Newcastle film company doubles workforce

Sep 21 2009 By The Journal

AN independent film company has doubled its workforce to help the production of its second feature film and has now had its work shown across the globe at a festival in Canada.

Newcastle-based Superkrush Films has increased its staff from four to eight as it begins work on ‘Catchweight’, which tells the story of a Jewish boxer who kills his opponent in the ring and has to come to terms with what he had done as well as his chosen career path.

The firm, which was founded by digital media graduate Chris Taylor in 2001, has made a name for itself in the advertisement industry after working with high profile organisations.

Its productions include a training video for sports brand Nike featuring marathon runner Paula Radcliffe and a video extolling the virtues of using UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to set up a business abroad.

The new feature film follows 2007’s Sub Zero, made with youngsters from Middlesbrough and deals with youth crime and corruption within local Government.

Mr Taylor said: "At a time when the media industry is struggling to get through the recession, we seem to be holding our own.

"I’d like to think we are competing on a national level with film and production companies, as we are seeing lots of large contracts coming our way from outside the region, and we are gaining public and large corporate work."

The firm, which also produced a TV advert for the opening of the Great North Museum in Newcastle, has extended its global reach by having one of its community interest films shown at the community engagement festival ComFest in Canada in October.

The film, ‘Shank’, produced through the firm’s not-for-profit community interest division Engage Media, looks at knife crime and gangs in the UK.

Other projects include working with Sunderland Arc to produce a film highlighting substance abuse among young people. Mr Taylor hopes to expand the team over the next two years.