Back in 2007 Denise Hutton-Gosney took the brave step to enter BBC’s Dragons’ Den.
With her, she brought a first to the Den: a troupe of singing children from Razzamataz to perform a specially written song by one of the students.
Denise was looking for a £50,000 investment to grow her chain of theatre schools that had a strong emphasis on performance opportunities to help each child with their confidence and self-esteem.
For the first time in the Den a Dragon offered all the money without haggling over the equity. Denise gratefully accepted Duncan Bannatyne’s offer of £50,000 for a 25% stake in Razzamataz.
“As a successful business man, I instinctively recognise an excellent opportunity. That’s why I chose to invest in Razzamataz Theatre Schools. The commitment, enthusiasm and sound business sense of the team, coupled with their proven track record of success led me to become part of the business. Razz skills keep young people active, instil a confidence and pride and encourage social skills. All of which are vital today,”
Duncan Bannatyne from BBC’s Dragons’ Den.
Since the Den, Denise has grown her theatre school franchise business and is incredibly proud that Razzamataz has remained in the top five most memorable entrepreneurs on the BBC show.
Part of our company’s continued success is the strong partnerships we have forged with First Choice, Disney, The Stage newspaper, a leading Talent Agency, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Eurocamp.
Schools are spread throughout the UK and Principals come from a diverse background and benefit from working with a range of specialist from the worlds of PR and Marketing, Child Protection and Social Media to name just a few.
Over the years, Razzamataz has enjoyed some high-profile media coverage in a range of publications including The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Stage, The Scotsman, The Daily Record and many local and regional publications both in print and online.
