News & Events

Film-maker sets up shop in Durham Dales

Alan Fentiman

"The Enterprise Agency's support was invaluable when I set up my business. They helped me identify and apply for funding to purchase equipment and provided expert pre-start business advice" - Alan Fentiman

One of the country's rising film-makers has swapped his busy life in London to set up a new business in the considerably more tranquil and picturesque surroundings of the Durham Dales. It’s fair to say that Alan Fentiman is not your average resident of Barnard Castle, the historic market town in a quiet corner of green and pleasant Teesdale.

With a career that includes DJing in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Copenhagen, as well as running a theatre company that has taken in the Edinburgh and London Fringe Festivals, he’s certainly kept things interesting.

The Hammersmith-born entrepreneur has been involved in the media and entertainment industry since the age of 18, and has been successful in producing and mixing a number of dance music albums as part of his label Wide Records and has hosted his own club night across the capital.

However, he is now enjoying the peace of the North East countryside after his priorities were brought into focus when, shortly after the birth of his daughter, he was made redundant from his part time role at a London- based production company.

He has already set up a website, www.alanfentiman.co.uk, as well as invested in the latest equipment with the help of Business Link.

He said: “The prospect of being able to move to the peace and tranquility of the Durham Dales and still have the required infrastructure to run a web- based business was fantastic and something that wouldn’t have been possible five or 10 years ago.

“The next generation broadband across the whole of Teesdale will increase demand for my services within the region and across the country.”

Although Mr Fentiman still harbours a love of the Big Smoke, he says that the opportunity to come to the North East was one that he couldn’t pass up.

He met his wife Caroline in Edinburgh while putting on a play, and it was through her that he first sampled the delights of Northern rural life.

Mr Fentiman, who is now awaiting the birth of his second child, said: “Living and working in London for so long didn’t so much burn me out, but it did become tiring.

“Sometimes it was like living in a bubble and it was hard to make time in the day to really assess your career options. For this reason, I am absolutely loving it in the North East.

“I have more time to dedicate to my family and because I can do much of my work through the internet, I haven’t had to sacrifice my contacts down South.” Since starting the company Alan has worked on a number of projects, including a documentary for local artist Andy Beck on his Wainwrights in Colour project.

This sees him produce a watercolour sketch of every illustration drawn by the master fell walker Alfred Wainwright in his seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells. As well as immersing himself in the history and landscapes of his new surroundings, he is also staying true to his roots in the London music scene.

This week will see him interview Don Letts, the dreadlocked filmmaker, DJ and impresario who, as well as befriending reggae legend Bob Marley, is credited with bringing together punk and reggae as a result of DJing in clubs like The Roxy.

It was this cultural mix that would inspire one of the UK’s most influential punk bands, The Clash.

“I’m doing a piece on Letts as part of an exhibition in Northampton, and I can’t wait to meet him as he is one of my heroes,” said Mr Fentiman.

“Like me, he is someone that has mixed film-making with his love of music and has never compromised his roots and what he is about.”

Source: The Journal