whynow

Two of our brands, the Film Stories podcast and the Independent Podcast Awards, are among the nominees at this year’s PPA Independent Publisher Awards. The awards celebrate the exceptional individuals and companies who delivered outstanding work within the last year. The entries showcase the incredible innovation and creativity of the independent publishing community. The Film Stories podcast has won several awards since its inception in 2018 by Simon Brew. It delves into the stories behind the films that have been made, and some that haven’t, and regularly appears in the number one spot in the film history section on Apple. Podcasts are massive, and the independent podcasting community is full of creative talent but it doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves from other awards. That’s why our team - led by Head of Events, Emma Turner - co-founded the Independent Podcast Awards, along with Em McGowan from the Verbal Diorama podcast. Seeking to reward the best in indie talent that isn’t backed by big brands and studios, the awards have gone from strength to strength. The winners of the awards will be announced on Friday 22nd November in London, you can view the full shortlist here: https://lnkd.in/eUU9SfK2 Congratulations to all the nominees and good luck at the event! 

We’re finalists in two categories at this year’s Lovie Awards and we couldn’t be happier! Our Great Big Story film “Playing Video Games With Mind Control” has been recognised in the Technology category, while our partnership work with Huel has been nominated in the Best Video Series category. The Lovie Awards, now in their 14th year, are the most prestigious, and the only, truly pan-European awards recognising European Internet excellence in the fields of culture, technology and business. Great Big Story is an award-winning factual publisher. The social-first channel produces mini-docs on food, travel and tech for their 15 million followers worldwide, daily. In each category both a judges’ choice and audience choice award will be given. The public vote is open from now until 17th October - you can vote for us using the links below. Playing Video Games With Mind Control:https://lnkd.in/e52tcceN  Huel Limit Seekers Series: https://lnkd.in/eyKqWada The winners will be announced in early November.

Our latest documentary, The Club That George Built, will be screened on TNT Sports next Tuesday 1st October at 10:30pm. On the surface this is the story of lower league football club, Worthing FC, battling to rise up through the ranks and play at the highest level in their 137 year history. But it's much more than that. It's the story of George Dowell whose promising football career was shattered when he was paralysed from the chest down after a car crash, who bought the club and saved it from folding. And it's the story of George and his wife Jessikah as they become parents for the first time. It's also the story of the fans and players at the club. There's so much more than that too, but you'll have to watch to find out the rest! The show was directed and produced by Theo Lee Ray. Executive Producers on the show are Howard Cohen, Janet Lee and Gabriel Jagger. Set your reminders now for The Club That George Built on Tuesday 1st October on TNT Sports. This is one you don't want to miss.

Update: Our film Coco Chanel Unbuttoned, directed by Hannah Berryman is an official nominee at this year's Grierson Awards, in the Best Arts Documentary category. This means it is down to the final four in its category, a huge achievement in itself. Established in 1972, the Griersons are the biggest event in the UK documentary calendar. The awards recognise and celebrate documentaries from Britain and abroad that have made a significant contribution to the genre and that demonstrate quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. Coco Chanel Unbuttoned was commissioned by the BBC as part of its long-running Arena series. It looks at the iconic fashion designer’s life, from childhood through to her last days living in the Hotel Ritz in Paris. The film first aired on BBC2 in September 2023, and attracted 78% more female viewers than an average BBC2 documentary. The Executive Producer was Janet Lee. You can still watch the film on the BBC iPlayer here: https://lnkd.in/eXe8H2ne The nominations for this year's awards can be found at: https://lnkd.in/eyde6CCP The winners will be revealed at a glorious celebration of the industry on Wednesday 6th November at The Roundhouse in London.

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We’re delighted to share that whynow Studios' feature-length documentary, Coco Chanel Unbuttoned, has been shortlisted in the Best Arts Documentary category at this year’s Grierson Awards. Established in 1972, the Griersons are the biggest event in the UK documentary calendar. The awards recognise and celebrate documentaries from Britain and abroad that have made a significant contribution to the genre and that demonstrate quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. Spanning 15 programme and presenter categories, the list reflects the best documentary singles and series launched across broadcasters, streamers and online, as well as theatrical releases. Coco Chanel Unbuttoned was commissioned by the BBC as part of its long-running Arena series. It looks at the iconic fashion designer’s life, from childhood through to her last days living in the Hotel Ritz in Paris. The film first aired on BBC2 in September 2023, and attracted 78% more female viewers than an average BBC2 documentary. It was directed by Hannah Berryman and the executive producer was Janet Lee. You can still watch the film on the BBC iPlayer here: https://lnkd.in/eXe8H2ne The full shortlist can be found on the Grierson’s website here: https://lnkd.in/eR7JamkJ Congratulations to the team, and to all the other shortlisted shows.

Update on the Collision Awards - we won! Our amazingly talented design team not only got silver for the Judges’ Choice Award, they also got gold for the Audience Choice Award. The team won in the Experiential General: Event Opener category for the film they produced to open the first ever Independent Podcast Awards. It was created by Lead Animator, Will Minns with creative direction by Daryl Higgins and sound design by louis fitton.  The Collision Awards is the first global and holistic platform solely dedicated to honouring excellence in Animation and Motion Design in all its forms. Thanks to all those that voted for us, and well done to all the other winners and nominees. And a special congratulations to our team! You can see a full list of the winners here: https://lnkd.in/e7sVQT2x You can view our film here: https://lnkd.in/emtnPpR5

We're delighted to share that our incredibly talented design team has been nominated in the inaugural Collision Awards. The team has been shortlisted in the Experiential General category for the 3D animated film they produced to open the first ever Independent Podcast Awards. The film was created by Lead Animator, Will Minns, with Creative Direction by Daryl Higgins, and sound design by louis fitton. The Collision Awards is the first global and holistic platform solely dedicated to honouring excellence in Animation and Motion Design in all its forms. Knowing how often talent working behind the scenes goes unrecognised, the Collision Awards are making fair crediting a priority as well as supporting and elevating the fluid movement of animation and motion design talent across fields. The Awards will unite and celebrate a community of unsung heroes whose time in the spotlight is long overdue. All the nominees can be voted for by the public, and the winners will be announced on 16th July. You can see the film and vote for us here: https://lnkd.in/dzxiHq-e Congratulations to the team, and good luck to all the nominees!

Last night Simon Brew, Founder and Host of the Film Stories Podcast, won not one but THREE awards for his work. Best Use of Audio at the AOP Association of Online Publishers Awards, and Best Entertainment Podcast and overall Publisher Podcast of the Year at the Media Voices Publisher Podcast Awards. Simon started the Film Stories podcast back in 2018, it found an audience straight away. Since then he's gone on to launch a printed magazine, website and live events off the back of it, along with a magazine for and written by children - Film Junior. As the Host and Co-Producer of the Studiocanal podcast, Simon is no stranger to working with brands on their content. So if you want to work with a multi-award-winning podcaster, get in touch. Huge congratulations to you Simon!

Tonight sees the world premiere of our latest film, Rebel Country, at the Tribeca Film Festival. Here's what Jarod Neece from Tribeca has said about the film: "Country music, as Richard Nixon said in his (in)famous address at the Grand Ole Opry in 1974, is a uniquely American genre, formed here and nowhere else. So why doesn’t the face of country reflect the diversity of the nation? That question is both asked and answered in this timely and urgent film. Rebel Country exposes the diverse roots of country music, reclaiming the contributions of Black and Mexican-American musicians and uncovering the history of segregation and censorship that has made so-called “bro country” the norm in Nashville. But all of that is changing as LGBTQ+ performers, as well as women artists and artists of color, are claiming their place in country music. Rebel Country has the electric atmosphere of a documentary that’s being made in the right place at the right time, an excitement that’s supercharged by musical performances from iconoclasts like Lainey Wilson, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Jelly Roll, Blanco Brown, Jake Blount, Rissi Palmer, Frank Ray, Brooke Eden, Sam Williams, BRELAND and Lindsay Ell." From director Francis Whately, Fremantle, BMG - The New Music Company and WhyNow Studios #RebelCountry premieres tonight June 10 at 8:45pm. A huge congratulations to all those involved in making the film. If you're at the festival and want to go along tickets are available here: https://lnkd.in/eyNvrpCk