The Northern Studios

What The Northern Studios does

The Northern Studios is a dry-hire film and television studio facility based in Hartlepool, North East England. It operates approximately 30,000 square feet of stage space across three distinct studios — a general-purpose studio, a green-screen studio, and a studio with mezzanine — alongside ancillary production support such as on-site crew accommodation and proximity to diverse urban, rural, coastal, and industrial shooting locations within roughly 45 minutes. The facility is positioned as the only large-scale commercial TV and film studio in the North East region and serves as a registered filming hub via the North East Screen Film Office.

The studio operates on a straightforward rental model, letting stage space and supporting infrastructure to production companies on short- and long-term hire. Its assets are physical rather than software-based: stages, backdrops, and production-support infrastructure rather than proprietary technology platforms. The offering is comparatively bare-bones — the client brings equipment, crew, and post-production workflows — which positions the business as a low-overhead regional infrastructure play rather than a vertically integrated production services group.

The Northern Studios is constituted as a trading subsidiary of The Northern School of Art, embedding studio operations within an established further-education institution for governance, shared services, and pipeline access to emerging production talent. Initial capital was provided through public funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority, and operational go-to-market is supported by a regional partnership with North East Screen. Headcount is small (1–10 employees), consistent with an asset-light facility operator whose core product is rentable physical space.

Name

The Northern Studios

Legal name

The Northern Studios

Website

https://thenorthernstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Northern Studios is a dry-hire film and television studio in Hartlepool operating ~30,000 sq ft across three stages, serving UK and international productions with stage rental plus regional location access via a North East Screen Film Office partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Television Studio Facilities

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Studio Campus / Production Facility Operators (MPADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soundstage & Stage Rental (Film/TV) (MPADAIAA), Production Office Space & Support Facilities (MPADAIAD)

Keywords

• Film studio rental
• Television production facilities
• Green screen studio
• Dry-hire sound stage
• Set build storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartlepool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Studio Facility Hire: Dry-hire studio and green screen facilities offered to content producers on both long and short-term basis. Provides flexible hire options to suit filming or unit base needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Northern Studios provides dry-hire film and television studio facilities in Hartlepool, North East England, comprising approximately 30,000 sq ft of purpose-built sound stages (Studio 1, Studio 2 and Studio 3) with green screen/chromakey capability, alongside production support spaces including a workshop, production rooms, a make-up room, a green room/dining area, and dedicated set build & storage. Productions rent the space on a self-contained basis, bringing their own crews and equipment.

Product overview

The Northern Studios is a film and TV studio facility offering a platform of three distinct studio spaces and supporting production facilities for dry-hire use. The core offering consists of Studio 1 (main large-scale studio), Studio 2 (green screen/dry-hire studio), and Studio 3 (mezzanine-equipped space), complemented by supporting facilities including Set Build & Storage, Workshop, Production Rooms, Make-up Room, and the Green Room/Dining Area (The Refectory). The studios also provide location services in partnership with North East Screen for productions requiring diverse exterior shooting locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Studio 1 Largest of the three purpose-built sound stages at The Northern Studios, available for dry-hire rental to film and television production companies.
• Studio 2 Purpose-built sound stage at The Northern Studios available for dry-hire rental, suitable for film and television shoots.
• Studio 3 Purpose-built sound stage at The Northern Studios available for dry-hire rental to film and television productions.
• Green Screen Studio Studio space equipped with green screen / chromakey capability for productions requiring visual effects-driven filming.
• Set Build & Storage Facility On-site space for building, assembling, and storing production sets during a studio hire period.
• Production Support Rooms (Workshop, Production Rooms, Make-up Room, Green Room / Dining Area) On-site ancillary facilities rented to productions, including a workshop for construction work, production offices, a make-up room, and a green room / dining area for cast and crew.
• Location Services Service offering productions access to a diverse range of exterior filming locations within a 45-minute radius of the Hartlepool studio.

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• North East ScreencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with North East Screen, the region's creative development agency, The Northern Studios provides full support and location services for production crews. North East Screen is the North East of England's screen agency that develops and champions the region as a leading film and TV production hub.
• The Northern School of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Northern Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Northern School of Art. Board of directors includes representation from the project funder, local council, and an independent director from the screen industry. The school provides skilled graduates to the creative, screen and stage industries.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pinewood Studios: The UK's flagship film and TV studio complex offering stage hire, soundstages, and production support. Directly comparable as a dry-hire studio operator serving feature film and TV productions, though at much larger scale.
• Shepperton Studios: Major UK soundstage and facility rental operation serving Hollywood blockbusters and TV. Directly comparable business model — dry-hire stages and production support — but with a larger stage count and London-region location.
• The Bottle Yard Studios: Bristol-based dry-hire film and TV studio facility operated by Bristol City Council, with a portfolio of soundstages. Comparable as a publicly-supported regional UK studio hire business.
• Sunset Studios Waltham Cross: Newly developed UK film and TV studio complex from Blackstone's Sunset Studios platform. Comparable as a modern multi-stage dry-hire facility targeting major productions.
• Longcross Studios: Surrey-based film and TV studio facility offering large-scale soundstages and backlot. Comparable dry-hire studio operator serving feature film and high-end TV productions.
• Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden: Large-scale UK film and TV studio facility offering dry-hire stages, backlot, and production support. Comparable as a multi-stage complex serving both feature films and high-end TV.
• Dock10 Studios: Manchester-based TV and film studio facility with multiple stages, post-production, and production offices. Directly comparable regional UK studio operator with similar facility-hire model.
• Elstree Studios: Long-established UK film and TV studio offering stage rental and production support services. Comparable business model serving commercial film and TV productions in the UK.

Others

• The Northern School of Art: Parent institution of The Northern Studios, providing educational pipeline for creative/screen industries. Comparable as the operating parent and source of skilled graduates feeding the studio.

Emerging players

• Northern Ireland Screen: Regional screen agency similar to North East Screen, supporting production and operating/commissioning studio infrastructure. Comparable as a publicly-backed regional film/TV ecosystem partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thenorthernstudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-northern-studios
• Instagraminstagram.com/thenorthernstudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Northern Studios