Former World, Commonwealth and British boxing champion Tony Bellew delivered a knockout opening for the brand new SoPodio podcast studio in Southport.
He officially launched the new studio and gave an exclusive podcast interview with owner Geoff White inside the exciting new facility inside the Eastbank enterprise arcade on Eastbank Street in Southport town centre.
The 8,000sq ft Eastbank building opened last year in a £1.5 million transformation by Sefton Council, to provide high-quality workspace and modern amenities for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in the digital and creative sectors.
SoPodio is the latest tenant to operate from the space.
The official opening saw apprentices from Southport firm EFT Group share their experiences about working there and developing their skills in the first podcast before the assembled crowd.
Tony Bellew and Geoff White then took to the studio for their own discussion.
Speaking on his podcast, Tony Bellew said: “The journey is every bit as important as the destination. Don’t just focus on the destination.
“Take part and enjoy the journey because when you get to the destination, it will mean so much more, it really, really will.
“Take time to reflect. In all my career, I never reflected on anything. It was always just get to the next one, get to the next one, fight, get to the next one. I didn’t look back.
“One of my biggest regrets was that when it was happening, all in front of my eyes, I didn’t take time to just think ‘wow – I’ve just done that’.
“All these dreams you’ve had, all these things you aspire to be, I was just always wanting to win more, and earn more, for my kids, for my missus, but at the end of it – just enjoy the moment.”
“Speaking at the launch, Geoff White said: “I’d like to thank people for making this happening today – Hatters Digital, who are based in this building; the tech team; and InvestSefton has really helped me.
“I have spent my past 40 years in the creative industries. I have worked in art, I have worked in culture, I have worked in television, I have worked in film, I have worked with local authorities, all with the same focus – bringing new talent into the industry, and trying to grow the industry.
“After living in Liverpool for my whole life, my wife and I moved to Southport a year ago.
“We are here, we are happy, and we love the town.
“I have been invigorated by Southport, by the young people, by the businesses here – it is exciting. It feels like a new start for me.
“I am loving the town, I love the support I am getting from Sefton Council in terms of setting things up and raising the profile of the business.
“Let me tell you about the studio. We have got top-line equipment, the best you can get in terms of lighting, in sound, and in cameras.
“As soon as word spreads that people should be coming here to record their podcast, we will be able to employ more people around this, which is what I want, creating more opportunities for young people specifically.
“The studio is called ‘Southport Podcast Studio’ but we have come up with this name SoPodio.
“I have been fortunate enough in recent weeks to be working with a very established production team in Tony Bellew, Leon Osman, and Liam Kiziltan producing their Outside The Box podcast which goes out weekly. It’s been full on!
“They have been absolutely brilliant. There’s been great feedback. They love the space, they love the output.
“They have been really immense in terms of helping us to develop the service that we can offer to people now.
“Now we are ready to go! That’s what the launch is about today.
“Our immediate ambition is to produce affordable, high quality content for businesses, for organisations, for individuals, for whoever wants to do it.
“At the same time, we will be developing young talent and that’s our priority – to get as many people as we can in here, developing their skills. Communication is important.
“There are important conversations to have, important stories to tell, and this studio is a way of doing it.”
Jon Corner from Eastbank said: “We needed to find the right person to come in here. It couldn’t just be ‘right we’ve got some kit let’s have a go’. It has to be the best quality.
“And that’s what we’re all about here at Eastbank. How can we set the bar high?
“I spent the past few months talking to lots of operators in Manchester, Wales, Wirral, Liverpool, and I found the perfect person – a Southport resident with a phenomenal record in broadcast media and TV.
“Geoff worked very closely with Phil Redmond at Brookside, and he also has a fantastic passion for bringing on talent, bringing on young people and giving them opportunities and that is baked into the DNA of what we’re trying to do here in Eastbank.”
Eastbank opened its doors last year as one of the schemes funded by Southport Town Deal.
The building overlooks Southport Market Quarter, where the £6.25 million public realm improvement scheme was completed at the end of last year.
Eastbank aims to become a central hub for businesses in the digital and creative sectors, providing a strong foundation to grow this vital sector of Sefton’s economy while creating new jobs, developing skills, and opening opportunities for the local community.
- For more details about SoPodio visit their Instagram page: Instagram
- For more information or to enquire about workspace opportunities in Eastbank, email:[email protected]
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