Maidstone Studios Josephine Clark talks to TVBEurope about the facilitys heritage, the technology that has had the biggest impact, and plans for the future
By Jenny Priestley
Published: October 31, 2022 Updated: November 1, 2022
Maidstone Studios' Josephine Clark talks to TVBEurope about the facility's heritage, the technology that has had the biggest impact, and plans for the future
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Maidstone Studios is celebrating 40 years since its doors first opened in 1982.
The site was first earmarked as a possible production base in 1979 and hosted its first live transmission in autumn 1982.
Over the years it's been home to shows from Art Attack to Take Me Out and Later With Jools Holland, and last year it hosted ITV's coverage of Euro 2020.
While there's no-one in today's team at Maidstone left from the early days, many of the current team joined the company in the mid-to-late 1990's, working across its portfolio of classic children's shows.
Our chairman Geoff Miles is a former BBC Producer/ Director who worked on titles such as The Paul Daniels Magic Show, The Generation Game and Carrot Confidential and bought the building with a consortium of business partners back in 2002 after filming a series here in the late 1990s, commercial director Josephine Clark tells TVBEurope.
It was then that Geoff became passionate about providing a filming facility that always went above and beyond for its clients and the building was renamed Maidstone Studios.
These days, the studios have a core team of 23 as well as a number of freelancers working across sport, entertainment and drama.
Over the years, the studios have grown and now includes three flagship studios ranging from 12,000 square foot, 6,000 sq. ft and 900 sq. ft.
We have redeveloped two floors within the building which now houses over 50 local creative businesses including newly fitted out edit, dubbing and Foley suites, adds Clark. We have an in-house data centre onsite called Vinters Connect offering cloud storage, fully redundant diverse lines and high-speed connectivity and we are home to the ScreenSkills accredited degree course run by University of Creative Arts in Television Production which is in its 13th year here.
In terms of technology, the arrival of IP has had the biggest impact on the studios over the years, says Clark. The move to tapeless, IP file-based systems has made it possible to get the studio records to the post house, over the internet, point-to-point or via cloud-based services, straight into the edit speeding up the overall workflow, she adds.
The studios are also looking to embrace newer production techniques, including a new virtual production studio that will be available for hire from 2023. This is a great addition to our portfolio as we often facilitate large sporting events such as ITV Rugby World Cup studio coverage 2019, ITV Euros 2020 & various esports competitions, explains Clark. It will be a plug and play studio offering a remote gallery option, infinity wall and UPS and gen-backed tech power.
We now have a backlot area for exterior set builds, and we have utilised our wild gardens and decking for pop-up studios such as the backdrop for the 2022 and 2021 ITV Sports Tour de France coverage. We have also recently invested in AaStuder Vista X sound desk and upgraded our monitor stacks.
The UK has been going through a boom in new studio space over the last few years, as demand soars. Asked what makes Maidstone stand out, Clark cites the company's independence, and the fact that it's just 40 miles outside of London.
We can facilitate large productions such as film and long form dramas looking for sound stages, we can provide dry hire and wet hire options with multiple camera solutions including Sony 4300s, Arri's and Grass Valley, as well as live feeds with our fully diverse fibre paths, says Clark.
Our studios are easy to rig and all fully soundproofed; Studio 2 (6,000 sq. ft) has individually controlled barrel hoists, our flagship Studio 1 (12,000 sq. ft) has fully automated trusses and all studios come with a full black cyclorama, she adds. We have a lot of the infrastructure already here which makes rigging that much easier across all our studios. Every studio has its own dedicated fully functioning gallery and all galleries work with all studios.
During Covid, the studios offered production teams socially distanced production solutions, with This Time with Alan Partridge and I Can See Your Voice operating completely independently to one another with their own dedicated green rooms, dressing rooms, parking and even catering spaces.
We also back onto a 52-hectare nature reserve Vinters Valley which we work closely with to offer production mental health walking trails and we are currently working to become albert accredited by 2023, says Clark.
For us, Maidstone Studios isn't just a place to work, it's a filming facility we truly love and cherish and one which we continue to be passionate about, she continues
Each client is so important to us and we will continue to strive to be the best we can be and be as versatile as possible in an ever-changing world. We are hugely excited about the next 40 years and all that it will bring.
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Maidstone Studios Josephine Clark talks to TVBEurope about the facilitys heritage, the technology that has had the biggest impact, and plans for the future
