Signal Film & Media

What Signal Film & Media does

Signal Film & Media is a registered UK charity (No. 1152012) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 6606718), founded in 2001 by Loren Slater and Kerry Kolbe in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. Operating from Cooke's Studios — a 16,000 sqft refurbished Victorian building on Abbey Road that opened in December 2011 following a £2 million+ capital raise — the organization delivers free creative media programs across film, animation, digital art, and heritage to youth (ages 8–25), adults, emerging artists, and community groups in an area with limited cultural infrastructure. Its core product portfolio comprises tiered youth programs (Signal Starters for ages 8–11, Cooke's Crew for ages 11–15, Get Digital for ages 16–19, and BFI Film Academy for ages 16–19), the Artist Development Lab for emerging artists, the TIDAL digital arts programme, the West Coast Photo Festival, a rotating exhibitions programme, the Sankey Photography Online Archive (15,000+ digitized images from 1890–1970), and commercial film production and venue hire services.

The underlying technology is rooted in digital film production, stop-motion animation, VR experiences, and heritage digitization rather than software platforms, with the Sankey Online Archive being the most notable digital asset — a searchable archive of glass plate negatives and postcards built through National Lottery Heritage-funded cataloguing. The business model is grant-dependent: an estimated 80–90% of income derives from charitable foundations and public funders (National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, BFI, Esmée Fairbairn, Paul Hamlyn, Garfield Weston, BBC Children in Need, Tudor Trust, Sir John Fisher Foundation, Granada Foundation, Foyle Foundation, plus Cumbria and Barrow local authorities), with venue hire, commercial film production, and public donations constituting minority revenue streams. All youth and community programs are delivered free to participants, making this effectively a subsidized community services model rather than a transactional business. Co-Directors Slater and Kolbe hold BAFTA credentials (co-directors of Netflix Original Calibre), and the senior team includes industry-active producers and BAFTA mentors, lending professional credibility to the youth filmmaking pathway.

Name

Signal Film & Media

Legal name

Signal Film & Media

Website

https://signalfilmandmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Signal Film & Media is a UK-registered charity operating from Cooke's Studios in Barrow-in-Furness, delivering free filmmaking, animation, digital arts, and heritage programs to youth, adults, and emerging artists in Cumbria, funded primarily through charitable grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts and Heritage Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG), Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound) (EDAMAAAJ)

Keywords

• Community film workshops
• Youth filmmaking programs
• Heritage digitization services
• Charitable arts education
• Digital media training

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrow In Furness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Funding: Primary revenue source from charitable foundations and government bodies including National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, BFI, and various trusts. Grants fund specific projects and operational costs.
2. Venue Hire: Revenue from renting studio spaces including ground floor studio (seats 60 cinema-style or 40 with tables), second floor ICT suite with 6 Mac computers, and training workshop space. Preferential rates available for charitable activities.
3. Film Production Services: Award-winning film production for exhibition, broadcast, and commercial sectors including drama, documentary, and promotional/campaign content.
4. Donations: Public donations to support continued community work and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Signal Film & Media is an award-winning registered charity delivering free art, film and heritage programs from Cooke's Studios in Barrow-in-Furness. The charity runs youth filmmaking workshops, adult programmes, artist development labs, digital arts projects and heritage digitization including the Sankey Photography Online Archive of more than 10,000 historical images. It also generates revenue through venue hire and a film production service for exhibition, broadcast and commercial clients.

Product overview

Signal Film & Media is an award-winning charity providing creative film and digital media activities from Cooke’s Studios in Barrow-in-Furness. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs: Signal Starters (animation for ages 8-11), Cooke’s Crew (filmmaking for ages 11-15), Get Digital (media skills for ages 16-19), and BFI Film Academy (intensive filmmaking training for ages 16-19). Professional development is provided through the Artist Development Lab, while the TIDAL programme explores digital arts around coastal themes. Heritage work centers on the Sankey Photography Archive and related projects. The organization also runs exhibitions, film productions, and offers venue hire at Cooke’s Studios, which includes production facilities and ICT equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Signal Starters Free filmmaking and animation workshops for children ages 8-11, teaching storytelling, model-making, character development, set design, and stop-motion animation techniques through holiday programmes and taster sessions.
• Cooke's Crew Free creative media workshops for young people aged 11-15, providing filmmaking, digital, and creative skills training led by professional artists and filmmakers.
• Get Digital Free art and media skills workshops for young people aged 16-19 (or up to 25 with SEND), covering filmmaking, digital media, and creative skills with professional artists and filmmakers.
• BFI Film Academy Intensive filmmaking course for 12 young people aged 16-19 delivered in partnership with the British Film Institute, providing masterclasses, professional mentoring, and hands-on film production experience.
• Artist Development Lab Free artist development programme for emerging artists based in Barrow, Cumbria, and Lancashire, offering workshops, mentoring, digital art techniques, and exhibition opportunities.
• Sankey Photography Archive Online archive of over 10,000 historical photographs taken by Edward and Raymond Sankey documenting Barrow-in-Furness from 1890-1970, including workshops, exhibitions, and community engagement programmes.
• TIDAL Digital Arts Programme Digital arts programme exploring Barrow's coastal environment and climate emergency through talks, workshops, exhibitions, and engagements with artists and communities from 2022-2024.
• West Coast Photo Festival Festival of photography and digital art celebrating and exploring the West Coast of Cumbria, featuring exhibitions, talks, workshops, and an artist development programme.
• Cooke's Studios Venue Hire Creative media centre facility hire at Cooke's Studios in Barrow-in-Furness, offering studio space (seats 60 cinema-style or 40 with tables), ICT suite with Mac computers, and training workshop space.
• Exhibitions Programme Rotating exhibitions programme featuring digital art, photography, and heritage displays at Signal Gallery, showcasing work from local, national, and international artists.
• Sankey: Lives Through the Lens Two-year photography curation project (2024-2026) funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund (£250,000), engaging thousands of people across Barrow and Cumbria with the Sankey Photography Archive.
• Film Productions Award-winning film production services including drama, documentary, and promotional content, as well as bespoke creative and digital media training for exhibition, broadcast, and commercial sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participant works screened internationally and win awards at film festivals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Grizedale Forest / Forestry EnglandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Digital Forest project commissioning digital artist Jessica El Mal to create online participatory artwork responding to Grizedale Forest during lockdown.
• Cumbria Museum ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Tullie House, Windermere Jetty, and Wordsworth Trust for SOURCE digital artist development lab connecting 8 emerging artists with cultural organizations.
• Theatre FactoryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOther tenant at Cooke's Studios providing integrated theatre program for young people in Furness Peninsula.
• Furness Multicultural ForumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegistered charity and tenant at Cooke's Studios delivering inclusion youth and community work.
• Cumbria CVSmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for Building Better Opportunities program providing creative digital media training for people 16+ not in work, education or training.
• Awaz CumbriaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial enterprise partner in The Digital Forest project working with underrepresented groups.
• National Film and Television School (NFTS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBFI Sound Residential delivered by world-renowned NFTS for young filmmakers selected from hundreds of applicants.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SignalFilmMedia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/signalfilmmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/SignalFilmMedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/signalfilmmedia
• TikToktiktok.com/@signalfilmmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Signal Film & Media