Music entrepreneur creates jobs in Scotland after loan from public bank

A YOUNG media entrepreneur has created jobs in Scotland after winning support from the British Business Bank.

Omar Etherington-brown grew the team at his OJE Studios venture to five from two helped by a £10,000 loan from the Government-owned lender.

The recruitment will support a push for growth by OJE Studios, which provides services ranging from music and video production to photography.

Mr Etherington-brown has moved the firm’s music production studio from Dundee to Edinburgh under the plan.

The 19-year-old recently left his job as a full-time software engineer to focus on developing OJE, which he founded last year with an initial £10,000 support from the bank.

“The finance from the Start Up Loans programme was pivotal to getting our studio to this stage,” said Mr Etherington-brown. “When I first started, it was just me and my idea, and it’s been fantastic to see the business come to life.”

Launching the business has involved harnessing the skills of photographers, videographers and editors to create what Mr

Etherington-brown described as “amazing content” spanning promotional photography, short films and music videos.

“We want to showcase the smaller and lesser-known parts of Edinburgh – from nightlife and restaurants to independent artists and venues,” he said.

The bank noted that that OJE has supported many community projects with videography and photography. It cited the Spit It Out Festival, which aims to bring together people from marginalised communities who have experienced discrimination because of mental ill health, and the Movement club night.

The loan to OJE takes the total provided to Edinburgh firms by the British Business Bank under the start up loans programme to £10 million.