Tina Gharavi

Tina Gharavi, founder of independent media production company Bridge + Tunnel, is currently a Lecturer in English (Digital Media) at Newcastle University, and dreams of becoming a beekeeper …. one day!

Driven by the desire to make a film, Tina decided that the best way to achieve her goal was to set up a film company to be able to access funding and garner support. “Film is a collaborative process, having a structure to support you is very important”, she says.

Along the way she has overcome barriers including resistance to innovation and difference, but it is her confidence and self-belief that have helped Tina to persevere in the “complex and wonderful adventure” of starting up an enterprise. “It’s a great way to test yourself and be the architect of your own destiny,” she says.

She just completed The King of South Shields, a documentary about the day Muhammad Ali visited the local community in 1977 and had his marriage blessed in the local mosque. This project is the opening film at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival this year.

Established in 1998, Bridge + Tunnel Productions have produced a number of short films and have developed a diverse portfolio, ranging from mainstream broadcast documentaries to gallery installations. Their projects are inspired by an ethos of uncompromising creative vision and social relevance. They continue to develop new productions and community media initiatives including a feature film, Ali in Wonderland, currently in development.

Her advice to anyone thinking of taking the plunge in business is, “don’t worry if you don’t feel like you know everything and are ill-prepared - you learn everything along the way. There are so many reasons not to do something like this but you’ll never know unless you give it a go.”