Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have in your industry, making the decision to start your own company can be seriously daunting. You may know how to do what you do inside out but suddenly when you take that responsibility as a founder it can be a serious mountain to climb. However, if you’re like Jules Williamson from So Many Stories, you can reach out and find the help you need to give you the skills to succeed.
So Many Stories are a production company based in the North East and are focused on producing high end drama and feature films. They are made up of Jules Williamson and Richard Johns, both of whom have decades of experience working in the creative industries. Williamson is also a native of the region but felt she had to move away to fulfill her dreams of working in mainstream production. Now, having achieved numerous accolades for her work as a producer and director, she is back and focused on this next part of her journey in the place she’s always called home.
Williamson and Johns set up So Many Stories in 2023 and have quickly set about building relationships with writers as they look to forge ahead in the scripted market. However, Williamson revealed that the guidance she has received from her work with Creative UK has been the catalyst for the next stage of their development.
“I got involved with Creative UK through Female Founders and that was a moment of recognising that I was a woman running her own company.” Williamson explains when asked about her journey so far. She continued: “That was a fantastic programme to be on. And then being on the Create Growth Programme developed that further, but it was also taking that experience on and going into different topics and subjects that are invaluable in terms of running a business.”
This was just the beginning of the So Many Stories journey with Creative UK though and the relationship has taken a step further as Williamson looks to drive her company’s development forward.
“From there, we were able to apply for the Shared Success Fund and that was a gamechanger for us.
“We got £25,000 which is fantastic and it’s made a huge difference because we’ve been able to buy IP (Intellectual Property).” This was a crucial move for So Many Stories Williamson reveals as it brings with it the chance to develop sustainable production in the region: “One of the projects is a returnable series which could bring a huge amount of profit into the company. If we hadn’t had that money, we would have been completely stuck.”
As for many founders in creative companies, Williamson does not come from a conventional business background and while the Programme gave her certain commercial benefits and appreciations, it was her work with her mentor that made a real difference for her.
“The highlight for me was my mentor, Cath Ellington, who’s been an amazing support. Cath has steered me through the different elements of starting a company, what I need to make it work, how I need to view the company, how I need to view myself and what’s needed in terms of funding.”
With a significant amount gained through a better understanding of how to drive her company forward as well as securing investment and long term partnership with Creative UK, Williamson is a real advocate for the Create Growth Programme to help founders gain a greater understanding of themselves, their business and how to build for the future. She ended her interview saying:
“Having the support, advice and specialism alongside having Cath Ellington as a mentor, that’s been an incredible journey.
“That’s been going on for a-year-and-a-half and it’s still continuing and we’re about to apply for a new fund and that’s the next step of our journey and if we get through that then they will have been with us from the very beginning and they will see us through to becoming a very successful company.
“Honestly, I don’t think we could have done it without them.”
“We were able to apply for the Shared Success Fund and that was a gamechanger for us"
