CLAPPERBOARDS used by the producers of some of the world’s biggest blockbuster hits will soon be manufactured on the banks of the River Wear.
Forty One Thirty, which has produced clapperboards for hits such as HBO’s Game of Thrones, BBC’s Peaky Blinders and Marvel’s Venom, has opened a new office at the North East BIC.
Founder Steve Aitchison launched the company having spent 15 years producing clapperboards as a side hustle while working in the TV and Film industry.
Initially producing bespoke clapperboards and accessories for the productions he was working on, he soon began fielding enquiries from former colleagues working on other sets and slowly built up his reputation.
However, it was the sobering experience of realising that he – like so many other self-employed people during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic – had found himself out of work, almost overnight, which finally gave him the motivation to turn his hobby into a full-time business.
“The pandemic made me look at life again,” Steve said. “I was working all over the place, particularly in the few years prior to setting up, but my hobby was constantly gaining more speed and I began looking at how I could move things around to accommodate it more and more.
“In the film industry, the majority of people tend to be freelance, fluctuating between being stowed off with work one minute and having nothing on the horizon the next. This meant I had ample time to work on the clapperboards between work but then the pandemic happened.
“Everything stopped for a few months in the industry, and it gave me the time to focus more on what I really wanted to do. There were no jobs starting, so we were all left to re-think things. Luckily, I had this to fall back on and so I decided to finally make the leap and really go for it.”
Over the next three years, Steve would go on to build a thriving business supplying hundreds of clapperboards and accessories to productions the world-over, from blockbuster films to smash-hit TV series.
Working from his home garage at first, he moved to his first dedicated unit in Newcastle in 2020 however, as demand continued to grow and he took on his first member of staff, it wasn’t long until he had outgrown the premises.
The growth of the business led to him searching for a new office and workshop and he found the perfect workspace at the BIC, directly opposite the proposed Crown Works Studios on the banks of the River Wear.
“I needed a bigger space so I started looking around,” he said. “At first, I went to view another property down by the river in Sunderland however, as I was leaving, I saw the BIC logo and decided to pop in.
“I’d remembered it from when I was at university in 2000 and they came in to talk to us about setting up a business and when I went inside, it was just what I was looking for.”
“I was introduced to a member of the team who explained that they’re there to help businesses, either those starting up or looking to grow, and when I asked if they had space, they showed me around and that was that.”
Forty One Thirty supplies clapperboards to numerous productions who will utilise Crown Works Studios and Steve believes having such a development in the North East could act as a real catalyst for the region’s screen sector.
“The potential in these studios is an amazing thing for the North East and its surrounding areas,” Steve said.
“Currently, the best studios I’ve been to outside of London are in Manchester and that is still a three hour drive away. London is five hours away.
“To have something this big, on the banks of the River Wear, could be absolutely huge. We could have an entire domestic supply chain for film and TV, which for companies like us, would just provide so many opportunities.”
Paul McEldon OBE, chief executive of the BIC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Forty One Thirty to the BIC.
“The company is a fantastic success story for the region, designing and manufacturing products that are sought after and sold the world-over, and we look forward to playing a role in the next series of this fantastic business tale.”
To find out more about Forty One Thirty, visit www.4130.co.uk