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Former radio producer records two major wins

An audio and video production studio set up in the North East by a former BBC radio producer is celebrating one of the biggest contract wins in its short history - just weeks after being named as a finalist in a prestigious international competition.

Middlesbrough-based Kirkwood Media has been selected by Teesside University to produce the live action scenes of a short film promoting the university’s animation courses to prospective students.

Their appointment came just weeks after Kirkwood Media was named one of the three best entrants into Content 360 - a competition to unearth the best cross-media content ideas in the world, which is judged by the BBC, Microsoft and Ogilvy Interactive.

Former BBC Radio Tees producer Frances Calvey, 27, launched the studio in July 2008. She said: “It has been a fantastic couple of months for us. To beat hundreds of competitors from around the world to the final of Content 360 was a dream, especially coming less than a year after I set up the company.

“The deal with Teesside University is further validation that we’re producing work and ideas of the highest quality. The university’s animation courses are known as among the best in Europe, so to be selected to help showcase them is a real honour.”

Frances will be the live action producer for the film, with Stuart Varrall of fellow Middlesbrough company, Fluid Pixel Studios, acting as animation producer.

Frances - who received a £4,000 DigitalCity Fellowship to create her business - says she plans to expand the company by the end of the year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .