SWNS Media Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of news, factual content, and creative communications, has acquired Creatorville, the digital content consultancy founded by media entrepreneur Sam Barcroft. The acquisition sees Barcroft assume the role of group CEO and become a shareholder in SWNS Media Group.
According to SWNS, the move will enable the company to “expand its capabilities into the creator economy, combining its long-standing expertise in journalism, earned media and brand communications with Creatorville’s expertise in social video, digital publishing, and audience-first content production”.
The reorganisation will support growth across all three pillars of the group’s business. These include:
SWNS – which creates and distributes news and lifestyle content to media outlets via a proprietary newswire platform.
72Point – which creates campaigns in a page-ready format that achieve high volume coverage across print, digital, social, and broadcast.
OnePoll – which powers online market research and PR surveys; an in-house market research team carries out studies providing a framework for engaging content.
In addition, Creatorville becomes a new division within the group and will support the growth of content brands, create new video formats, and nurture next-gen talent.
Barcroft, best known for founding Barcroft Studios, has extensive experience in leading creative teams and developing original formats for new audiences. Through Creatorville, he has advised media organisations including Channel 4, Hearst Networks and News UK on digital video strategy and IP development.
He commented: “SWNS Media Group has always been an innovative and entrepreneurial business. By bringing Creatorville into the group, we’re combining SWNS’s journalistic depth and 72Point’s first class creativity and broad spectrum of brand and agency clients with additional social-first firepower. Together, we’ll help clients connect with fast-changing audiences through impactful storytelling.”
As part of the leadership reshuffle, CEO Paul Walters becomes non-executive chair and co-founder Andrew Young becomes a non-executive director. Martin Winter will remain as SWNS managing director and Chris Pharo will remain as CEO of 72Point.
Walters added: “I’m delighted to welcome Sam to SWNS Media Group. Our shared long-term vision is to transform our business into the UK’s most exciting and effective media group. By combining our proven expertise in news generation and creative communications with Sam’s leadership in building communities around outstanding content, we will build our business on our shared journalistic foundations, amplified by the creativity, agility, and reach of a digital-native production studio.”
