UKTV Ventures invests in StoryTerrace
February 6, 2023
UKTV has invested in the UK biography-writing service, StoryTerrace, via its multi-million pound investment fund, UKTV Ventures.
StoryTerrace matches ordinary people with a professional ghost-writer to turn their life story into a beautiful book. The company has documented thousands of life stories with a network of over 600 professional ghost-writers globally, many of which have been published by some of the biggest media brands in the world. Inspired by founder Rutger Bruining’s wish to have captured his grandfather’s life story, StoryTerrace’s vision is to create a world in which every life story is captured in a meaningful way for generations to come.
UKTV Ventures’ £1 million ‘airtime-for-equity’ investment sees StoryTerrace launch its first TV advertising campaign on the broadcaster’s seven linear channels – Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Drama, Yesterday, Eden. StoryTerrace will benefit from access to an audience of over 26 million viewers a month and in return, UKTV will gain an equity stake in the business.
Rutger Bruining, Founder and CEO of StoryTerrace, commented: “We are really pleased to be partnering with UKTV Ventures through an airtime-for-equity deal at such an exciting time for StoryTerrace. With celebrity memoirs being ubiquitous in the headlines, it is important to note that writing a biography is not just reserved for public figures. We have seen a large uptick in people wanting to pen down their life stories post-pandemic, but awareness of our service is still at a negligible level. The huge reach that the UKTV network provides is perfect for building awareness and our customer base, helping us carry out our mission of extracting the extraordinary stories from ordinary people across the UK.”
Brendan Kilcawley, Head of Commercial UKTV Ventures, added: “We believe StoryTerrace’s mission to preserve memories will strike a chord with UKTV audiences and people globally. The power of TV advertising to boost brand awareness is huge and we are excited to be partnering with Rutger and his team to support growing the business.”
Similar to venture capital, UKTV Ventures is a funding model which invests airtime, instead of cash, in burgeoning high-growth companies looking to accelerate their growth. UKTV Ventures’ deal with StoryTerrace follows their recent investments in plastic free shampoo bar company KinKind, and social media platform, WeAre8.