Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Standing on the shoulders of giants: The start-up reinventing editing software

08/12/2022

TVBEurope talks to Stornaways Kate Dimbleby about the companys new editing software that aims to democratise content creation across video and gaming

By Jenny Priestley

Published: December 8, 2022

TVBEurope talks to Stornaway's Kate Dimbleby about the company's new editing software that aims to democratise' content creation across video and gaming

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

First launched in 2020, Stornaway.io is a production tool that aims to enable producers to create and deliver interactive films and TV series without the need for coding.

The tool's player is built with open standards, and content can be published on Stornaway's own platform or exported to other systems.

Fast forward two years and the company recently received a grant to create what it describes as a radically new type of video editing software, designed for the next generation of interactive and immersive video stories and games.

TVBEurope caught up with co-founder and creative director Kate Dimbleby to find out how the company has navigated the past few years, and its plans for the new editing software.

Kate, we first talked about Stornaway in 2020, how has the company developed since then? That's a big question! When we last spoke, we were beta-testing with TV and film production companies, theatres and gamemakers to perfect an interactive film workflow. As we launched properly in 2021, we were discovered by thousands of people wanting to make video more exciting in lots of different industries around the world.

We knew that this was our eventual aim but the pandemic really escalated that because of the way that video was adopted in so many different ways.

How did you navigate the pandemic? Before the pandemic, Netflix were increasing investment in interactive entertainment and all the other platforms were figuring out what would be possible. When lockdown hit, the huge rise in demand for linear content across platforms meant that this kind of innovation took a backseat for a while. Luckily for us, the trends everywhere else outside of TV were not just for more video use but also to increase interactivity, personalisation and gamification. TV remains a bit slower in this area because of its existing infrastructure constraints but you can see from what's happening at places like Peacock that they are now catching up with interactive content.

What's been your biggest achievement over the past couple of years?

In terms of the people using Stornaway, it's been amazing to enable small independent filmmakers like Aviary Films to release The Gallery (pictured) on consoles, apps and in cinemas, saving money and time, retaining full ownership and selling directly to their audiences. At the same time, we are being used for campaigns by huge international names like Deutsche Telekom, Diageo and the UN but probably our happiest achievement is that everyone always says they love using Stornaway.

What's been the biggest challenge? As a small company with an ambitious vision, there is quite a lot of cultural pressure in the start-up industry to take investment and grow inorganically. But we're really proud of staying lean and independent and winning hard-to-get grant funding to dream up the future of video without needing to work to anybody else's agenda.

You've just been awarded a SMART grant to develop what you describe as a radically new type of video editing software are you preparing to take on the likes of Avid and Adobe? My co-CEO Ru Howe's background is in broadcast post production workflow and he's built the whole product vision on interoperability and integration with best in class tools like Adobe and Unity. So, no, we're not so much trying to take them on, as we are standing on their shoulders to build the future of video production.

It's obvious to us that video and games are converging rapidly but none of the existing vendors have any helpful solutions for this. Making any kind of game or interactive experience using video is way too complicated and expensive for the vast majority of people who don't know how to code in Unity and Unreal.

Tell me more about the software The first version of Stornaway.io that people are using right now lets non-technical producers create interactive and immersive stories for the web, apps, consoles, YouTube, VR and cinema without coding.

What we are building in this next phase, funded by Innovate UK, is a much more fully featured interactive video editor and game engine, letting producers visually design, edit and deliver interactive journeys through all kinds of media. And it'll be built on an Object Based Media model to allow for interoperability with TV streaming platforms and broadcast production tools.

Who are you aiming it at? Our aim is to properly democratise' this type of content creation. So it's aimed at all the people who would currently use, for example, the Adobe toolset from their high-end After Effects and Premiere power users to non-experts using web-based tools like Adobe Express and Canva. Making game-like experiences with video should be as easy as it is to make linear video now but should also have the advanced features required for high-end workflows.

When will it go to market? You can sign up to use Stornaway for free now at our website www.stornaway.io and see the range of story games already being made. We'll be releasing new features incrementally over the course of this next phase so tick the box to stay in touch when you sign up for a trial and we'll let you know.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/standing-on-the-shoulders-of...
See more stories from tvb

Europe Stories

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

17/09/2025

Dua Lipa's Service95 Book Club' Goes Live at the New York Public Library

It was the ultimate convergence of pop culture and literary prestige: Last night, Dua Lipa brought her Service95 Book Club podcast to the stage for a special li...

17/09/2025

SES and K2 Space to Accelerate Development of Next-Generation MEO Network

Transatlantic collaboration combines experience and agility to drive innovation in network design and delivery Luxembourg, September 16, 2025 - SES, a leading ...

17/09/2025

Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts with a dazzling line-up of celebrity sitters on 1 October

Wednesday 17 September 2025 UK artists capture icons of stage and screen, inclu...

17/09/2025

AIR's Big Comeback with DPA Microphones

For the Moon Safari anniversary tour, AIR opened the doors to their backstage. Just a few hours before the Paris concert, DPA met with two key figures of the te...

17/09/2025

The Late Late Toy Show hits the road in search of Ireland's brightest young stars

Auditions will be held in Dublin, Cork and Galway The County Parade returns f...

16/09/2025

Celebramos 10 aos de Viva Latino en Spotify y el xito global de la msica latina

Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...

16/09/2025

Celebrating 10 Years of Spotify's Viva Latino Playlist and the Global Rise of Latin Music

A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...

16/09/2025

Spotify Welcomes Graham Norton and Select VICE Studios Content

Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...

16/09/2025

RTW chooses Calrec as technology partner

Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...

16/09/2025

SES Partners with Cailabs to Test Next-Generation Laser Communication Technology

Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...

16/09/2025

Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer Behaviors and Trends Across Multiple Platforms

Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...

15/09/2025

aespa and Spotify Invite Fans to Unlock Their Inner Rich Man' With an Immersive MY VAULT Experience

Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...

15/09/2025

Spotify's Free Experience Is Even Better-Here's How to Make the Most of It

Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...

15/09/2025

Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes (BSCCB) successfully expands production capacity by 50% in Germany and Italy to meet rising demand

After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...

15/09/2025

SES SCORE Surpasses 600,000 of Transmission Hours, Delivering 900 Hours of Major Sports Content Daily

Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...

15/09/2025

New study reveals overwhelming support for a more sustainable future

-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...

13/09/2025

SKY Perfect Modernizes Playout-to-Delivery with Harmonic

Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...

12/09/2025

Spotify's The Drop Weekly' Brings You the Week in New Releases, Straight From Our Editors

For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...

12/09/2025

Agama and Consult Red announce RDK Accelerator integration

Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...

12/09/2025

Granville opens up one last time for U&GOLD in Open All Hours: Inside Out

Feature-length retrospective from Studio Crook to air in 2026 Sir David Jason returns to the nation's favourite comedy channel, U&GOLD, for Open All Hours:...

12/09/2025

Bob Geldof to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sky Arts Awards 2025

Friday 12 September 2025 The Boomtown Rats, Nyah Grace, Soweto Kinch, Royal Ballet and Madness also announced to perform at the ceremony on Tuesday Sky today ...

12/09/2025

Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom Beltpack

Wuppertal September 12, 2025 Riedel Unveils Ultra-Light Bolero Mini Wireless Intercom BeltpackAt IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero M...

12/09/2025

Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interface

Wuppertal September 12, 2025 Riedel Communications Acquires hi human interfaceRiedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface fro...

12/09/2025

What Is CORE+ Technologyand How Does It Elevate Church Sound?

CORE+ virtually removes distortion, setting a new standard for church sound and giving worship teams the clarity and confidence they need. Read the full artic...

12/09/2025

Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Mary Robinson and Conor Murray amongst guests on Late Late Show season opener

The Late Late Show is back with a bang after the summer break, and Patrick Kielt...

12/09/2025

Another jam-packed weekend of live, free-to-air Sport across RT

The World Athletics Championships, Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the Irish Champions Festival, and two Sports Direct Men...

12/09/2025

Katie Hannon explores the shelves of Ireland's National Archives in new series

The Records Show starts Sunday at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player. Katie Hanno...

11/09/2025

RADAR's 1,000-Artist Milestone: Rachel Chinouriri, Zimmer90, and More Celebrate With Spotify in Berlin

RADAR, Spotify's program for emerging talent, recently hit a major milestone...

11/09/2025

Smarter Video Analytics and Easier Operations with Agama 11

Link ping, Sweden, September 11, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability & analytics for service quality and customer experience, announced today the la...

11/09/2025

SES Space & Defense Awarded Sustainment Tactical Network Contract to Support U.S. Army

Under the USD 89.6 Million award, SES Space & Defense will provide global commer...

11/09/2025

Telekom Srbija Expands and Extends Partnership with SES

Leading Balkan DTH provider adds capacity to consolidate its m:Sat TV platform at 23.5 degrees East and serve more customers across the region Luxembourg, 11 S...

11/09/2025

UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q in the UK

UKTV's free streaming service U launches on Sky Q Free streaming service U has launched on Sky Q in the UK, UKTV and Sky confirm today, expanding the footp...

11/09/2025

Capturing Music in the Chaos of a Train Station

From the discreet 2061 lavaliers to 4099 and 4011 mics, the setup delivered clean, natural sound in one of the most challenging broadcast environments. Read th...

11/09/2025

Tiny but Mighty: A Review of the DPA 2061 Lavalier Mic

From rugged build quality to natural, detailed sound, the verdict is clear: big performance can come in a very small package. Read the full review here!...

11/09/2025

Tonight on Prime Time: Family of Liam Farrell seeking answers six years after his death

Tonight on Prime Time RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm Tonight RT Prime Time...

11/09/2025

RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest

RT Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns ...

10/09/2025

Lossless Listening Arrives on Spotify Premium With a Richer, More Detailed Listening Experience

Lossless on Spotify Premium is here. Lossless audio has been one of the most a...

10/09/2025

The Television Will Be Revolutionised

The Television Will Be Revolutionised Sep 10, 2025 Written by Sunit Kotecha, Director of Delivery and Operations, YouView 2025 marks a century since the f...

10/09/2025

First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communications systems

First of Spains F110 frigates get future-ready with Rohde & Schwarz communicatio...

10/09/2025

Midco Taps Harmonic to Fuel Next-Generation Broadband Services

Harmonic's cOS Platform Supports DOCSIS and Fiber, Enabling Midco to Deliver Reliable Multi-Gigabit Connectivity to Subscribers SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 10,...

10/09/2025

Join RT at The Ploughing 2025

RT brings three days of live radio, live entertainment, live news, live weather, personal appearances, and more Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, The Oliver ...

09/09/2025

RADAR's Global Impact: 1,000 Artists, Billions of Streams, and a World of Discovery

Since 2020, Spotify's RADAR program has been a launchpad for emerging talent...

09/09/2025

5 Years and 1,000 Artists Later: How Spotify RADAR Supports Emerging Talent on the Path to Global Stardom

In 2020, Spotify launched RADAR with a clear mission: to identify, nurture, and ...

09/09/2025

Spotify and TikTok Launch Big on BookTok' Pilot Hub for Audiobook Fans

If you're on BookTok, you know the drill. You scroll, you tap, and suddenly your To Be Read list is overflowing with trending must-reads. Not unlike Spoti...

09/09/2025

TED2025 Relies on Clear-Com and NETGEAR to Power Production Communications

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

09/09/2025

OSN Unlocks New Era of Targeted Video Streaming Monetization with Harmonic

Harmonic's VOS360 Ad SaaS Enables Personalized Ad Delivery and Seamless Integration with the Ad Tech Ecosystem SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2025 - Harmonic ...

09/09/2025

Clear Sound for Worship and Livestreams at St. Luke's

St. Luke's Episcopal Church in New Jersey needed audio that truly connects and they found the answer. Read the full case study here!...