A production company which has worked on major movies and world tour concerts has relocated from London to the North East.
Sensel Studio has become the latest business to move into the historic Mackie’s Corner building in Sunderland, which has been transformed into The Co.llective, a hub designed specifically to meet the needs of creative businesses. Bosses at the company – which has worked on the likes of Murder on the Orient Express, the Fast and the Furious and a number of Amazon and Netflix productions – said they chose to move north after seeing potential to capitalise on the region’s growing screen industry.
Chris Simcock, founder and managing director at Sensel Studio, which specialises in virtual productions, designing workflows, engineering pipelines and live events, said: “We made the decision to move to Sunderland as we could see the huge potential in its growing screen and tech industries. When you look at the development of Crown Works Studios, the recent announcements by BBC and Channel 4 to produce more shows here and the university’s continued investment into its media production courses, there is just so much potential.
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“We knew it was perfect for us as soon as we saw the place. It had a real sense of history and was just a breath of fresh air. As a creative business, we love the idea of a collective and all of the neighbouring studios we’ve met are of similar mindset. It feels like a collective of creative free spirits but all who are keen to grow their interests commercially and give back to the community.”
The decision to leave London for the North East also coincided with a post-lockdown realisation that, due to the company’s global reach, there was no real need for the company to be anchored in the capital.
He said: “Covid made me realise that we could do business anywhere and being based in London wasn’t necessarily an advantage. By coming to the North East, we can tap into top talent from the university, which is something we’re keen to do as we recruit over the next 12 months.”
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Coun Kevin Johnston, dynamic city cabinet member at Sunderland City Council, added: “Our growing screen and tech industries have really put Sunderland on the map over recent years and this is a prime example of that.”
Alex Kirtley, managing director of Mackies Corner developer, Kirtley Co, said: “The idea behind The Co.llective was to bring to market the workspace required to help grow the city’s creative sector and the arrival of Sensel Studio show how it’s already doing just that.”