New North East studio recruits acclaimed director as ambassador
Neil Marshall is supporting Runway Rooms which is pledging to reshape how creatives develop and own their work
A new North East studio aiming to rebalance power in the creative industries has announced acclaimed Newcastle filmmaker Neil Marshall as its first official ambassador, alongside plans to recruit a founding cohort of regional talent.
Runway Rooms, set up by actor, producer and director Craig Conway with support Ammar Mirza CBE, is positioning itself as a different kind of studio model - one designed to support creatives from early development through to production and distribution, while allowing them to retain ownership of their work.
Marshall, whose credits include Dog Soldiers, The Descent (both of which starred Craig) and directing on Game of Thrones, said the project offers a practical alternative to traditional industry structures.
“I’ve seen first hand that independence can thrive when there’s genuine structure and commitment behind it,” he said.
“Runway Rooms represents that structure in the North East it’s a practical, people led studio where projects and creatives are supported, protected and moved forward from development into production.”
Alongside Marshall’s appointment, Runway Rooms has launched its Founding 100 Collective, a first intake of writers, directors, actors, producers and crew who will help shape its early output and long-term direction.
The initiative is intended to form the backbone of the studio’s creative ecosystem, with participants contributing to projects across film, television, stage and digital formats.
Runway Rooms is also working with Sunderland-based Morning Sir Productions as one of its first partner companies. The production outfit, led by Michael Burns and Lou Burns, recently picked up honours at the Royal Television Society Awards for Gan Canny, which has also been winning plaudits on the film festival circuit.
A key part of the model is its link between education and industry. The studio is already working with the University of Sunderland to create pathways for students and graduates to gain hands-on experience, building on recent productions that were developed and filmed on campus.
Those projects, developed by Craig Conway - including the feature Red Riding and psychological thriller Trash TV - involved collaboration with Hollywood producer Gail Lyon and actor Noah Taylor, as well as regional casting supported by talent agent Andrea Davison.
Craig said the aim is to create a more sustainable model for creatives working in the region.
“We’re not here to replicate existing systems, we’re here to collaborate, compliment evolve and create new ways of working while celebrating regional talent,” he said.
“Too many creatives generate value without sharing in the upside. Runway Rooms is about changing that. The work we’ve already done with the University of Sunderland shows what’s possible when education and industry truly connect. Having Neil Marshall involved now takes that vision even further.”
The studio describes itself not as a co-working space, but as a fully integrated production environment, designed to develop projects from concept through to distribution while building long-term value for the people behind them.
Operating from the North East, it is also aiming to attract national and international productions to the region through co-production opportunities, while connecting creatives with financiers to support projects through to completion.
Recruitment for the Founding 100 Collective is currently ongoing, with the studio seeking its initial group of members to help shape its first wave of projects.
Anyone interested in finding out more should email runwayrooms@issairview.com or visit the website.