Published on 26 April 2016
Two enterprising graduates have received Royal recognition after their business was acknowledged as one of the best in the north of England.
Matt Eyre and Rob Parsons have claimed The Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Award for their filmmaking company Roar Motion, receiving the accolade from the Duke himself.
Held at the University of Huddersfield, the awards launched in 2013 to celebrate student or graduate start-up businesses - or social enterprises, that demonstrate commercial or social impact - and also have the potential for sustainability and growth.
Having studied Video and New Media, and Digital Film Production respectively, Rob and Matt decided to combine their skills after graduation and go into business together. The venture started life at The Enterprise Place, the University of Sunderland facility dedicated to supporting new businesses, who nominated Roar Motion for the award.
Matt said: "The nomination by The Enterprise Place was a fantastic surprise. They are always going the extra mile to help students and graduates within business, and have provided lots of quality support during our start up year.
"It was great to be part of such a prestigious event and to share that experience with the other award winning entrepreneurs."
Rob added: "Being able to speak to the young entrepreneurs and hear their journey was of great interest to us and seeing the new innovative businesses themselves was really eye opening.
"Having the award presented to us by the Duke of York himself was also a great honor and this award will definitely help our business and benefit our reputation in the business world.
The Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Awards highlight the role that young entrepreneurs play in creating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, and recognise the achievements of talented student and graduate entrepreneurs.
Roar Motion specialises in corporate, promotional and commercial film production. On behalf of the University of Sunderland, The Enterprise Place nominated Roar Motion for the award in light of their hard work, drive and dedication in making their business a success.
You can find out more about Roar Motion’s work on their website here: http://www.roarmotion.com
If you have a business idea and could benefit from support, please contact The Enterprise Place on 0191 515 3751 or email enterprise@sunderland.ac.uk.
The Enterprise Place is receiving up to £3,004,158 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. ¿The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. ¿Established by the European Union, European Regional Development Fund funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.