Sam Barcroft to Lead SWNS Media Group

SWNS Media Group, a provider of news and factual content, has acquired Sam Barcroft’s digital content consultancy Creatorville and appointed him as group CEO.

Barcroft becomes a shareholder in SWNS Media Group and succeeds current CEO Paul Walters, who will become non-executive chair. Co-founder Andrew Young will become a non-executive director. Martin Winter will remain as SWNS managing director and Chris Pharo will remain as CEO of 72Point.

The combined operation will look to scale 72Point, which creates campaigns across print, digital, social and broadcast; SWNS, providing news and lifestyle content via a proprietary platform; and
OnePoll, which powers online market research and PR surveys; and Creatorville, which will support the growth of content brands, create new video formats and nurture digital talent.

Barcroft commented: “SWNS Media Group has always been an innovative and entrepreneurial business. By bringing Creatorville into the group, we’re combining SWNS’s journalistic depth and 72Point’s first-class creativity and broad spectrum of brand and agency clients with additional social-first firepower. Together, we’ll help clients connect with fast-changing audiences through impactful storytelling.”

Paul Walters, chair of SWNS Media Group, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Sam to SWNS Media Group as our new group CEO. Our shared long-term vision is to transform our business into the U.K.’s most exciting and effective media group. By combining our proven expertise in news generation and creative communications with Sam’s leadership in building communities around outstanding content, we will build our business on our shared journalistic foundations, amplified by the creativity, agility, and reach of a digital-native production studio.”

Barcroft founded and built Barcroft Studios and eventually sold it to Future Publishing. Through Creatorville, he has advised organizations such as Channel 4, Hearst Networks and News UK on digital video strategy and IP development.