Sunderland media production alumnus Andrew Riach has been awarded the BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2014 in the category of producer. 18 talented new-comers were revealed on 27 October 2014 and Andrew was over the moon after learning he was one of the honourees: “To be recognised by such an institution so early on in my film career is incredible, when I found out over the phone that I was a Breakthrough Brit, I was ecstatic, I was dying to tell friends and family but I couldn’t, that was so difficult keeping that a secret for a whole month.”
Talking to the Alumni Association the 27-years-old revealed that he always knew he wanted to work in film and TV but initially he did not know he wanted to be a producer. The University of Sunderland was decisive in his career choice as he explains: “I realised this in the final semester of my time at the University where I co-produced a comedy sketch show. I enjoyed the process of working with others, organising everyone, being across all departments and basically being responsible to help the director to fulfil his vision."
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Andrew’s first production was the critically-acclaimed documentary, One Night in Turin which was being shot up in Newcastle in February 2010. He says: “I loved the entire experience from being on set, the long days, the excitement... I also got on well with the film’s producer and director, and I was initially offered an eight week contract in London shortly after filming had finished with New Black Films. Eventually that eight week contract turned into a little over 3 years where I got the opportunity to work on a few feature films and started to learn and gain more experience in the industry.”
He’ s certainly shown he has the right drive: in just four years he has gone from a runner on One Night in Turin to a producer of Set Fire to the Stars, a biopic about poet Dylan Thomas’s later life.
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“Set Fire to the Stars was an incredible experience, that I’m sure will not be repeated as it was the first movie I’ve produced from start to finish.
I was given the opportunity to produce this film and I ran with it and didn’t look back. In a little over 12 months, the film was taken from script, to cast and director attached, shot, posted and distributed. It has really been an incredible experience and I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Andrew not only managed to keep Welsh actor Celyn Jones (who co-wrote the film) as the star, but also managed to convince some major talent to join the cast, including Elijah Wood and Kelly Reilly. The film made its debut at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for both the Micheal Powell Award for Best British Feature Film and the Audience Award.
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The Sunderland graduate claims that without the support of his lecturers he wouldn’t have been able to achieve this: “The lecturers at the University were incredibly supportive of me on the course. They were always around to bounce ideas off and went above and beyond to go the extra mile for me and other students, from keeping the studio open for extra hours, to answering emails at any time. They also gave real briefs for external clients and this was invaluable.”
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“The lecturers at the University were incredibly supportive of me on the course. They were always around to bounce ideas off and went above and beyond to go the extra mile for me and other students” |
When asking Andrew for his future plans, he responds that we may see him in the area: “I have started a production company called Mad as Birds and we are looking at working with new writers and directors. We are actually discussing a project with local writers which is set in Pallion and other areas in Sunderland, so it might not be too long before I get to shoot a movie back up in the North East!”
More Alumni News.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to meet Andrew J Riach at the Masterclass he will be hosting on Wednesday, 28th January 2015 at the David Puttnam Media Centre. Find out more information and book your place HERE.