WINNING BID: John has secured a £4,000 grant to buy vital computer equipment to develop his animation business
A BLACKBURN entrepreneur has brought his 3D animation company to life with the help of a £4,000 grant.
John Bell's company Hyperion FX has been funded through Business Investment Deals (BID), a No Limits project that supports start up companies.
BID works by providing loans of up to £5,000 through local credit unions to entrepreneurs who might not otherwise be able to borrow because they have no trading history.
The money has enabled John to buy vital computer equipment and the latest 3D Studio Max software to be able to run his business and compete with larger rivals.
He can offer services such as storyboarding, designing and animating characters for computer games, web pages or television and creating 3D virtual prototypes of new products.
He said: "A good example is a company that makes water fountains.
advertisement
"I can show what the finished result might look like by using software to simulate the water, create 3D features and set it against a realistic background.
"I'm also keen to focus on the character animation side of the business, designing 3D characters, buildings and vehicles for games. I've got lots of ideas."
John said the idea for his business came out of a lifelong love of art and films.
He said: "While I was studying at university I saw some of the work other companies were putting out and felt there was a gap in the market that I could fill.
"I had already invested in a couple of computers, but needed extra machines and software to go into business.
"I found out about BID through Bootstrap in Blackburn, an organisation that helps people set up businesses, and they helped me to produce a business plan and apply for the loan.
"It was the lucky break I needed to be able to set up my business."
No Limits has secured an initial £30million of Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funding to regenerate the area's economy through supporting new and existing businesses, creating up to 14,000 new jobs and 4,000 companies over the next decade.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
