Award-winning Second Home Studios receives £250,000 funding from MEIF Maven Debt Finance

Second Home Studios Limited (SHSL), an animation studio and production house based in Digbeth, Birmingham, has received a £250,000 funding package from MEIF Maven Debt Finance. SHSL was founded in 2004 by Christopher Randall and since its inception, the business has won a host of accolades, including four Royal Television Society awards and two British Animation Awards, whilst also producing BAFTA-winning work for CiTV.

SHSL has recently been commissioned by Channel 5, BBC Alba (Scotland), S4C (Wales) and TG4 (Ireland) to produce a pre-school stop-motion animation series called Tweedy & Fluff. This new substaintial contract  provides a growth opportunity into long form productions for the studio and the business has invested in new studios in Digbeth to accommodate the series.

SHSL has built a reputation for its innovative, stop-motion animation, but is now making strides into Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) animation experiences. The company has a diverse portfolio working with a range of notable companies including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, WaterAid, National Express, Sky, Sony, and German educational channel Da Vinci Learning. 

As well as high profile national and international projects, SHSL often team up with local companies, such as its promotional work for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s recent production of Don Quixote and its BAFTA nominated film for Town Hall Symphony Hall- The Mechanical Musical Marvel. 

The funding will enable SHSL to upgrade its new premises and purchase the necessary equipment and fittings to be able to film mutliple long form animation series. The Company's work on Tweedy & Fluff will also generate 16 additional jobs, further boosting the local economy.

“It’s great to have such an innovative and creative business expanding its portfolio and bringing new, exciting opportunities to the region. I have no doubt that Second Home Studios will continue to evolve and succeed and I am glad Maven can join them on their growth journey.”

Sajid Sabir, Investment Manager for Maven

“Once produced, the upcoming Tweedy & Fluff series will be the first of its kind to come from the city. With so little support around for an expansion of this scale, we’re incredibly grateful to Maven for offering this fund which will make a huge impact on building the studio facility we need.” 

Christopher Randall, Founder and Creative Director of Second Home Studios

“Backing innovative companies, who impact on the region's overall growth by creating local jobs and helping businesses scale up is part of MEIFs core values. MEIFs investment in a creative business like Second Home Studios Ltd is a perfect example that showcases its commitment to the Midlands business community”     

Mark Wilcockson, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank