Michael Gibson, Managing Director of Fat Media, is moving on to new challenges after eight successful years with the agency.
When Michael Gibson began his role of Managing Director at Fat Media in a tiny attic room at the top of a converted Georgian building it would have been difficult to imagine where it would end up.
"Seeing Fat Media grow from humble beginnings to over 100 staff and become one of the most successful creative and digital agencies in the UK is something I’m enormously proud of. The fact we’ve achieved it in a sector that is changing so rapidly, with huge technological change and in of the UK’s smaller cities makes it even better.”
Michael joined the four original founders of Fat Media in 2006 after 14 years in London where he helped build up and sell two businesses. Fat Media began to grow at over 20% a year, moving premises and developing a growing team of talented people.
Says Michael, "I love living in Lancaster, and it’s the best place in the country I’ve ever lived. So to say that I’ve helped a business that puts so much into the local economy through wages and taxes each year, as well as giving well-paid careers to local people, apprentices and graduates is immensely satisfying.”
The agency’s ambition and cutting-edge works has seen new clients like Lakeland, Warburtons, Balfour Beatty, Jessops, Mitsubishi Pharmaceuticals and Glaxo SmithKline come on board.
However Michael realised that such growth would mean bringing in fresh experience to carry the business forward, he said, "I wanted to give Fat Media, its clients and staff a platform for its next phase of growth, so in May this year we sold Fat Media to the Cumbrian-based entrepreneur David Durnford. David already owned a successful digital agency, and it was clear there was immediately a good fit. I also knew how he’d grown Smallword Cable into a multi-million pound business, which was a phenomenal achievement.”
Finally, in September, they achieved a place as a ‘Top 10 Elite Digital Agency’ in The Drum Census 2014, a proud moment for Michael and his fellow Directors, and won a major new account with Yotel.
"I’m leaving the agency in the hands of someone with the experience and ambition to take Fat Media even further, which is incredibly exciting news for clients, staff and the local community”, said Michael, "I’m now going to take a break, catch up on a few years’ worth of sleep, see the family and then embark on my next challenge, whatever that may be.”