- John Reed joins Cherry Red as operations manager to support the label’s expanding work in music

- Label adds another strand to its business in partnership deal

- Cherry Red will use its expertise to help develop and grow Activate Group’s business

Friday 9th January, London:- Cherry Red Records is adding another string to its bow in a new partnership with Activate - the sports academy and talent management group. The deal will see Cherry Red diversify its range of business interests by taking an equity stake and MD Adam Velasco and Chairman Iain McNay taking on director roles within the Activate Group.

In addition, Cherry Red is also separately expanding its core record label business, recruiting John Reed, formerly manager, Special Markets at Sanctuary, as full time Operations Manager. Reed had already been working at Cherry Red for some time as a freelance consultant. Reporting to Velasco, Reed will work to bring in new product and catalogue, look after releases, and help in marketing.

Through the new partnership, Cherry Red will work across all aspects of Activate’s business, which currently consists of two main branches; Activate Management, which provides talent management services to top international athletes and entertainment clients, and Activate Sport, which runs a series of holiday sports academies for children.

Cherry Red will employ its significant expertise to help Activate exploit its potential for growth, such as expanding its entertainment and music management division. There are also tentative plans to launch a series of music summer camps in the same vein as Activate’s sport academies - currently pencilled to start 2016.

This is not Cherry Red’s first foray into the world of sport, with the company’s sponsorship of England cricketer Simon Kerrigan, League 2 club AFC Wimbledon’s Stadium, and two leagues in the football pyramid system, ‘The Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League’ and ‘The Cherry Red Middlesex Counties league.’

On the Activate deal, Cherry Red MD Adam Velasco commented: “At Cherry Red we all love music and sport, so this partnership is the perfect combination for us. We know the Activate team well, having crossed paths several times before, so we are really looking forward to working together and helping build up the business. Also it will be nice to strengthen our Cherry Red Cricket Team with some England internationals!”

Activate Group’s Toby Mitchell (Director) said: “We are delighted to be working with Adam and the team at Cherry Red as we move towards some exciting opportunities for the Activate Group in 2015. This partnership will help us grow our portfolio of grassroots academies, and support the international expansion of our sports academies, focusing in particular on the US. More specifically, Cherry Red is also integral to our plans to create a Music Academy for children, and grow the talent management division, especially in music and entertainment.”

John Reed added: “Cherry Red Records is a uniquely creative and passionate record label which prides itself on being imaginative and unorthodox in its approach to the products it creates and markets, which continue to inspire music fans across the world. I’m delighted to have joined the established team in growing Cherry Red’s business for the future.”

About Cherry Red

Cherry Red is a UK independent record label, founded by Iain McNay in 1978. Renowned for its diversity, the label had early successes with artists ranging from the Dead Kennedys to Everything But The Girl, The Monochrome Set and Felt – going on to release the groundbreaking compilation Pillows & Prayers in 1982. As well as a continued commitment to new music, Cherry Red now acts as an umbrella for more than 20 individual imprints and catalogue specialists, including RPM, Reactive, Esoteric, BBR, él and Grapefruit – releasing more than 500 albums each year.  

www.cherryred.co.uk

About Activate Group

Activate Group operates two distinct business strands – Activate Management, and Activate Sport and Activate Sport Foundation. Activate Management provides career planning, media relations and PR services to an impressive array of clients, including top international athletes such as England cricketers James Anderson, James Taylor and wicket-keeper Matt Prior. Activate also represents Liverpool FC goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Six Nations star Luther Burrell and fellow England Rugby Union Internationals Lee Dickson and Alex Day, as well as boxer Carl Froch, the current IBF & WBA Super-Middleweight Champion of the World. Meanwhile, the entertainment division hosts former Pussycat Dolls star turned television personality; Ashley Roberts.

For almost ten years, Activate Sport has delivered sports programmes and holiday academies to children around the UK. It currently operates around 250 courses a year, including the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy and the International Netball road show. Additionally, the company’s charitable arm Activate Sport Foundation aims to increase the reach of physical education by delivering sports training to children living in deprived parts of the UK.

www.theactivategroup.co.uk