The cohort came together for the first time in May 2024 at Newcastle’s One Strawberry Lane. The group will now embark on a 9-month programme of initiatives to help them clarify their vision, gain sector specific knowledge, obtain tools for making the business sustainable, meet likeminded peers and receive tailored mentoring to prepare for investment.
If you’re interested in joining the next cohort of the North East Create Growth Programme, find out more.
Introducing the fourth cohort:
Founded by Film and TV industry veterans Len Collin and Carey Fitzgerald, in 2021, and based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. We believe in a more diverse and inclusive film industry that excludes no one. We believe that the best films, the most watchable television series and the most involving documentaries all have one thing in common. A creative with a vision at the start of the process. This creative is usually a writer and it often starts with the jotting down of an idea on any piece of paper to hand, the writing implement of choice – a ballpoint pen. Hence Ballpoint Films. We want to work with creatives to take those embryonic ideas on to full production and beyond. Because making the film is only the start of the journey.Our first major production is The Guinness Girl planning to shoot in the summer of 2025 in Newcastle and Dublin.
CoHyphen is a collaboration platform designed to help teams and students innovate in-person empowering them to explore new ideas together. As this involves supporting creativity, CoHyphen enables iterative processes to be made easy to manage so that everyone can focus on learning and delivering the most impactful outcomes.
Creative Heritage Studios CiC carries our projects, training and public engagement that explores cultural and commercial activity. We have a specific interest in how the two can coexist. While also engaging with neurodiverse young people and the creative cultural community.
Founded by Film and TV industry veterans Len Collin and Carey Fitzgerald, in 2021, and based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. We believe in a more diverse and inclusive film industry that excludes no one. We believe that the best films, the most watchable television series and the most involving documentaries all have one thing in common. A creative with a vision at the start of the process. This creative is usually a writer and it often starts with the jotting down of an idea on any piece of paper to hand, the writing implement of choice – a ballpoint pen. Hence Ballpoint Films. We want to work with creatives to take those embryonic ideas on to full production and beyond. Because making the film is only the start of the journey.Our first major production is The Guinness Girl planning to shoot in the summer of 2025 in Newcastle and Dublin.
CoHyphen is a collaboration platform designed to help teams and students innovate in-person empowering them to explore new ideas together. As this involves supporting creativity, CoHyphen enables iterative processes to be made easy to manage so that everyone can focus on learning and delivering the most impactful outcomes.
Creative Heritage Studios CiC carries our projects, training and public engagement that explores cultural and commercial activity. We have a specific interest in how the two can coexist. While also engaging with neurodiverse young people and the creative cultural community.
We’re a strategic brand activation agency, specialising in FMCG.
As retail experts with a deep understanding of consumer psychology, we apply creative insight led design and effectiveness tools get your brand noticed, chosen and bought.
With shopper behaviour at the core of every creative choice we make, decisions are confident, brands are unignorable, results are exceptional.
Harper Perry is a design studio based in Newcastle in the North East of England working across the fields of architecture, planning, urban design and research. We work at a range of scales from large-scale strategic masterplanning and big ideas, to small-scale interventions.
Human Stories is a Film, TV and Theatre production company developing an exciting slate of strong storied projects across multiple platforms. Development Producer, Chris Taylor is supported by a collection of hand-picked Management Team with decades of diverse production and development experience, including Charlie Charlton, Michael Cochrane and James McAleer.
This Management Team believes that the funding and development strategy being put in place for the next twelve months is innovative and empowering but, most importantly, it is based on a solid foundation and as such will enable them to build on Human Stories’ already strong reputation. In doing so Human Stories will demonstrate itself to be a producer of high-quality, commercially driven Film/TV/Theatre both nationally and internationally whilst retaining value in the Intellectual Property generated and rewards in the revenue of the first product.
We’re a strategic brand activation agency, specialising in FMCG.
As retail experts with a deep understanding of consumer psychology, we apply creative insight led design and effectiveness tools get your brand noticed, chosen and bought.
With shopper behaviour at the core of every creative choice we make, decisions are confident, brands are unignorable, results are exceptional.
Harper Perry is a design studio based in Newcastle in the North East of England working across the fields of architecture, planning, urban design and research. We work at a range of scales from large-scale strategic masterplanning and big ideas, to small-scale interventions.
Human Stories is a Film, TV and Theatre production company developing an exciting slate of strong storied projects across multiple platforms. Development Producer, Chris Taylor is supported by a collection of hand-picked Management Team with decades of diverse production and development experience, including Charlie Charlton, Michael Cochrane and James McAleer.
This Management Team believes that the funding and development strategy being put in place for the next twelve months is innovative and empowering but, most importantly, it is based on a solid foundation and as such will enable them to build on Human Stories’ already strong reputation. In doing so Human Stories will demonstrate itself to be a producer of high-quality, commercially driven Film/TV/Theatre both nationally and internationally whilst retaining value in the Intellectual Property generated and rewards in the revenue of the first product.
Mayfli is a passionate online marketplace dedicated to showcasing the creativity and talent of small businesses across the UK. We offer a platform for makers, artists, and crafters to sell their unique, handmade, and personalized items to a supportive community.
We believe in the power of small businesses to add vibrancy and personality to our high streets and online spaces.
NOVAK is an innovative creative studio specialising in digital media design and production tailored for expansive immersive experiences, with a portfolio spanning across museums, galleries, visitor attractions, and serves as focal points for numerous cultural events and brand experiences.
With a diverse skill set encompassing 2D and 3D animation, graphic design, live action direction, interactive design, music production, and sound design. The studio seamlessly integrates creative expertise with a vast knowledge and understanding of cutting-edge media technologies, enabling them to conceive and produce innovative installations, guiding projects from inception to completion with seamless workflows.
Embracing a collaborative ethos, NOVAK forges close partnerships with cultural institutions, curators, directors, and an extensive network of collaborators. This collaborative approach facilitates the delivery of captivating attractions that offer fresh insights into themes and narratives.
NOVAK’s work has been commissioned by the likes of Bloomberg, Trinity College Dublin, Tyne and Wear Museum & Archives, Google, MTV, BBC Studios, Virgin Media, and has featured at internationally renowned festivals including Lumiere, Brighton Festival and Light Night Leeds.
ROXID manage cultural Heritage sustainably and predict the conservation needs Intelligently.
Mayfli is a passionate online marketplace dedicated to showcasing the creativity and talent of small businesses across the UK. We offer a platform for makers, artists, and crafters to sell their unique, handmade, and personalized items to a supportive community.
We believe in the power of small businesses to add vibrancy and personality to our high streets and online spaces.
NOVAK is an innovative creative studio specialising in digital media design and production tailored for expansive immersive experiences, with a portfolio spanning across museums, galleries, visitor attractions, and serves as focal points for numerous cultural events and brand experiences.
With a diverse skill set encompassing 2D and 3D animation, graphic design, live action direction, interactive design, music production, and sound design. The studio seamlessly integrates creative expertise with a vast knowledge and understanding of cutting-edge media technologies, enabling them to conceive and produce innovative installations, guiding projects from inception to completion with seamless workflows.
Embracing a collaborative ethos, NOVAK forges close partnerships with cultural institutions, curators, directors, and an extensive network of collaborators. This collaborative approach facilitates the delivery of captivating attractions that offer fresh insights into themes and narratives.
NOVAK’s work has been commissioned by the likes of Bloomberg, Trinity College Dublin, Tyne and Wear Museum & Archives, Google, MTV, BBC Studios, Virgin Media, and has featured at internationally renowned festivals including Lumiere, Brighton Festival and Light Night Leeds.
ROXID manage cultural Heritage sustainably and predict the conservation needs Intelligently.
Schnoobert is a development and co-production firm, spearheaded by the accomplished executive, writer, and award-winning stand-up comedian, Jason Cook. The company’s mission revolves around nurturing script ideas for comedy and comedy-drama series that can either originate from or be set in the North East region or be crafted by writers with strong ties to this area.
At Schwartz Patrick Media, we are passionate about storytelling. As a factual and documentary TV production company, we specialise in empowering the voices of individuals from all walks of life, allowing them to share their unique stories in an honest, emotional and visually captivating manner.
Rooted in the North East, we embrace the region’s heritage, culture and its resilient people. Our work celebrates the beauty and the warmth of our communities, the richness of our histories and it showcases our region’s determination to reinvent itself.
To us, filmmaking is not just a craft – it’s a powerful tool for positive change. Ethical productions are at the core of our values, promoting peaceful co-existence and fostering diversity in all its forms.
At Second Draft we create intelligently crafted films. Captivating visuals combined with empathy and depth. Work that inspires genuine and lasting engagement.
And we foster strong, collaborative relationships that help us get to the heart of what matters, in each and every project.
Schnoobert is a development and co-production firm, spearheaded by the accomplished executive, writer, and award-winning stand-up comedian, Jason Cook. The company’s mission revolves around nurturing script ideas for comedy and comedy-drama series that can either originate from or be set in the North East region or be crafted by writers with strong ties to this area.
At Schwartz Patrick Media, we are passionate about storytelling. As a factual and documentary TV production company, we specialise in empowering the voices of individuals from all walks of life, allowing them to share their unique stories in an honest, emotional and visually captivating manner.
Rooted in the North East, we embrace the region’s heritage, culture and its resilient people. Our work celebrates the beauty and the warmth of our communities, the richness of our histories and it showcases our region’s determination to reinvent itself.
To us, filmmaking is not just a craft – it’s a powerful tool for positive change. Ethical productions are at the core of our values, promoting peaceful co-existence and fostering diversity in all its forms.
At Second Draft we create intelligently crafted films. Captivating visuals combined with empathy and depth. Work that inspires genuine and lasting engagement.
And we foster strong, collaborative relationships that help us get to the heart of what matters, in each and every project.
Chris Simcock founded Sensel Studio in 2015, executing live events, architectural installs, and virtual productions globally, including feature films for 20th Century Studios, episodics for Amazon Studios and Netflix, Faceit eSports leagues, MTV music concerts, and brand launches for Macallan, Nike, and Virgin Media.
Chris is a certified disguise Author and Trainer, graduating from Goldsmiths, University of London, with a First-class Honours Degree in Design. Chris worked for United Visual Artists as Special Projects Developer, and for disguise as Global Training Manager.
Chris launched Real Time Artists (RTA Pictures ®) in 2022, a next gen virtual production service delivering real-time workflows and pipelines for feature films and episodics.
The Actors Forge, based in the North East, is the largest adult drama training program in the region. We cater to actors at all levels, from beginners to those actively auditioning or working with agents. Our vocational training guides actors from basics to Spotlight registration and agency representation. We collaborate with local film and theatre producers, staging seven plays at Northern Stage and producing short films and showreel scenes. Additionally, we run an international masterclass program in New York, featuring industry professionals like Peter Noden (House of Dragon) and Olissa Rogers (Wednesday).
We are a live music discovery platform. We collate and aggregate all the live music in a region. We take this data and place in our easy to use app, so that fans can have a single place to discover what’s going on around you. This creates a giant live music database of artist, promoters, venues, and ticket providers.
Chris Simcock founded Sensel Studio in 2015, executing live events, architectural installs, and virtual productions globally, including feature films for 20th Century Studios, episodics for Amazon Studios and Netflix, Faceit eSports leagues, MTV music concerts, and brand launches for Macallan, Nike, and Virgin Media.
Chris is a certified disguise Author and Trainer, graduating from Goldsmiths, University of London, with a First-class Honours Degree in Design. Chris worked for United Visual Artists as Special Projects Developer, and for disguise as Global Training Manager.
Chris launched Real Time Artists (RTA Pictures ®) in 2022, a next gen virtual production service delivering real-time workflows and pipelines for feature films and episodics.
The Actors Forge, based in the North East, is the largest adult drama training program in the region. We cater to actors at all levels, from beginners to those actively auditioning or working with agents. Our vocational training guides actors from basics to Spotlight registration and agency representation. We collaborate with local film and theatre producers, staging seven plays at Northern Stage and producing short films and showreel scenes. Additionally, we run an international masterclass program in New York, featuring industry professionals like Peter Noden (House of Dragon) and Olissa Rogers (Wednesday).
We are a live music discovery platform. We collate and aggregate all the live music in a region. We take this data and place in our easy to use app, so that fans can have a single place to discover what’s going on around you. This creates a giant live music database of artist, promoters, venues, and ticket providers.