Lights, Camera, Expansion for Forty One Thirty

A North East business that creates clapperboards for some of the biggest names in TV and film is gearing up for growth with a new office on the banks of the River Wear.

Forty One Thirty, which supplies bespoke clapperboards and accessories to TV and film productions worldwide, and whose iconic boards have featured in hits including Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders and Marvel’s Venom, has set up shop at the North East BIC.

The company, founded by Steve Aitchison, started as a side hustle during his 15 years in the TV and film industry. Steve turned his hobby into a full-time venture during the pandemic, rapidly scaling up to meet global demand.

He said: “The pandemic made me look at life again.

“I was working all over the place, particularly in the few years prior to setting up, but my hobby was constantly gaining more speed and I began looking at how I could move things around to accommodate it more and more.”

After outgrowing his home garage and then a Newcastle unit, Steve relocated to the BIC, securing a space opposite the future Crown Works Studios. The move positions Forty One Thirty at the heart of the North East's burgeoning screen industry.

Steve added: “I needed a bigger space, so I started looking around.

“At first, I went to view another property down by the river in Sunderland. However, as I was leaving, I saw the BIC logo and decided to pop in. 

“I’d remembered it from when I was at university in 2000 and they came in to talk to us about setting up a business and when I went inside, it was just what I was looking for.”

“The potential in these studios is an amazing thing for the North East and its surrounding areas.

“Currently, the best studios I’ve been to outside of London are in Manchester and that is still a three-hour drive away. London is five hours away.

“To have something this big, on the banks of the River Wear, could be absolutely huge. We could have an entire domestic supply chain for film and TV, which for companies like us, would just provide so many opportunities.” 

Paul McEldon OBE, chief executive of the BIC, added: “We are delighted to welcome Forty One Thirty to the BIC.

“The company is a fantastic success story for the region, designing and manufacturing products that are sought after and sold the world-over, and we look forward to playing a role in the next series of this fantastic business tale.”

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