Former Ukie COO Dan Wood joins Creative England

Creative England has appointed Dan Wood as its new games and immersive associate.

Wood will work with Creative England – which invests in and supports creative ideas, talent and businesses in film, TV, games and digital media – on an associate basis, “providing his insight and expertise in the games industry to develop Creative England’s games and interactive strategy, and to champion the creative and commercial potential of businesses working in the immersive, experiential and games sector”.

Prior to joining Creative England, Wood was chief operating officer at games trade body Ukie, although it’s reported he will still continue to work closely with Ukie on “several strategic projects”. He also sits on the Women in Games Advisory Board, helped establish the new London Games Festival, and authored Ukie’s esports Whitepaper, as well as working as “an angel investor in games businesses”.

“As the world of immersive content continues to expand at pace, bringing together creative sectors such as games, technology, film, and theatre, there has never been a greater need to provide opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and tangible support to enable immersive businesses to thrive,” said Creative England CEO, Caroline Norbury. “Dan’s expert knowledge of the sector will enable us to identify how best to support this vital part of the creative industries.”

“I’m delighted to be working with Creative England to further shape the support that they can offer to games and immersive businesses,” Dan Wood said. “The games industry represents a true blend of technical skills, art and creativity and Creative England is perfectly placed to play a lead role in providing the support that will help the sector to continue to develop as a world-leading creator of interactive content.”

Established in 2011, Creative England has invested over £3.5 million into 112 companies through business development programmes such as GamesLab and Greenshoots, which have focused on early-stage developers building their companies across the regions. It has also partnered with Microsoft, Ukie and Game Republic “to provide meaningful support to the industry”.