Kickstarting a young entrepreneur’s big business ambitions
EXPANDING BUSINESS: Kallum Green
A young Hull entrepreneur is transforming his fast-growing celebrity news business through a new recruitment scheme.
Kallum Green’s unCrazed business has been working with Hull City Council on an ambitious expansion plan using the Kickstart programme.
Kallum founded the business on his own three years ago and has since taken on 17 staff, including 16 recently through Kickstart.
He is taking on an additional 13 employees through the scheme and plans to make all the Kickstart recruits full-time employees at the end of their six-month placements.
Kallum said: “unCrazed is growing rapidly and we have big ambitions. The new Kickstart scheme gives us the opportunity to grow exponentially.
“This is an incredible opportunity for the business and for the young people we recruit. When their six-month placements comes to an end, the goal is to offer them permanent positions if they want them.
“This will be massive overnight growth and it wouldn’t have been possible without Kickstart. It is ambitious but we have a clear strategy and the potential to go even further.”
Kallum’s business currently has offices on Hull’s High Street but is already in the process of purchasing a new building in Witham to accommodate the expansion.
It delivers celebrity entertainment news, covering all aspects of popular culture and will regularly interview A-list stars to provide its readers with exclusive content.
The city council’s Employment Hub has already secured more than 350 new opportunities for local young people under the Government’s national Kickstart scheme, which creates fully-funded, six-month placements for 25 hours per week in a wide variety of businesses and roles. The scheme is open anyone on Universal Credit aged between 16 and 24-years-old.
Kallum, 26, said he has been impressed by the standard of applicants.
“I didn’t think people in Hull would be that interested in working in the entertainment industry,” he said.
“Most that have applied have had a real interest in this industry and I’ve been surprised by the amount of passion and the level of talent we have seen.”
SUPPORT: Hull City Council’s Guildhall. Picture by Tom Arran Commercial Photography
Kallum worked with Hull City Council to develop the application to the Kickstart programme and said the process was “painless”.
“When I first heard about the Kickstart scheme I thought we’d be too small and wouldn’t be eligible,” he said.
“However, Hull City Council encouraged me to go for it and they have been on hand to answer any questions and provide all the help I’ve needed.
“I spent two months planning this and making sure it would be sustainable and the people behind the scheme have been amazing.
“This is the greatest opportunity for a business and it will be truly transformational for us.”
With the full team soon to be in place, unCrazed will begin regularly updating its site with fresh, exclusive celebrity news content.
The city council is now calling for more businesses to get involved with Kickstart.
Assistant Director for Economic Development and Regeneration, Alex Codd, said: “unCrazed is a fantastic example of how businesses can benefit from the Kickstart programme.
“Not only does this create some incredible opportunities for young people in the city to gain valuable work experience and new jobs, it also allows businesses to explore new ideas or fulfil ambitions.
“We have a wealth of young talent in Hull and this is a great way for businesses to tap into that potential.”
To learn more about Kickstart, contact the team direct at employmentinclusionteam@hullcc.gov.uk. For further employability support, email employmenthub@hullcc.gov.uk.
To see unCrazed, click here.