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A Christchurch website designer and developer is gaining traction in Hollywood after winning the firm's biggest single contract yet.
Hairy Lemon is redesigning the structure, appearance and search capabilities of the Hollywood-based National Association of Television Program Executives (Natpe) website.
Hairy Lemon head of sales and marketing Graham Dockrill, speaking from Los Angeles, said the deal was worth more than $100,000 and was helping open doors to new contracts. "I had lunch with the producers of American Idol yesterday," Dockrill said.
Natpe, which has more than 2000 members, is a non-profit organisation fostering the worldwide creation, development and distribution of televised programming.
Hairy Lemon has been picking up more offshore clients, mostly in the United States and some from Japan. Last year it gained 5 percent of its revenue from overseas, which grew to 15 percent this year. It was projected to reach 25 percent next year, Dockrill said.
Despite strong competition in the industry, Dockrill said the company had been able to beat its rivals by building clients' trust, having an innovative team and working closely with customers.
Hairy Lemon was started in 2000 by Dockrill and Sue Wilkinson, who remain joint owners, and has been in a growth phase since.
In 2003 and 2004 it was named in the Deloitte Fast 50 list of the country's fastest growing companies. Turnover was now sitting somewhere between $2 million and $3m and was projected to grow 80% in the next year.
Staff numbers at Hairy Lemon's Christchurch head office are likely to grow 50 percent from the existing 22, Dockrill said.
The quirky name came about when Dockrill and Wilkinson were having a conversation with friends during their student days. They told friends if they ever had their own company they would call it Hairy Lemon.
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