Double bill for award-winners

Nov 13 2007 By Iain Laing, The Journal

TWO of the North-East’s most successful film and television post-production facilities have joined forces to create the biggest independent post-production resource in the North of England.

The teams behind Transmission and Imagine believe that coming together and creating a new company, Imagine TX, will raise the profile of Newcastle’s expertise in post-production and help to retain and attract talent in the region.

The new venture brings together award-winning individuals who have worked on popular television programmes including Byker Grove, After They Were Famous, Wire in the Blood, the Grumpy Old… series and Dales Diaries as well as successful commercial work including the Barker & Stonehouse and Passionate People, Passionate Places TV adverts.

Steve Salam, producer of Newcastle-based Dene Films and its in-house post production facility Transmission, said the new company was an exciting combination of technical facilities and creative talent.

“In Imagine TX we are creating something that we haven’t had in the North-East for many years,” he said.

“It brings together unique creative talents and technical skills and allows us to separate properly the production side of our business from post production, which is now a much enlarged facility.”

Susan Underwood, managing director of Imagine which she co-founded in 1996, has joined the new company along with coordinator Andrew Byran.

She said: “Although Imagine in its current form will cease to exist, the name will carry on. We had reached a point where there was no way to grow. The sale to Transmission opens up more avenues for us in the future”. From Transmission, the new team comprises head of graphics Tony Sharpe who has worked on C4’s Countdown, the 100 Greatest series and BBC1’s Everyman; Peter Groom, who has many years experience as a sound engineer and dubbing mixer particularly in sport; editor Mark Lediard who has won two Royal Television Society awards; and Richard Alderson, a documentary and short film editor whose programme work includes a Bafta award-winning children’s programme and six years editing Byker Grove including the final episode.

Mr Salam, who founded Dene Films 16 years ago, added: “The sum of the two businesses together is much greater than the individual companies. Imagine and Transmission have done some great work over the years but we have not been able to access the talent in each organisation. We can now offer the first large scale facility that works like a true national facility, not only in terms of the equipment we have but in the reputations and skill of some great people.”

Ms Underwood added: “Imagine TX brings together the best of both companies. It allows the expansion of Transmission’s capacity in post-production and gives us access to an expanded team of talent in one integrated facility.

“It will also allow us to look at alternative methods of delivery beyond television as more and more people seek different ways to get their programmes and film.”

Steve explained that further investment in the future would mean Imagine TX could offer a level of finishing required to attract feature films and high end commercials to the North East.

He said: “Northern Film and Media has invested a lot of public money in the development of programme content. To support that we need a healthy post production business so that editing is not done elsewhere. It’s about retaining both the investment in the region and providing attractive opportunities to keep the talent here too.”

Imagine TX will continue to operate from Transmission’s current base in Westmorland Road and Imagine’s HQ in nearby Westgate Road, Newcastle.