Serial entrepreneur Richard Upshall has continued his support of North East-based enterprises after completing an investment in Stockton-based Phresh Creative Management.
Founded in 2016 by entrepreneur Junior Masandi, the business provides artist management, branding, social media management and web design services.
As a result of the investment, Richard has become Chairman of Phresh and its majority shareholder. The deal reunites Richard and Junior who have worked together previously.
Junior, who recently won the Community Individual Award at the Tees Valley BME awards, was part of the marketing team at Richard’s talent management company, RU Listening before launching his own enterprise last year.
Richard has also provided Phresh with dedicated office space in Stockton alongside his other North East-based operations including international energy sector business OES Oilfield Service and members of the RU group of companies.
Since its launch Phresh, has supported the careers of a range of talent, including 2016 X-Factor finalist, Kiera Weathers, who achieved a million plays and downloads for her latest single ‘You Gotta Be’, which is a remake of the 1994 Des’ree hit.
Also in its stable is Teesside artist Bre Musiq who secured BBC Radio 1 airplay for his single ‘Lie to Me’. The business has also provided branding, design and online media support to sportswear brands, restaurants and fashion retailers.
The investment is the latest in a series of North East businesses that have benefited from Richard’s entrepreneurial drive, experience and extensive network. Most recently he became the majority shareholder of Stockton-based sports apparel company BLK United Kingdom.
Richard Upshall said: “Phresh is another great example of the talented and creative businesses that exist in the North East. Having worked with Junior before, I am confident that this start-up company has a very exciting future. As part of the RU Group, Phresh will benefit from being part of a large stable of entrepreneurial businesses all of which I enjoy day-to-day hands-on involvement with to support their future success.”
Junior Masandi, Director of Phresh, said: “Joining the RU Group brings us stability and opens a lot of doors for us through Richard’s other successful companies. It’s a pleasure to partner up again with Richard, not just for the financial stability and the business structure, but also for his guidance and mentoring, which will be a great asset for my personal development and growth.”