racing , GoldenEye and Worms were among his favourites , and , when his grandad gave him a BBC Micro , Chuckie Egg and Roland on the Ropes were added to the mix .
Initially , the thought of turning his hobby into a way of making a living never crossed his mind but , as his passion for gaming grew , so did his entrepreneurial instincts .
His dreams were fuelled by the fact that the Falcus brothers – Darren and Jason – had chosen Stockton Riverside as the base for their highly successful Optimus Software company , which went on to be acquired by Iguana Entertainment and later became part of Acclaim , one of the biggest games developers in the world .
“ When you see the words ‘ Acclaim Teesside ’ printed in gaming magazines , it makes you realise what ’ s possible ,” says Bob .
Another key factor was that Teesside University had built an international reputation for games development , opening up a world of opportunities right on his doorstep .
In his last year at Red House School , in Norton , Bob saw from a poster that the first Animex Festival was to be held at the university , with speakers including Ray Harryhausen , of Jason and the Argonauts fame .
Bob attended the festival and promptly signed up to study animation at the university , supplementing his grant by working at the GAME store in Darlington while developing his own portfolio of characters .
When he backed up his degree with the Animation Mentor online course , it gave him connections with Disney , Pixar and ILM , and led to his first “ proper job ”, as an animator with Cambridge-based Jagex , working on the fantasy game , RuneScape .
However , Bob quickly realised he wasn ’ t that keen on animation after all , and his career changed course through a chance meeting in a pub back home .
A few men were at the bar , chatting about video games , and one of them happened to be Jason Falcus . Bob seized the moment and , over a few beers , talked his way into a job with Jason as a production assistant , doing “ a bit of everything ”.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 15