Hot off the press! Kristy Dorsey of The Scotsman interviews our very own Andrew ‘swiss army knife’ Dobbie.
DYNAMO-STYLE disappearing tricks are not the norm in boilerplate business meetings, but then again, Andrew Dobbie is hardly a conventional boss.
Over a cuppa in his corner office at MadeBrave, Dobbie begins idly toying with his wedding ring while discussing his rather eclectic mix of personal pursuits. Suddenly, the gold band has disappeared, and it’s definitely not up the arm of his short-sleeved shirt. Tick, tick, tick and the ring back again, resting in the palm of his hand. “I am a man of many hobbies,” he confesses with a playful grin.
As it turns out, he’s a versed artist in close-up magic who once upon a time earned money performing in Glasgow’s pubs and clubs. That in and of itself could take over the conversation for the next half hour, but there are several other facets of this self-confessed aberrant yet to explore.
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His is the first company to take up residence in The Albus, a speculative development from Clyde Gateway that is part of a multi-pronged effort to rejuvenate Bridgeton on the back of the Commonwealth Games.
Although dictated by the need for more space – MadeBrave employs 24 souls and counting – relocating from Merchant City would be considered a risky move by some. But Dobbie dismisses any notions of “downgrading”, focusing instead upon the area’s potential.
“We are now coining the phrase ‘Merchant City East’,” he says, a tell-tale tip-off to the great expectations Dobbie and others harbour for regeneration. “There is a change happening. There’s a great buzz around Bridgeton right now – it only takes a few people to start changing perceptions, and we are excited to be a part of that.”
The new digs haven’t put the brakes on MadeBrave’s growth, which is on course to hit turnover of £1.2m for the year to the end of February. The company – which specialises in graphic design, branding and digital marketing – has added six members of staff since moving to The Albus in April. Advertising last month to hire a new designer, the firm received no less than 150 applications.
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More than 80 per cent of the company’s customers are based in Scotland, and Dobbie sees plenty of room for further growth in the home market. He describes MadeBrave as “riding the wave of growth – and we’ll see where that takes us”.
“Now that I have got a taste for it, I want us to become the largest creative agency in Scotland. I have got a vision for this place that is not where we are yet at.”
Head over to the Scotsman website to read the full article: Interview: Andrew Dobbie on aims for MadeBrave.
- Image by John Devlin
- Words by Kirsty Dorsey
