Emma Stakes has joined Tileyard North in Wakefield, supporting the community in our creative industries hub as our new Creative Community Consultant.

Emma is a highly accomplished connected music industry professional with a diverse range of skills and experience spanning over 15 years.

A part of the Tileyard community for many years and a key personality supporting the Tileyard North project since its conception, her passion for music, creativity, and community-building makes her a valuable asset to Tileyard North and we’re thrilled to officially welcome her to the team.

Starting out as a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter, Emma’s vocals & writing secured her success with major publishing and record deals. Over the years, her career has evolved, moving into artist management and development, music publishing, and A&R.

Emma’s experience working at Sony Music and Syco Entertainment has given her the opportunity to work on high-profile shows such as X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent & America’s Got Talent as part of the music creative team. She has also consulted for major music labels such as Universal, Virgin Records USA and BMG.

She is a passionate advocate for the Northern creative sector, having returned to her roots in West Yorkshire after years of living in London.

Emma runs a boutique publishing company through Kobalt. She built up the futures catalogue from hosting popular writing camps and setting up sessions through her network across Nashville and Los Angeles.

Emma is the director of Reimagine Records, working with major rights holders such as Hipgnosis Songs to create new masters to increase the value of existing back catalogue of hit songs, creating contemporary versions for today’s market across all multi-monetising platforms; for sync and strategic commercial releases.

Emma celebrated the announcement, sharing:

“Tileyard London has been my creative home since it opened, it’s where I met my closest collaborators, built a network, socialised and made friends for life. It’s where my career grew, pivoted and evolved from being a young songwriter and artist to an industry business woman. I was so nervous moving back to my roots in Yorkshire and how it would impact my career, so when it was announced Tileyard North was landing on my door step in my home town of Wakefield, I knew it was fate that I had to be part of the family with the wonderful team.

I’m so excited for all the opportunities opening up in the North and being part of building this incredible hub, connecting people and working with all the home grown talent. Tileyard North is the portal bridging the gap between the north and south in the entertainment & music sector. The Northern powerhouse is really happening here in Yorkshire.”

Paul Kempe, Owner and Co-Founder of Tileyard officially welcomed Emma onboard and commented:

“I am delighted that Emma has officially joined the Tileyard North team. Being an amazing creative in her own right and a Wakefield resident it is entirely fitting that she has an official role, working closely with us to help us build the Tileyard North community”

She has been an huge asset to the Tileyard North project since its conception and continues to be a major advocate for this incredible new creative space. Emma has already been instrumental in bringing a number of our first residents to site, and we look forward to continuing to share this exciting journey together.”

Nick Keynes, Co-Founder of Tileyard, added: 

“I have known Emma for over 10 years now and her talents are numerous. She has an amazing personal network of trusted collaborators but also possesses the rare quality of being someone who knows how to ‘get things done’ so it’s an absolute pleasure to be working with her on this amazing project. And most importantly, Emma is a wonderful creative with incredible energy and this combination of attributes makes her a real asset to what we’re building here in Wakefield.”

Learn more about Reimagine Records.