Ged GrimesBack to Dundee Ambassadors

Ged runs Jack's Hoose Music whose core business is creating music soundtracks for the global computer games industry. Dundee born and bred, Ged recently returned to the city after living in Spain.

When I was starting out in music with the band Danny Wilson I lived in London for four years trying to make it in the music industry. We were staying in squats, running out of money, food - and hope - so we decided to come back to Dundee. I think that decision was a turning point for the band and lead to the breakthrough we were striving for. Local venues and other musicians welcomed us and we started attracting major label interest because at that time people were really looking to the north for the next sound. Also, we weren't really part of any particular scene so we had the freedom to develop our own style without any interference. That had a big impact on our music, and opened my eyes to the fact that you can achieve a lot more from knowing where you come from and making the most of it.

Dundee's music scene is as good as ever. The city has definitely changed over recent years but there's still such an eclectic and fantastic mix of music here - from great dance music and DJs right through to top singer/songwriting talent and traditional folk music. I think the city is of a size that allows people to grow at their own pace musically and that really breeds a varied scene. Dundee has such a great record when it comes to producing successful musical talent.

I think the city celebrates success when it happens - although I don't think we shout about it enough. When I was having chart success with Danny Wilson, the absolute overall feeling from people here was ‘brilliant - they've done it, so maybe we can'. You know people would see you on Top of The Pops one night and then in the local pub the next and think, "I know him! I know his sister's cousin..." and it was a real feeling of optimism. Dundonians are proud of the city and its people but I think we could talk about our achievements more. Even Dundee people would surprise themselves by what exists here.

A lot of my mates from outside Dundee don't always 'get' the city.  I think it's because people maybe haven't visited for a long period of time or they just haven't looked into it, you know? A lot has changed. I think that mindset just exists within Scotland and the Scottish media and that's something we should aim to change. People just need to give the city a chance, spend a bit of time with Dundonians, check it out.

Creative industries are driving Dundee forward. For me, that's great and it's exciting. I personally have had lots of support from bodies like Scottish Enterprise Tayside when I've set my sights on doing business in Japan or California. It's great that people recognise the importance of these industries and the benefits they bring to a city.

Dundee's got a real multicultural feel. When I returned from living in Coin, a wee town in the mountains above Malaga, I was passionate about keeping up my Spanish- especially for my son's sake. So I put out a call to the university - were they any Spanish-speaking people around? I got a brilliant response - Colombians, Mexicans - all these people living in and about Dundee. Now there's a group of us who meet every week and speak half an hour of Spanish and 30 minutes of ‘Dundonian'.

Being away makes you appreciate where you're from. Even when I'm speaking to my Spanish friends about where to get a decent cup of coffee or where to go out, I find it reinvigorates my feelings about the city and what I love to do in it.

It's a plus being from Dundee when you're working internationally. It gives you a story and people like that. It's definitely possible to base yourself here and work with companies all over the world, especially in the creative or digital industries, so long as you take a global view of what you're doing.  I've had to work hard to compete against other US based companies to win business in California. That's the tough bit - breaking into someone else's culture and creating new opportunities abroad. But anything is possible if you set your sights high and are prepared to commit to doing business internationally.

There's a forward-thinking culture here. The arrival of youth culture has given the city a real boost.  I love the fact that we have such a vibrant student population who bring with them their own creativity and life.