Member Article

Shine North partners with University of Sunderland to open new R&D lab

Manchester-based Shine North and Sunderland University are partnering to trial a unique development production lab, Shine North R&D.

Shine North R&D will operate from Sunderland University’s campus-based Enterprise Place, designed to facilitate startup schemes by students and recent graduates.

Three graduates from the university’s BA(Hons) Broadcast Media Production have been recruited to the scheme for an initial 6-month pilot.

The three pioneering graduates are Connor Langley, Mark Hunter & Jack Jarvis, who graduated this Summer and where part of a larger production unit Digital Arcadia, which made the award winning interactive online drama ‘403 Forbidden’.

Alex Connock said: “We loved the ambition and skills that we saw in a drama called 403 Forbidden, and wanted to work with these guys. We’ve also been looking for an innovative way to expand our North-focused creative footprint to talent and locations in the North East. We knew from lecturing visits that Sunderland had the facilities and will to partner with companies to help give their talented graduates a start. So this project made sense. These are self-starting young producers and they are making a couple of exciting projects for us already.”

Jason Legget, Head of Business Development for the Faculty of Art, Design & Media at the University of Sunderland said: “This is such a fantastic opportunity, not only for the 3 graduates but for the University of Sunderland. Our unique partnership, makes it possible for us to support brilliant new projects through Shine North and help develop these ideas in the Northeast, if they do well, who knows where they will end up, potentially on screens all over the world!”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .