David Yates, the director of Harry Potter, has unveiled a brand-new creative space created to aid a community's upcoming filmmakers.
The Carriage Works creative hub in Swindon is home to the new facility for the video production company Create Studios.
According to Shahina Johnson (MBE), CEO of Create, the company is "committed to empowering people to explore their creative potential.".
Through its Talent Development and Cultural Programme, the team hopes to double the number of young people it trains.
The not-for-profit social enterprise Create Studios, according to Ms. Johnson, was "vital in forming the local arts and cultural landscape.".
Local skill development is more crucial than ever because the digital creative industries are the economy's fastest-growing sector, according to her.
One of the first recipients of the group's assistance was the well-known director David Yates, who worked on the movies Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.
The studios, he claimed, had given him the chance to pursue his passion for telling stories by "providing the equipment, inspiration, and education to make that ambition a reality.".
He said, "I was so fortunate.
I might not have had the career I do now if I had chosen to settle somewhere other than Swindon. ".
The Towns Fund, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Arts Council England worked together to fund the new studios.
It was done to acknowledge the demand for the first specialized media hub space in Swindon for training and production.
The facility will allow for exhibition and collaboration space for cultural projects, as well as an increase in the number of young people they support.
Director of Arts Council England South West Phil Gibby stated that the council gave the studios a grant of £495,000 and was "pleased" to continue supporting them with regular funding for the years 2023–26.
We are happy that they now have a cutting-edge structure to match their excellent and ambitious work, he continued.
