Newcastle film entrepreneur set to take his business to Hollywood

TryLife, a Newcastle-based educational film production company, is collaborating with producers in Los Angeles to educate young people on violence in gang culture. The video will teach young people about the impact of their life choices.

The company has been working with advisers dedicated to North East businesses at the Department for International Trade (DIT) since it started exporting in 2017.

The business is now working with DIT to launch its educational films in the United States, following its successful first three interactive series within schools and youth groups across England. It has also attracted a huge social media following, with over 6.4million Facebook followers.

Paul Irwin said: “The reaction to our films has been staggering. I grew up in a small town called Howdon, so never in a million years thought I’d be working with film directors and producers in the US.

“We couldn’t have done any of this without DIT. Our adviser helped us get to the US in the first place, arranged meetings with people we normally wouldn’t have exposure to and helped us understand the business landscape we hoped to work in. We’re now in a position where we are about to start filming our first video in the US.

“Asking for expert guidance was the best move for us. If a guy like me from Howdon can make it to Hollywood, anyone can. I highly recommend anyone thinking of exporting to get in touch with their local DIT adviser and find out what support is available to them.

The company was formed after the director and creator of Trylife, Paul Irwin, used his experience as a youth and community worker to create a new platform that would engage with young people to help them see the dangers of making bad life decisions.

Following one of the meetings set up by DIT, Paul has also started teaching a weekly class on Interaction Film Making via Skype to the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles.

David Coppock, Regional Director for the North East at the Department for International Trade, added: “TryLife is a great example of a young and vibrant business finding success from exporting.

“Paul and his partner worked closely with one of our DIT advisers at the start of their exporting journey are now already planning a year packed with exciting events and video launch, set to benefit young people across the United States.”