Leading buyer unveils lifecycle offering

13 November 2020

Print buying

Hunt: fired up to help businesses and brands

One of the UK’s highest profile print buyers has set up a new agency to support brands looking to review their print production strategies or deliver specific projects, with a focus on the full lifecycle from creation to disposal.

Richard Hunt, former head of production, outdoor, at Global has set up Cover-Up Media Production to support brands across a range of projects including branding, direct marketing, product launches, internal production performance and supply chain management across settings such as transport and vehicles, roadside, experiential, buildings, public sector, retail, publishing, financial and corporate and education.

He said in all of these functions he wanted to put sustainability at the core of Cover-Up’s offering.

“It’s not just about printing on certain materials or working with certain suppliers or partners, what’s just as important is what happens to the project or campaign after it’s served its purpose. Our focus is not just on how something is produced, but it’s end-to-end, it's lifecycle.”

Hunt said he had been thinking about setting up the agency for some time, but he had made the leap after leaving Global business last month as part of the broadcasting and advertising group’s Covid-driven restructure.

His new venture launched last month with the unveiling of its website.

Having notched-up more than 30-years print production experience, Hunt joined the business, which was Exterion Media at the time, in 2015. During his career he has worked across Canada, Europe and the US on a range of award-winning projects for brands including Adidas, Amex, Ben & Jerry’s, Lavazza Scotch & Soda, Smirnoff, and Vodafone.

Prior to that he held senior production roles and brands including P&O and Cunard parent Carnival UK and spent almost six years at magazine publisher EMAP, rising to manufacturing director at Emap Inform.

“Being made redundant by Global offered the ideal opportunity, I’ve got all the experience and lots of contacts and now seems the perfect time as I’m fired up to help businesses and brands,” said Hunt.

He added that the pandemic had also accelerated a lot of changes on the client side, meaning there was an appetite from brands and agencies to approach print differently and utilise fresh perspectives and perhaps, due to the restructuring efforts of brands and agencies through the pandemic, a lot of expertise had been lost.

He said that he would call on his database of contacts to ensure the agency would work with the best partners and affiliates on a project.

“We will be a hub that links into all areas that benefits all, the partners and the clients.”