Four Bristol firms are to develop new ideas and products after being selected for funding under a new regional creative industries scheme.
Stagescreen, which has received £30,000, captures stage events for cinema and TV audiences worldwide as well as other media such as DVDs and educational performances.
Its team has won more than 50 awards and nominations, including three Emmys out of five nominations, for what it calls its ability to “give the viewer an experience better than the best seat in the house”.
Its output has ranged from musicals such as Oklahoma! and Kiss Me, Kate! to plays like King Lear and The Merchant of Venice, spectaculars such as Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show, pictured, to concerts with musicians such as Eric Clapton.
Stormjar, which describes itself as an immersive horror studio, has received £26,921 to help create the next generation of immersive, location-based and digital hybrid horror experiences.
It was founded by experienced designers Sophie Shaw and Jim Wheale, who met working on 2.8 Hours Later, a cross-city zombie chase game in Bristol that became he world’s largest street game of the 2010s.
Pocket Dimension, a creative studio focused on multimedia production, especially but not limited to immersive experience and virtual reality, is benefiting from £30,000 funding. The studio was launched by immersive writer and director Gaelle Mourre and actor, director and writer Quentin Darras, who together created the VR animation series (Hi)Story of Painting.
Bristol 24/7 CIC, the community interest company behind the Bristol 24/7 magazine and website, has received £29,625.
The finance has come through a new £175,000 fund for region’s creative businesses – the latest in a series of initiatives from the West of England Combined Authority aimed at boosting the region’s burgeoning creative and cultural sectors, which encompass art, design, architecture, TV, film and game development.
The new investment funding follows the West of England being named a ‘priority region’ for creative industries, as reported by Bristol Business News last week.
It is one of just six places nationwide to receive this recognition, which will unlock future government funding. 
West of England Mayor Dan Norris, pictured, who leads the combined authority, said: “The West of England is rightly celebrated as a global leader in culture and creativity.
“From being the birthplace of Banksy and Wallace & Gromit to pioneering advancements in 360-degree video and cutting-edge design, creativity is woven into the fabric of our region.
“This £175,000 funding will not only support innovative firms to grow and scale, but also open up more opportunities for our talented communities.
“Plus, our priority region status will unlock untapped potential to create new jobs, grow local businesses, and ensure culture remains at the heart of our region’s identity.”
In December 2023, after working with more than 150 creative and culture organisations, Mayor Norris launched Culture West, a two-year, £3.1m programme with Arts Council England to nurture the expansion of creativity and culture in the West of England.
At the time he said no child should miss out on experiencing the region’s creative and cultural assets since access to its museums, galleries and historical places should not be determined by class.
An update on the successes of the first year of the programme is expected soon.
Two years prior to that, Mayor Norris established a West of England Cultural Compact, to “focus and amplify the role of culture in the region, as a driver for economic success, placemaking, community cohesion, and personal wellbeing”.
