It’s good news for the region’s thriving creative sector after gamers, developers and other creatives won £400,000 in new cash to help them expand.

13 firms from across the region in film and TV, the arts, music and more, are set to benefit from the new funding boost. They include Bristol’s BAFTA-award-winning indie production company Drummer TV, who have made programmes for the BBC, Sky, Channel 4 and others, as well as a unique AI firm Pintale in Bath who use special tech they have created to support writers to organise their thoughts, plan plots, and more easily access the information they need as they write their novels.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “This is another vote of confidence in the West of England, and our truly world-leading creative industries. I’m incredibly proud of the bakers dozen of brilliant firms who’ve been successful in getting yet more crucial funding to our region - many of whom are already benefiting from Mayoral Combined Authority support to get them growing.

 “Our region has always been one of innovation and imagination. Only recently, creatives behind TV shows like Bridgerton and Poldark backed the expansion of Patchway Studios, plus we’ve welcomed Netflix, Disney+ and other big names to come make shows here over the years. I’m truly proud to back our fantastic creative talent we have here in the West of England.”

Eight of the 13 companies who received funding from the Government are being supported by a successful £1.5 million West of England Mayoral Combined Authority programme for creative firms to access specialist help to scale up and create high-quality jobs, build links to investors and more.