Film-maker focuses on a new beginning

Jul 15 2009 By Christopher Knox, The Journal

A FILM-MAKER is launching his own business in the North East after being made redundant and plans to establish his own production crew as he capitalises on his award-winning talent.

Jon Stubbs didn’t let losing his job with Newcastle-based Dene Films last December get him down and almost immediately set up his own Gateshead-based company, Corona Films, to ensure that his skills weren’t going to waste.

He has already produced TV commercials for the NHS and Northumbria University as well as the current Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative, and is also behind a commercial soon to be aired for the North East Big Drink Debate. With the recession continuing to tighten marketing budgets within the private sector, Mr Stubbs plans to continue working with public bodies by initially using freelance crews.

Mr Stubbs, 40, has been involved in the film-making industry since the early 90s when he worked in Australia for a firm that rented out camera and technical equipment to independent film-makers, with a long line of impressive productions including East is East, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.

The entrepreneur, who grew up in Hinckley, in Leicestershire, moved to London to work for equipment rental firm Arri Media and then moved to the North East with his wife Nicky in 2001 to start his first business before joining Dene Films.

His talents have resulted in a number of award-winning productions, including short film The Conkerers, which won an RTS award in 2008 for Best Drama, beating Wire in the Blood to the top prize. In the same year, Mr Stubbs also produced the RTS Best Commercial for Tyne and Wear Fire Service for an Anti Social Fires campaign and has been involved in a long list of commercials for clients including Muller Lite, Phones 4 U, Titleist, Nintendo and Warburtons.

He said: "Being made redundant happened and I couldn’t do much about it, so I decided to be positive about the situation.

"Film and TV production is what I know and do best, so it was an obvious and relatively easy decision to start my own company.

"I have had a fantastic start to the year and have been involved with some great campaigns to date with some really great ideas from local advertising agencies which we have brought to life for the screen." Although he is concentrating primarily on the North East during the early stages of the business, Mr Stubbs plans to expand South.

He said: "Having a list of talent I can call upon allows me to offer my clients a wide and varied creative approach. It also gives them a choice which is something that I believe to be unique in the area.

"People might say that it’s the wrong time to be setting up a business, but I believe that I have the skills and talent to make a success of it and take advantage of the opportunities that are present in the North East."