Herefordshire’s film and digital arts company Rural Media has come out on top at this years Royal Television Society Midlands Awards. Clinching three separate wins, this is the most successful year for Rural Media at the RTS awards to date.
Rural Media’s New Creatives programme took the prestigious RTS Short Form category with 18 films produced for BBC Arts this year and 12 more in the pipeline for year end. Supported by Arts Council and BBC since 2019, through New Creatives Rural Media has offered over 100 young artists in the Midlands the opportunity to produce their first film, radio and interactive work for broadcast across BBC channels.
BBC New Creatives artist and Coventry-based filmmaker Luke Collins, working with Rural Media, won the RTS Offscreen Breakthrough category for the short film Swiped. Starring Skins actor Will Merrick, the film has been widely shared across the BBC’s social media achieving over a million views. Rural Media also took the RTS Animation category, for New Creatives animated short Flesh, created by Herefordshire filmmaker Anna Campbell. Inspired by her Herefordshire upbringing and love of the countryside, Campbell’s film powerfully tells a story about a little girl and a stray fox.
Rural Media’s standout animation work this year was also recognised through nomination for Travellers’ Times’ Roads From The Past which builds upon the company’s national work with Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.
Rural Media’s Grant Black, Creative Director and Deputy CEO said:
“Giving opportunities to new talent has never been more important. We’re over the moon with the success we’ve had this year. I’d like to thank BBC Arts, Arts Council England, the Rural Media New Creatives team and all our production partners for all their support. We’ve worked extremely hard over the last two years and this success makes it all worth it.”
Black added:
“I’d also like to dedicate our RTS ShortForm win to all the New Creatives artists we’ve worked with over the last two years. We’ve see astounded by the level of talent we’ve seen across the Midlands. Seeing their films get recognition from RTS Midlands is truly well deserved.”
Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England said:
“We’re delighted to fund Rural Media with investment from the National Lottery – as one of a national network of New Creatives Centres helping young artists to create new exciting work that will then go on to entertain huge audiences through the BBC.”
Knott continued:
“To receive such a prestigious award for this work is truly excellent and I hope that it will help to boost the careers of everyone involved as well as to inspire other young emerging creatives.”
Specifics:
• Watch Swiped here: http://bit.ly/NewCreatives-Swiped
• Watch Flesh here: https://bit.ly/NewCreatives-Flesh
• Watch Roads From The Past here: http://bit.ly/ruralmedia-roadsfromthepast
Learn more about New Creatives Midlands here: https://www.ruralmedia.co.uk/NewCreatives
