UK indie Fulwell 73 expands with new northern investment

Sunderland ‘Til I Die

UK indie Fulwell 73 is expanding its operations by opening a new office in Sunderland, which will act as a base for its business in the north of England.

The company, which is behind the recently announced Disney+ docuseries Among The Stars, is looking to find and support new industry talent in the region and address the skills gap. It will also invest in a new physical studio space to further support the local industry.

The new Sunderland office will open on 1 October and recruit staff from the region, with Mel Rainbow, who previously worked on the company’s Netflix doc Sunderland ‘Til I Die, appointed to head up the Fullwell North operation.

The company is also partnering with Northern Film + Media to provide support to its NFM Crew Academy, which offers training to students entering the industry.

Fulwell is the outfit behind Amazon series Mammals, the upcoming adaptation of Andrew McDonald’s book series Real Pigeons Fight Crime and a feature length documentary about the rapid rise and fall of the European Super League for Sky Documentaries.

It was founded in 2005 by Ben Winston, Leo Pearlman, Ben Turner and Gabe Turner, with James Corden joining as a partner in 2017.

“If you know anything about Fulwell 73 you know that our love of Sunderland (and its football club) runs deep,” commented Pearlman. “We’re proud of our North-East heritage, which is why it’s always been a dream to set up an office in the area and help support the film and TV industry across the entire region.

“This new base will give us the opportunity to collaborate with some of the great talent that we know exists in the area, create more opportunities for local talent there and longer term allow us to invest in the next generation and build a sustainable infrastructure to regenerate the region for many years to come.”