When Crawley Innovation Centre opened, the aim was to attract a wide range of businesses and enable them to make our offices and workspaces feel like their own. None can be truer than in the example of deepsocial, who set up home here in January 2026 and have embraced it so much so they’ve even established their own podcast studio in their office!
After a busy few weeks of moving in, the agency is taking on new clients, which will give them access to a range of content marketing services – from strategy to content creation – across written, video and audio channels.
We sat down with David Pawsey, Founder of deepsocial, to find out more about why Crawley Innovation Centre was the right place for the next phase of growth for the business.
Q. What made you start your own business and why was having your own office space important to you?
I’ll try to give you the short version! I started my career in journalism working for the consumer organisation “Which?” before joining the Financial Times, but felt there were more opportunities for growth and progression in content marketing.
When my daughter (who is now 16!) was born, I decided to retrain as a digital marketing freelancer as social media was just beginning to take off, and I learned the technical side to bolster my creative skills. I never looked back.
A couple of years ago, I launched a podcast with a friend as a hobby, Man Up / Man Down – The podcast for middle-aged men, and realised that with the growth in business podcasting, there was an opportunity to create a studio and offer that as a new service.
Q. What are the key things most businesses do wrong when it comes to digital marketing and content creation?
Often it’s chasing the new shiny thing like the latest social trend or platform, rather than focusing on what makes their unique audience tick. All types of business are under pressure to stand out and there’s never been more of a battle for your customer’s attention.
We are seeing businesses spewing out AI-generated content in an effort to create more content, when the answer should be to focus on quality, not quantity, and more engaging, targeted content.
I use AI in a number of ways, but customers are increasingly seeking authenticity in their marketing. I have realised that the sweet spot for businesses, regardless of size, is authentic podcast episodes, which can then often be used to spin off numerous blogs, social media posts, white papers, and video shorts. So authenticity is retained, but the tools are there to create months of content and campaigns with just a few hours of commitment from the client.
Q. You’ve started your own podcast and created a studio at the centre. What can we expect from your podcast and how can we listen in?
You can find Man Up / Man Down on all podcasting platforms but one of the purposes of building the studio was to launch a new podcast, “Mind Your Business”. I have started recording this and it will be launching soon.
The focus of this podcast is interviewing disruptive business owners who aren’t afraid to do things differently. This will include local businesses, many that you might not have heard of before, but without giving too much away, I’m hoping to nab one or two guests that are known on a larger scale. If you are interested in appearing on Mind Your Business, email me david@deepsocial.co.uk
If you would like to take a look at our flexible workspaces and offices, then you can book a tour by emailing info@crawley-ic.co.uk