Newcastle film TryLife in talks with global TV networks following Hollywood trade trip
TryLife founder Paul Irwin has just returned from Hollywood, where he has been working with street gang leaders
Coreena Ford
Jonathon Manning
A Newcastle film company is in talks with global TV networks and online giants Netflix and Amazon after striking a deal to create its education dramas in Hollywood.
Trylife creates educational films aimed at tackling the difficult decisions young people make on a day-to-day basis with films taking on issues such as abuse, drug use, and violence.
The company sets itself apart from traditional film companies who make movies with linear narritives, by creating films and stories that change depending on the choices made by the viewer, meaning every audience member can have a different experience.
The firm, which was launched by former youth worker Paul Irwin – a speaker at this week's Thinking Digital Conference at the Sage Gateshead – has worked with schools across England and attracted 6.4 million followers on Facebook.
He explained how his next project will take on gang crime in America after striking a deal to produce its education dramas in the US, the fruition of two years' work with the Department for International Trade (DIT) to create films for other markets overseas.
Paul Irwin at Thinking Digital (Image: Tynesight)
It was through the DIT's connections that he was able to meet LA producers who helped to make his latest project possible.
Mr Irwin said: "The reaction to our films has been staggering. I grew up in a small town called Howdon, so never in a million years I thought I'd be working with film directors and producers in the US.
"I was invited out as part of a trade mission in 2016, and at a British breakfast where there were 150 people from Hollywood I told them about Trylife and said I wasn't necessarily after money by after what I could do with them."
The following day a producer provided the contacts he needed to enter areas dominated by the three gang groups, the Bloods, the Crips and the Mexican Mafia.
He had drinks with the leader of the Crips, giving him the chance to explain Trylife and its aims and ambitions, before he was then passed to the leaders of the other gangs.
"I managed to talk to them all and said let's do something. Gangs have been taking stuff out of the community for a long time. Why don't we do something together?
"A couple of the gangs have been killing each other at a rate of five to six people a week. They decided that wasn't going to happen anymore, these blokes are now granddads.
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"I've just come back and we've put together a pitch deck that's around 16,000 pages long, and when I was out there they organised a huge event where for the first time we had the Bloods, Crips and Mexican Mafia leaders all on stage, all saying how if they had something like TryLife when they were younger maybe they would have gone down a different path.
"We are now in talks with Facebook Watch, Freemantle, tomorrow I have a call with NBC which owns HBO, Netflix and Amazon.
"It looks like there's a good chgance we could be in South Central filming something that could be absolutely ground-breaking."
TryLife received support from its dedicated DIT international trade adviser to make key contacts in the American film industry. DIT set up meetings with key industry influencers and is currently helping organise three events this year to promote TryLife's interactive films in the US.
Following the meetings Mr Irwin has also started teaching a weekly class on interactive film making via Skype to the USC School of Cinematic Arts in LA.
"We couldn't have done any of this without DIT. Our adviser helped us get to the US in the first place, arranged meetings with people we normally wouldn't have exposure to and helped us understand the business landscape we hoped to work in.
"Asking for expert guidance was the best move for us. If a guy like me from Howdon can make it to Hollywood, anyone can. I highly recommend anyone thinking of exporting to get in touch with their local DIT adviser and find out what support is available to them."
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David Coppock, regional director for the North East at the DIT, added: "TryLife is a breath of fresh air and a great example of a young and vibrant business finding success from exporting. Paul and his partner worked closely with one of our DIT advisers at the start of their exporting journey are now already planning a year packed with exciting events and video launch, set to benefit young people across the United States.
"We understand exporting to new countries can come with its challenges, but we have 19 dedicated advisers across the North East to help firms make the best choices and support them on their journey. We're here to helps businesses from all sectors and background, and I encourage anyone thinking about exporting to get in touch and see what we can do."
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