Building Pride in Regional Formats

11 May

*Dan Swift and Alice Patterson on presenting duties.*

The North East feels like it’s having a moment right now.

Newcastle United are competing at the top level. Sunderland are pushing forward again. Middlesbrough could potentially be heading back to the Premier League too. For the first time in a long time, there’s a real sense of energy around the region - and not just in football.

Last year alone saw the Mercury Prize and the MOBO Awards arrive in Newcastle. National attention is beginning to shift towards the North East again, with more eyes looking at the culture being built here.

But moments alone aren’t enough.

The real question is: how do we build long-term infrastructure that supports the creatives already doing the work on the ground?

As sports teams, brands and media platforms begin looking beyond traditional formats to engage younger audiences, there’s an opportunity to rethink where that creative work comes from. Instead of relying entirely on agencies and production teams outside the region, how do we create systems that allow emerging North East creatives to access those opportunities directly?

Because the talent is already here.

The challenge is making sure investment reaches the people building culture at grassroots level - not just the organisations sitting at the top of the chain. The videographers documenting scenes before anyone else notices them. The young promoters creating new spaces. The DJs, presenters, photographers and designers shaping what regional culture actually looks and feels like in real time.

Too often, the North East only becomes visible during major cultural moments. But sustainable scenes aren’t built from one-off attention. They’re built through consistent support, opportunities, collaboration and ownership.

If we want the North East to continue growing culturally, we need to invest in creative infrastructure that allows people here to build formats of their own — not just contribute to somebody else’s.

So, what does that actually look like in practice? And how are we at Nrthrn Baby trying to encourage it?

We’re no strangers to building digital IP ourselves. Whether that’s our cypher formats combining jazz with North East rap, intensive 48-hour writing camps resulting in fully released songs and music videos, or personality-led content formats like our Scran Sessions - we’ve always believed regional creatives should be building platforms of their own, not just feeding into existing ones elsewhere.

But for these formats to truly grow, they need more than views. They need belief, collaboration and infrastructure around them.

That means creatives taking pride in what’s being built locally. It means supporting projects before they become nationally recognised. It means sharing opportunities, engaging with one another’s work, connecting emerging talent with more established creatives and allowing ideas the time and space to develop properly.

Too often, creatives in regional scenes feel pressure to immediately “make it” externally, rather than building sustainable ecosystems within their own cities first. But some of the strongest cultural movements are built from the ground up — through collaboration, consistency and community investment over time.

If people are putting genuine time, care and creativity into building new formats here in the North East, we should be backing them. Because long-term cultural infrastructure isn’t built by one organisation alone — it’s built collectively.

It only feels right to round this off by highlighting a few regional content formats we’re genuinely loving right now — concepts proving that some of the most exciting creative ideas are being built from the ground up here in the North East.

Adds Lad – “What’s the Hardest Thing You’ve Ever Overcome?”

Stopping strangers in the street and opening up conversations around vulnerability, life experiences and men’s mental health. A simple format, but one creating genuinely powerful and emotional moments. It’s proof that meaningful content doesn’t always need massive production — sometimes it just needs honesty.

@thecontentpt Asking strangers a hard question #6 what a lad #publicinterview #sunderland #vlog ♬ original sound - Adds Lad

Alice Patterson – “Are You The Biggest Diva?”

Let’s be honest — the North East is full of divas and there’s a high chance you’ll find one walking through Grainger Street at any given moment. A brilliantly simple concept that feels unapologetically regional, personality-led and entertaining in a way that instantly connects with local audiences.

@thedivahour ARE YOU THE BIGGEST DIVA? 💋✨ EP.4 ft. @Meg 🧷💋💘 | RADGE MAGAZINE This diva isn’t hard to please… she survives on energy drinks, glizzys & vibes! 🌭⚡️ @Costco Wholesale … she’s ready to be your brand ambassador whenever you are xx #diva #biggestdiva #costco #interview #presenters ♬ Brass funk on TV and entertainment programs(1527933) - zomap

Nrthrn Baby – “Scran Sessions”

We couldn’t miss the opportunity to give ourselves a little shoutout. A relaxed content format blending independent food spots, local creatives and chaotic “this or that” music questions that somehow always get artists overthinking their answers. At its core, it’s about personality, conversation and spotlighting local culture in a way that feels natural.