CWPro’s status as an Apple Solutions Expert in audio and video makes it a natural addition to Academia which is a preferred supplier of Apple solutions. Academia will retain the strong in-house CWPro team, the studios based in West London, and business within the company will continue as usual, under the new name, mediapros.
Mike Bacon, MD of the Academia Group comments: “The key here is continuity. We were well aware of the first-class offering CWPro is capable of which is why we were keen to acquire and welcome it into the Academia Group. What was CWPro and now is mediapros will retain the same team and location, as we obviously want to duplicate the output. 95% of their offering is commercial but we see real potential to deliver these solutions to the education and non-profit sectors in which we already have a strong presence. This kind of value added acquisition fits our growth strategy and we predict a £10 million turnover over the next year as a result.”
Earlier this month, Academia celebrated a hat trick at the Adobe awards, when it won Adobe Channel Partner of the Year, Adobe Education Reseller of the Year and Adobe Creative Suite Reseller of the Year. Bacon explains: “These awards really show that the Group is moving in the right direction and we are naturally delighted, having previously only won the Education Reseller award back in 2008. These are exciting times for Academia and we’re thrilled to launch mediapros on the back of these recent successes.”
James Dancer, Business Development Manager at mediapros comments: “We’re very excited about the new opportunities that will open up with mediapros’ development and expansion into the non-profit and education sectors. We’re keeping the same team on board and simply delivering the same first-class output under a different name. The website will reflect the changes over the coming days and it’s full steam ahead from this point onwards.”
In 2008 Academia was awarded a Becta / OGC Framework Agreement to supply software to the education sector. The new acquisition reinforces Academia’s offering and will further benefit the schools Academia works with.
24 March 2010, London – Academia Ltd, leading supplier of software, hardware and training to the education, non-profit and commercial sectors today announces the acquisition of CWPro, a leader in Apple pro-audio and pro-video solutions. The acquisition is a major step towards the continued growth of the Academia Group and an addition to the company’s award-winning service as a reseller.