Award Season 2024💥

Can we officially call ourselves an Award-Winning Video Production company?!

2024 has been a really good year for us for many reasons. We expanded our creative portfolio, we delivered our first 3 day, in-person video workshop (which we want to expand on and implement going forward), and we attended a few fun and glam award ceremonies!

Back in March we were nominated in two categories at the StartUp Awards, these were Media & Entertainment StartUp of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the North East, North Yorkshire & The Humber. Firstly, being finalists in these two categories blew us away, as we knew we’d be up against a huge number of other amazing start-ups in our industry and also from many other sectors. Secondly, being recognised so early on in our journey felt like such a huge achievement, so to even be nominated felt like a blessing. As always, the waiting period between being shortlisted and finding out whether you’ve won always seems to last so long, but in May, we found out that we won in not one, but BOTH of the categories, officially entering us into the national awards taking place in September! 

The National Awards, which took place at the annual Ideas Fest, was so different to all the other events we’ve been to in the past 2 years. The vibe was festival, fun and yee-haw, with people dressed in cowboy outfits, a line dancing tent (which we obviously participated in) and wholesome food vans, we were spoilt for choice.

We didn’t win the national awards, but we gained ample in return. Winning the regional awards not only gave us confidence, the whole experience also gave us a moment of reflection and acknowledgment for how far we’ve come. We’re definitely guilty of being so invested in working on the business, that we forget to take a second to not only THINK about what we’ve achieved, but also celebrate. The good old fashioned letting loose and toasting to it all, together. So traveling down South, not to work, but to spend the day dedicated to us was so refreshing and so needed.

In June, we found out that our founder Judy, was nominated for Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, something she likely found out whilst still in her pyjamas, drinking coffee and serving “the reality of entrepreneurship”.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards are often referred to as the “Grammys of Entrepreneurship,” they celebrate the achievements of the UK's most dynamic and innovative businesses. Previous winners of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards include the founders of BrewDog, MyEnergi, Zilch, Grenade, and ClearScore, who have gone on to become household names, and the awards are set to take place in November. These awards are yet to take place but we’re really excited for the outcome!

July was North East Charity Awards shortlist time, and we were nominated for Outstanding Social Enterprise. Being a community interest company is at the heart of everything we do, our whole business is built around being able to give back to the voluntary and community sector, so this one really meant a lot to us. Yes we are a business, but we are a business that wants to focus on helping others thrive too, which has taken a lot of strength and resolve, and plenty of problem-solving along the way. 

It was an absolute pleasure to be in a room with so many inspiring individuals, businesses and charities, especially knowing that we all have very similar values and goals. The North East is such a wonderful place, and this becomes even more clear in times of need, because of how communities come together and fight, and this was emphasized on this night. 

We didn’t win the award, but we were running up against some really great social enterprises, including Bridge Creative, Nuvo Wellbeing and the winners, Emmaus North East! Being so early in our social enterprise journey, we’re super proud to have been nominated alongside these organisations…

July and August were also the months we found out we were shortlisted at the Tees Business Businesswomen Awards for Best Small Business and Best New Business. The ceremony took place at Hardwick Hall and was absolutely bursting with positive vibes. So many badass women in one place, it was bound to be a great night. 

And we’re proud to say that we won Best New Business, which we were absolutely ecstatic about! So much so, that it took us a few seconds to register that we were the winners. But what a great outcome for the awards season! Having our video production company recognised in so many different categories, and winning an award on our doorstep.

So what’s next? We’re constantly thinking of ideas how we can evolve as a business, how we can help elevate voices, and how we measure our impact. All of these tasks seem giant, but we’re taking it one step at a time, learning as we make mistakes, celebrating as we develop, and always appreciating how we’ve been able to merge our love for creativity, storytelling and people together.