Media Cymru 2024 Highlights

As we approach the end of 2024, we look back at a few of Media Cymru’s highlights…  

A huge thanks to all of Media Cymru’s partners, audiences, companies and individuals we’ve worked with through the year. We look forward to our continued work, alongside building new partnerships, as we aim to supercharge Welsh media innovation and work towards shaping a fairer, greener sector. 

A message from Media Cymru’s Directors... 

Professor Sara Pepper, Deputy Director of Media Cymru:

“We’ve had a productive year developing partnerships and connections across the UK and further afield to benefit Cardiff Capital Region’s cluster. We’ve welcomed colleagues from across the globe through our Innovators in Residence programme – bringing with them a range of skills and experience from their understanding of the sector globally with colleagues in Wales – and we shared more about Media Cymru at international events including the Irish TV Festival (Galway), ISE (Barcelona), SXSW (Austin, USA) and Media Cluster Norway (Bergen). We hosted online meet ups with colleagues from the media cluster in Wellington, New Zealand and welcomed colleagues from media clusters across Europe to Cardiff for the Future Media Hubs Next Generation Hub gathering, which enabled us to focus on media for the next generation.

Looking forward: we’ve been busy planning activity across 2025 and 2026 to continue to engage with a range of colleagues across the globe on matters important to ongoing innovation in the sector.”

Professor Justin Lewis, Director of Media Cymru:

“This year we saw Media Cymru working at pace across so many different areas: developing new infrastructure, new experiences, new forms of storytelling, new thresholds of engagement, new business ventures, new skills – all contributing to our mission to deliver green, fair, global growth in the creative economy.

It’s been hectic, but exciting and inspiring – we’ve seen some early successes, and we look forward to seeing over a hundred R&D projects bearing fruit in the next few years.”

Media Cymru × Cloth Cat Animation × Biggerhouse Films CIC: Moho animation training and neurodivergent storytelling 

Eight aspiring animators in Wales benefited from a one-of-a-kind opportunity to train up in the latest animation-industry software used by leading animation studios across the globe. 

Media Cymru × Cardiff Capital Region: Eisteddfod  

The Media Cymru team attended the Eisteddfod with Cardiff Capital Region. We asked festival attenders what innovation means to them and presented our innovation and business development tool – what kind of innovator are you? 

Media Cymru × Channel 4: Whisper Cymru Broadcast Centre 

Whisper Cymru opened their remote production facility – Cymru Broadcast Centre – which live streamed over 1,000 hours of content for the Paralympic Games. The project was supported by Media Cymru and Channel 4, who co-funded research and development around accessibility in live production in conjunction with The Ability People.  

Media Cymru × University of South Wales: Accessibility Futures Summit 

University of South Wales hosted its inaugural Accessible Futures Summit, supported by Media Cymru and Creative Wales. The Summit showcased cutting-edge approaches to inclusivity and highlighted how far the industry has come in accommodating a wide variety of D/deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent (DDN) talent in media production careers. 

Media Cymru × Future Media Hubs 

The Future Media Hubs next generation group visited Cardiff, including trips to BBC Cymru Wales and Boom Cymru. Future Media Hubs is an international network of media organisations that focus on innovation through collaboration and knowledge sharing. 

Media Cymru: Autumn of innovation funding 

We announced a bumper crop of funding opportunities for businesses, organisations and individuals working in the media sector in Wales, with a combined total of over £1.2 million available across five separate funds. This included two brand new funds designed to super-charge Media Cymru’s fair, green and global ambitions to grow Welsh media innovation.   

Media Cymru × Ristband: Innovators in Residence 

XR experts Ristabnd visited The Sustainable Studios in Cardiff for a series of interactive workshops on immersive technologies and events. The company was Media Cymru’s third ‘innovator in residence’.  

Breaking Boxes: Susan Cummings (Paul Higgins Legacy Lecture Series)  

As part of the Paul Higgins legacy lecture series, we invited Susan Cummings – CEO of 10SIX Games – to talk about GTA, the art of deal-making, resilience and her thoughts on the future of Gen AI.  

Sustainability Consultant Training  

A brand-new training programme funded by Media Cymru, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, signalled a step-change in the industry’s approach to sustainable high-end TV production. In collaboration with the University of South Wales, training providers Severn Screen and Earth to Action, received intensive training in response to the pressing need for a more sustainable approach to high-end TV production.   

Media Cymru × fivefold studios  

Media Cymru consortium partners – fivefold studios – launched world leading virtual production facility headquartered in Wales. Positioned as a creative hub where innovation and cutting-edge technology meet, fivefold studios are set to bolster the film and television production landscape in the region and beyond.