LIGHTS, CAMERA AND LOTS OF AWARDS:

Matt Hallows set up The Canadian Film Company after studying Television Production at Teesside University.

The company, which got its unique name from the street where Matt grew up, is making a real name for itself in film making in the North East. The company having been shortlisted for a BBC 3 new talent competition has produced a film that won the BBC New Talent award.

Currently The Canadian Film Company is producing short promotional films for corporate and commercial organisations, despite only registering the company less than six months ago. The company has already worked on a number of projects and recently worked on a short film for Phillipa Gregory, the writer of The Other Boleyn Girl.

TIME TO CALL IN THE PRODUCERS:

The DigitalCity Fellowship has helped the company grow from strength to strength as Matt explains:

“The hardest part of setting up the company has been the admin, and the DigitalCity Fellowship has really helped us with all aspects of the business management side of things. The workshops taught us about cash flow, which helped us ensure that money was going to the right people at the right time. The help that we have been given by the DigitalCity Fellowship has enabled Tom Marshall and I to focus on the film making whilst developing the business aspect alongside”.

“The DigitalCity points you in the right direction with a number of resources including its workshops and mentors. This, along with the funding support, has allowed Tom and I the opportunity to think through each project thoroughly and reach the right business conclusion.”

Along with the DigitalCity Fellowship support the company has also had assistance from Business Link which provided excellent networking opportunities for Matt that have helped with funding.

Middlesbrough Council has also supported the film makers and provided equipment such as lights, editing equipment and cameras that allow them to shoot in High Definition.

FUTURE PROJECTIONS:

The Canadian Film Company is currently working on its website which the company promise will provide an innovative function for their clients; unlike anything else currently in existence. The duo hopes to launch the website in a few months’ time when they will then turn their focus to the 2012 Olympics.

The Canadian Film Company is also working with the charity, Streetwise Opera to create a film which will be the highlight at Spitalfields Festival in London at the end of the year.

Mobile phones have certainly become a part of everyday life. However, two years ago, Stuart Varrall of Fluid Pixel, predicted that they would also form the basis for a new entertainment media platform. Since then Fluid Pixel has never looked back and has gone on to create a number of successful global applications and games for mobile phones, working with the likes of Nokia, Adobe and IGT.

FLUID PIXEL APPLIES TO THE DIGITALCITY:

Whilst studying for his Masters in Computer Animation at Teesside University, Stuart learned of the DigitalCity Fellowship and applied for a place. To begin with Fluid Pixel was just an idea rather than a Company. It was the invaluable support that the DigitalCity Fellowship offered that enabled the idea to transform into a real business.

As Stuart explains: “When we started the Fellowship we only had thoughts about what we could do. The DigitalCity provided us with access to mentors, which enabled us to receive advice on how to turn our ideas into a tangible business. This most definitely helped us focus on our future business plans. The scheme also provided workshops on tax and finance which were invaluable as this isn’t something we had had to deal with before!”

GAME ON:

Once the Fellowship was complete they were able to take advantage of renting office space from the University, and took up premises in the Victoria Building. Which provided reasonable rent rates for the ambitious Company.

Following the DigitalCity Fellowship, Stuart was offered a Scholarship studying Entrepreneurship in Kansas where he attended tutorials at both Harvard and Stanford. During this time Stuart made the most of the opportunities to network with potential business partners. One of these contacts, IGT, the world’s biggest slot machine producer, was interested in developing an iPhone version of a slot machine. Fluid Pixel developed the game – Cleopatra – and when released in September 2009 it was an instant hit on Apple’s iTunes Store.

Fluid Pixel is currently working with Nokia and Adobe to develop a virtual pet game ‘Animentals’ in partnership with local company Foof Productions. The game challenges users to rehabilitate the Animentals from cyberspace, starting with the unique character called ‘Furball’. The whole world of Animentals has been co-created with an ex-Marvel writer who has created a vast world for the creatures to live in.

This latest development means that Fluid Pixel now incorporates technology, animation and design into its business offering and the company now employs seven people.

Fluid Pixel is also working on four other projects, with half of its work undertaken for international clients. The Company recently presented at the Bradford Animation Festival and Stuart has since become a mentor to current DigitalCity Fellows.

Fluid Pixel is now based in the Phoenix Building at Teesside University. This location enables the team to network and collaborate with businesses in the technology industry. Stuart will be travelling to the USA and Barcelona this year to showcase the current great work that Fluid Pixel have produced and future projects. This will hopefully encourage Global Companies to look to the North East for innovation and quality in mobile games and applications.

www.fpstudios.com

BRINGING DOWN THE HAUS!

Organising complex, high profile events in the North East is a speciality for Haus Projects.The company was co-founded by Georgia Rakusen and Beckie Darlington, who are passionate about live events and cultural projects and between them have many years experience of co-ordinating large scale cultural projects.

Both Beckie and Georgia studied English Literature at the University of Newcastle, however the pair didn’t meet until they both started working as project managers in the cultural sector in the North East.

Georgia and Beckie, once freelance rivals, set up Haus Projects, a creative project management and production company, which specialises in the digital, creative and cultural sector in the North East. The two women met working on various festivals and events when they were freelance event management consultants, and were often put up against each other for the same jobs. Rather than continuing to compete Georgia and Beckie joined forces to create Haus Projects, with an aim to create high quality and unique projects for their clients.

Pivotal to their success is the reliable network of local suppliers that Haus Projects works with. They work with world class tech and web teams, and have an excellent portfolio of designers, developers, technical equipment providers, and PR and Marketing agencies that they work with in the North East.

BUILDING A HAUS:

When Georgia and Beckie first started, their knowledge of running projects and events was vast, but when it came to running a business they realised they needed extra support. Through their local networking contacts, they learnt about the DigitalCity Fellowship, which they applied for and successfully secured a three month DigitalCity Fellowship. Georgia says: “The best aspect of the DigitalCity Fellowship for Haus Projects were the networking opportunities which helped us to get funding and secure more work. The programme also taught Beckie and I about how to market ourselves effectively.” “The mentors also provided great support; many of them have ‘been there, done that’ so they could provide real life examples and offer advice based on their experience.”

HAUS DEVELOPMENT:

Next year Haus Projects will branch out into international management and will be working with Transmediale festival in Berlin, which is one of the world’s largest contemporary art and digital culture festivals. In addition to funding from the IDI, Haus Projects has also secured funding support from the National Lottery through the Arts Council England North East, Northern Film + Media, PRS Foundation, Tyneside Cinema, and Sponsors Club for Arts & Business, to produce a show with The Sancho Plan. The group is made up of a UK-based collaboration of writers, musicians, animators, designers and computer programmers, whose creative output has been shown in clubs, festivals, cinemas, theatres and on computer screens around the world. Haus Projects has produced the group’s latest piece of work called The Black Page, which will tour the UK and internationally during 2010.

The short term goal for Haus Projects is to establish itself within the region as a premier producer of cultural projects and events. The ultimate dream is to run its own festival and carry out more work internationally.

Haus Projects:
info@haus-projects.com
www.haus-projects.com

SOUNDING OUT THE PROBLEM:

Subtitles are now commonplace on most TV shows and films, however what is surprising is that much online audio/visual content is not subtitled. With more and more companies using an internet platform to upload visual content, ensuring that it is accessible to everyone is critical to maximising audience reach.

Rob Colling, the founder of internetsubtitling.com, has vast experience in subtitling having previously worked with the likes of Fox, Universal and Disney on films and TV programmes for more than 10 years. After discovering there were no other companies in the global market specialising only in internet subtitling, Rob decided to set up internetsubtitling. com. Rob found that most existing subtitling companies charged anything from £80 to £500 to subtitle a five minute internet video. By specialising purely in subtitling for the web, Rob realised he could provide the same service for a fraction of the price, making it much more affordable for the owners of online audio/visual content to make that content accessible to deaf and hard of hearing viewers. Currently one in seven people are deaf or hard of hearing, so this audience group is quite significant.

internetsubtitling.com is made up of Rob and a team of experienced freelancers who work at home. This helps to keep the costs down and also provides Rob with a large pool of skilled resources, including access to many translators.

HEARING ABOUT THE DIGITALCITY:

Rob took part in the DigitalCity Fellowship from October 2008 to February 2009.

Rob said: “Whilst I had researched the industry and identified a gap in the market, when it came to turning it into a viable business model I didn’t know where to start. The DigitalCity Fellowship put me in touch with mentors who were incredibly inspiring and helpful. They also helped me turn my ideas into a tangible business model that would help steer the business in the right direction.”

“The financial support that the DigitalCity Fellowship offered was key to my success; I would most definitely have struggled without the extra help.”

“I look back at where I was before the DigitalCity Fellowship, and there’s no way I could have achieved so much without the programme. It provided me with so many resources and so much advice. The Fellowship empowered me to create a business model that works, and I in turn can now empower other organisations to make their content accessible to a much wider audience for a very reasonable cost.”

Currently Rob is involved in a number of projects for public sector organisations, many of which are embracing the internet as a great communication tool for public information. Recently internetsubtitling.com has worked on projects for both the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), providing subtitles for their YouTube video content.

Ultimately Rob believes that people who are deaf or hard of hearing deserve access to all content, especially when there are nine million people in the UK who fall into this category.To achieve this, his plan for the future is to develop special software that enables people to easily and quickly create subtitles themselves.

TIME IS MONEY:

1daylater is hoping to change the face of onerous timesheets. Their innovative timesheet does not only include time logs but also journey miles and expenses, allowing users to insert all their information into one easy-to-use database.

The idea was dreamt up by David King who, when working as a freelancer, couldn’t believe how basic and restrictive many off-the-shelf timesheets were. He used timesheets which only enabled him to enter his hours. This meant he had pieces of paper everywhere for expenses and travel, which could often be misplaced. David wanted to provide a timesheet to workers that would allow them to input all their expenses and hours into one smart system. Meaning they could generate an invoice at the end of the month that would incorporate all these different elements. As a computer programmer David began to build a new timesheet integrating all of these factors. To help turn the idea into a reality, David teamed up with his brother Paul, who has also encountered similar problems when he was a freelancer, and who bought into the new system immediately.

With his technical background David had no problems rising to the challenge of creating a more user friendly timesheet that contained the values that workers needed in order to bill their work correctly.
Both of the brothers had started University but had left as they felt it was too structured for their creative ways of working. However, when 1daylater needed help to grow from an idea to a company the brothers had no hesitation in applying to the DigitalCity fellowship for its renowned programme for start ups.

TIME TO GROW

1daylater started its six month DigitalCity Fellowship in February 2009 and after six months completed the programme in October.

Paul King said: “The DigitalCity was a great help to David and I. We were able to research the requirements of freelancers and companies that bill their services based on hours, but we really struggled with the finance and marketing side of the business. The workshops that DigitalCity has provided us with helped us to develop the idea into a valid company.”

David adds: “The DigitalCity recognised that we had a great idea, but we didn’t have the know-how to turn it into a business. The people that we met and worked with at DigitalCity were great. The whole experience was incredibly inspirational and provided us with great advice; for us the best outcome was the fantastic mentorship which really helped drive us and the business forward.”

CLOCKING UP SUCCESSES:

1daylater is currently in the beta testing phase of development and the King brothers are hoping to launch it in early 2010. Currently the beta testing has seen 4200 businesses sign up to use the timesheets and offer feedback to Paul and David. North East based company, Codeworks, which is also taking part in the trial, will provide the company with feedback that will ensure it has everything users need when they are ready to launch it to a mass business market.

The company has just been awarded £7,500 from Kingpin Intelligence Marketing to market the product to media companies.

Initially the software will be marketed to small businesses employing around 10 employees. However, as they continue to receive feedback and develop the website it is hoped that it will be desirable to organisations of all sizes that bill by the hour.

Paul King & David King:
paul@1daylater.com
www.1daylater.com

LIGHT YEARS AHEAD

An Italian couple, Gloria Ronchi and Claudio Benghi, wanted to create a new kind of design; one that went beyond just form and function, which would be totally unique; a design that interacts with the user. This was the thinking that inspired Gloria and Claudio to set up Aether and Hemera, a company that creates lighting installations and furniture that uses light interactivity.

Gloria obtained a Masters degree in Lighting Design at Brera’s Fine Art Academy in the UK when Claudio took a teaching post at Teesside University. Gloria, who was keen to live abroad, came with her husband with very little knowledge of English, but big ambitions of lighting up the North East. Gloria became an active member in the arts community in the North East and it was here she learned of the DigitalCity Fellowship.

LIGHTING UP THE NORTH EAST

After discovering the DigitalCity Fellowship Gloria decided to apply and successfully went on to complete a three month fellowship within the programme. She says: “The DigitalCity Fellowship was incredibly useful to us. Not only did it help us understand business practices such as tax and finance, but the mentoring we received really helped us develop the business from our initial ideas into a viable company.” “It was during our time at the DigitalCity Fellowship that we developed the Mood Chair and showcased it to the public. Now that we are ready to manufacture the chair, we feel that we can choose the best company to distribute it thanks to advice we received from the DigitalCity Fellowship. We have also built up many great contacts through the DigitalCity Fellowship and through networking with other ‘Fellows’.”

SKY’S THE LIMIT

Following the success of the Big Rose Garden in ‘Enchanted Park’ in 2008, a lighting installation displaying different species of roses made out of lights combined with sound created for the Winter Festival in Gateshead, Aether and Hemera have been asked to create another light installation for the
festival again this year. The theme for 2009 was the Twelve days of Christmas, so the lighting installation took the form of a large star with twelve layers of light.

As Gloria and Claudio’s work gets more and more recognition the company is receiving a number of prestigious commissions, including a temporary lighting installation in the garden of the Cannon Hall Museum, Barnsley, and also a permanent interactive lighting display for the entrance of an NHS hospital
in Truro.

Along with the Mood Chair, Aether and Hemera have other impressive products including the Silver Lining in a box and the Heart-Bit lamp which records a person’s heartbeat and uses this to time the light and glow. With it’s past successes and further potential to develop, the future is looking bright for the innovative couple.

BUILDING BLOCKS:

Writer’s block is nothing new, it’s a common complaint amongst all writers and creatives and for one Teesside resident it’s her mission to put a block on it forever.

Laura Degnan is an experienced writer who has worked with the Film Council and Northern Film and Media, and in development roles with the BBC drama department, Kudos Film and TV in London and RS Productions in the North East. Laura found that she was often struck with writer’s block when on her own trying to write. What Laura craved was the workshop style environment where writers could bounce ideas of each other and inspire each other in their writing.

Laura noticed how many empty shops and buildings there were in the region and came up with the idea for ‘Writers’ Block’. This would be a building where the many talented writers of the North East could go to be inspired and meet and swap ideas. With support from Middlesbrough Council, Laura is going to turn an empty shop unit into a writer training and showcasing ground that will become a hub for creative talent in the region.

WRITE WAY:

Laura is currently on a 6 month DigitalCity Fellowship and says the programme has become integral in allowing her to turn ‘Writers’ Block’ into a reality. “The funding that the DigitalCity Fellowship provides is invaluable. It means my living costs are covered and I can focus on developing the business rather than worrying about having a second paid job. The business workshops are vital as they are helping me turn Writers’ Block into a sustainable venture and assisting me to develop strong project management skills.” Another way in which the DigitalCity Fellowship is helping Writers’ Block
is by turning the workshops virtual. Laura says: “I want to test the water with the virtual workshop, and the DigitalCity has put me in touch with a number of people who have given me advice and help.The advice has led to more ambitious and exciting digital developments.”

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:

Laura has many ideas of what she would like to do in the future and has already completed some very impressive projects. Recently she worked with film industry contacts in the North East to make a no-budget film. Many people, including a DoP, Make Up Artists, Sound Technicians and Actors, gave up their weekend to get out there and just do some filming. Laura would like to use the up-and-coming talent in the region to create a longer film. “Each scene will be written by a different group of creatives and these scenes will be stitched together to create a patchwork of ideas,” explains Laura. “It’ll be a great way to stimulate creativity and showcase local talent. We are currently in talks with some large cinema groups regarding distribution.”

There will also be a number of smaller scale projects, teaming local writers with emerging Animators, Photographers, Radio Producers, DoPs, Editors, Illustrators and Musicians.

“I want to demonstrate that the North East has a great network in the literary and media industries, and that many people are willing to give up their free time to take part in exciting local projects. I hope that the Writers’ Block building will help expand this network and that the North East will continue to provide top class and ground breaking creative work. Writers’ Block will be successful if writers become stronger and more productive, and if more people from the region develop an interest in the arts. It will showcase the talent in the region, create opportunities and encourage local partnerships. If more writers from the region are represented, more work published and more commissions secured in the North East, this will be an added bonus”.

The official launch for Writers’ Block took place on 5th February 2010 at the Institute of Digital Innovation, where Laura is also working towards the completion of her fellowship. Some renowned industry names attended, including Anna Ferguson, Script Editor on Ashes to Ashes series 1 and 2, Jude Litnaitzky, Script Editor and co-Producer on Moving Wallpaper and now at Tiger Aspect Productions, Novelist and Poet Jacob Polley, and Screenwriter Mark Holloway.

Laura Degnan:
laura@writersblockne.com
www.writersblockne.com