For young people starting out it’s a great experience to go through presenting your business and receiving funding. It was a great confidence builder.

Belange was keen to develop his own business. He had completed a Master's in Business and Entrepreneurship following his degree in Business and Media, but with the credit crunch it was hard to get employment. He saw information about Firm Futures online and completed an application. Following a successful presentation of his ideas he was given a £1000 bursary - a welcome boost as he had no access to funding. It meant he could develop a website and upgrade his camera, both valuable assets for his new company. It gave Belange a professional edge, and meant he could focus on building MC Media London, a company specialising in image making, commercial photoshoots and working with brands and small businesses/start-ups to help develop their visuals online and in print.

As Belange says: “I already had the ideas for my company, the grant made a massive difference to being able to buy better equipment and develop a website which gave me a professional edge.”

Throughout the Firm Futures process Belange was matched with a mentor from Slaughter and May, and they met and discussed progress fortnightly. This helped him focus on next steps.

MC Media London is now branching out into making videos and does wedding shoots and work for magazines. Belange is developing and expanding the company, bringing on board two new photographers and teaching them the trade so they can work independently, increasing business and income whilst Belange focuses more on the business development side of things. They're now working with magazines, spending more time networking and getting work published in the UK and the States. The company has now operated successfully for over three years and Belange is rightly proud of his brand and hard work.

Belange is excited about the future of his company and global opportunities, and is shortly travelling to Congo, where he was born, to expand his business, including work with hotel brands. Belange named his company MCMedia London because he wanted to expand. So look out for MCMedia Africa and MCMedia New York in the future!