Get in touch - call us on 0844 576 5515 or send us a message

Who We Are

birthday

Setfire Media is a web and software development agency based just outside of Manchester. Founded in 1999, we've grown from a one-man-band into the twenty-something strong team that we are today. During this time, we've re-invented ourselves over and over again, constantly adapting the way we work and the technologies we use.

We're proud of our successes, both for our clients and also for our internally-developed e-commerce projects. All of our development work is completed in-house and we work closely with our clients and e-commerce operations to get things done with a minimum of bureaucracy and admin.

We believe, above all else, that smart people working together can achieve really great things and have a genuinely good time doing it - with the occasional break for a game of table football, of course.

You may have seen us around!

We're active in the Manchester Tech Community - attending, sponsoring and speaking at NWRUG, Northern Digitals, GeekUp and, recently, BarCamp Manchester 2.

Meet our Directors

Ian Cowley - Managing Director

Ian has 12 years experience in building and running successful websites. Starting out as a hands-on developer, designer and online marketer he understands both the technical and business challenges involved in completing projects successfully.

Ian became involved in e-commerce, web development and online marketing back in 1998. As Development Director for a major Internet retailer he learnt how to build websites that sell stuff and most importantly make good profits. Ian spends his time overseeing client projects, steering the direction of the company and making sure things are running smoothly.

In an effort to get away from his keyboard and get some fresh air Ian enjoys mountain biking and photography.

Sam Phillips - Technical Director

Sam is a massive geek, a Wikipedia addict, a table football hustler and Technical Director at Setfire Media. He specialises in managing successful e-commerce projects with a focus on getting things live and making money, without compromising good code.

His first technical loves were early JavaScript frameworks and standards-based design, and has been working with Ruby and Rails for almost three years. He's deeply interested in all things agile (he's also a Certified Scrum Master, but don't let that put you off), and has spoken at various Manchester-based events on both technical and business subjects.

Outside of work, his interests include information design, music and home recording, 19th-century history and watching The Wire.

Recent Work
Cartridge Save
Elephant Diaries
Kiki James
On the Beach
What We Do
Agile Development
Automated Testing
E-commerce
Hosting
Ruby on Rails
Web Development
Who We Are
Join The Team
Blog

Get in touch - call us on 0844 576 5515 or send us a message