Intended to wow those present with a glimpse of what the future portends, MediaCity’s top dog Brian Greasley held the floor with a well-judged 20 minute speech that sold a vision that compared the Salford-based scheme with California’s Silicon Valley.

Promising an explosion of British-made screen productions that will herald a dawn of jobs and prosperity for Salford and the surrounding regions, Greasley told his audience that MediaCity:UK will be the setting for not just the BBC, but a myriad of media production houses that will benefit from close locational proximity and complimentary expertise that will act as the catalyst for the growth and success of MediaCity.

Greasley entertains the crowds

Located on 200 acres of the Salford Quays waterfront, Greasley portrayed MediaCity as a 24 hour metropolis where thousands of media professionals will live, work and play alongside one another in a conurbation made up of boulevards, piazzas and fountains.

There’s a little bit of work still to be done on the architectural front judging from the rather barren landscape that exists currently about the MediaCity construction site.

But if the planners can emulate some of the striking architecture that acts as a more distant backdrop to MediaCity in the form of the Lowry Theatre and Imperial War Museum North, buying an off-plan apartment might not be the worst investment for those looking to cash in on MediaCity.    

How-Do’ers present were then treated to a bit of stand-up by Scouse comedian John Bishop who chose the subject of Salford as the main focus of his attention.

Perhaps the underlying message was that Salford’s future won’t be ignoring some of the grittier realities of the present.

Manchester’s own Clint Boon then rounded off a lively evening with an hour or so at the record decks that enabled those assembled to discuss the prospects for MediaCity, network with a wide variety of like-minded souls or simply quaff drinks and take in a MediaCity atmosphere.

Richard Bowen is a researcher with Sector Publishing in Manchester

www.sectorpublishing.co.uk

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