Following training as a documentary TV producer-director with the BBC, Hugh Mason founded and grew a multiple-award-winning broadcast TV production company. Finding himself interested in the business side of running a creative company, Hugh co-founded Pembridge Partners in 2001. Pembridge Partners LLP (London) provides finance and advice exclusively to creative industries SMEs to help their owners build and realize value. Pembridge has raised or invested over £10 million since start-up. Following training as a documentary TV producer-director with the BBC, Hugh Mason founded and grew a multiple-award-winning broadcast TV production company. Finding himself interested in the business side of running a creative company, Hugh co-founded Pembridge Partners in 2001. Pembridge Partners LLP (London) provides finance and advice exclusively to creative industries SMEs to help their owners build and realize value. Pembridge has raised or invested over £10 million since start-up.What are you planning on bringing to the X Media Lab?

Enthusiasm ideas and experience that comes from growing and investing in exciting businesses

What are you planning on taking away from the X Media Lab?

A bunch of new friends, some new ideas and maybe some leads to new opportunities

How do you think Kiwi creativity is seen overseas?

It's dominated by the Film thing, which is something NZ should be very proud of, but which I am sure is not the whole story. Feature film is great but it's a 20th century medium. It doesn't have the scaleable potential of some of the digital propositions that could really build sustainable businesses in NZ and which could allow the country to compete despite its small size and geographical distance from many of the world's major markets.

What is exciting you most right now in the digital arena?

Business models that make money, not just ones that are technically or creatively brilliant.

What is your Big Idea?

The Big Idea of my firm, Pembridge Partners (www.pembridge.net) is that, by providing finance and advice in a way that shares the commercial risks of growth with entrepreneurs, we can all get to where we want to be quicker and with more confidence than we could on our own. And I, for one, would rather have 10% of something huge than 100% of something small