Name: Dan Stubbs
Creative Field: Inspired Film & Video Ltd
Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
Website: www.inspiredfilmandvideo.co.uk
Describe yourself in three words…
Industrious, amicable and imaginative.
Tell us about your background…
After finishing university I found myself working for a major sports .com as an account manager. As much as I enjoyed my time there I felt I needed to do something I really loved and returned to university in 2005 to study for a masters degree in sports broadcasting. In 2006 I was one of the founders of Inspired Film and Video Ltd.
Tell us about what you do!
Inspired work in all forms of film-making. As trained journalists we specialise in documentary style projects but also work on promotional DVDs, viral films, training/informational films and run film-making workshops.
What inspired you to launch your own business?
All I want to do is make a living doing something I have a passion for.
What’s your proudest moment so far?
Work wise - Inspired winning the Evening Sentinel Start-up Business of the year award in March 2009. Personally: Becoming a father.
And your greatest project?
'May un Mar Language', a documentary about the potteries dialect. As well as the critical and financial success this film has bought to Inspired we have received thank you letters from ex-potters across the globe that have been sent copies by loved ones to remind them of home.
Who or what inspires you?
Stoke-on-Trent and its people. Popular culture seems obsessed with celebrity but I am more interested in real people who have extraordinary stories to tell. The best documentaries give us a different perspective on something, somewhere or someone we already know.
What do you hope to be doing in five years time?
I will still be managing director of a successful film company. Inspired will hopefully have more staff (we have 5 currently) and larger premises with our own studio space.
When you aren’t running your creative business, you are…?
Spending time with my son Samuel, watching Stoke City or listening to my records.
Anything exciting ongoing or in the pipeline?
Yes lots. Business is extremely good at the moment and we have a number of projects in progress and a number coming up. We are in the midst of our biggest documentary yet, an 18 month project for Birse Civils following the physical and social change that the redevelopment of Chatterley Whitfield colliery is causing.
Finally, any words of wisdom to other creative people?
Running a business is not just about being good at what you do but also about being good at running a business. If you want to make a success from your creative talent make sure you learn how to manage your company well or get someone in who can.
