Super streamers Badger & Combes win big at the Royal Television Society North West Awards

MediaCity based Badger & Combes won the coveted ‘Best Digital Creativity Award’ at this year’s star-studded RTS North West Awards.

Working alongside the Greater Manchester Combined Authority [GMCA]; Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester; Badger & Combes were recognised for their work with United We Stream GM, a series of broadcasts designed to engage audiences digitally during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Badger & Combes beat stiff competition from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to win the award, with the judges describing their efforts as “one of the finest examples of a media response to the pandemic”.

Badger & Combes were responsible for all production, technical delivery, and post-production on the series of broadcasts, seen by an audience of over 20 million.

The project raised over £600,000 for the creative, cultural, and night-time economy sectors, helping during a difficult time for the industry. Over the course of 12 weeks the team delivered 207 hours of original content broadcasting, worked with 353 artists including Peter Hook, Graeme Park and Spice Girl Melanie C. The team pushed themselves even further delivering a 24 hour live stream for the New Year’s Eve Haçienda House Party.

Colin McKevitt, Managing Partner at Badger & Combes, was delighted to see his team’s efforts receive such high-profile recognition commenting:

“We are immensely proud of our commitment to Greater Manchester’s art, culture and night-time economies. When we were asked to support this key affected sector in lockdown, we didn’t hesitate to put a plan in place that enabled us to capitalise on our digital skillsets.

“We never would have imagined that working in such a small team alongside the GMCA, Andy Burnham and Sacha Lord would result in raising so much money and reaching a huge global audience. The award itself is a fantastic recognition for our knowledge and passion in delivering creative digital projects, not only for the media industry but for strategic partners and business, too.”

Sacha Lord, Night-Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, who worked alongside Badger & Combes throughout the process, said:

“Delivering United We Stream alongside Badger & Combes is undoubtedly one of my proudest achievements to date. We had many artists and performers dedicate their time, to entertain the UK, during a period that most will want to forget. The real stars though, were the ones behind the camera, Colin and his team of Badgers. The commitment, and the endless hours of dedication and persistence, kept millions of people entertained.”

Josie Cahill, Place Director of MediaCity added: “We are very proud to see Badger & Combes get the well-earned recognition they deserve. Since joining the MediaCity community Badger & Combes have been dedicated to helping us deliver a range of digital projects. With United We Stream, they were part of the team that innovatively kept communities together during a time when we needed it most, bringing the disco to our kitchens and the raves to our living rooms. The Badgers have also supported us on building and maintaining our talent pipeline; as we continue to attract, support and retain the best creative talent here in MediaCity, and Badger & Combes are a fantastic example of this themselves.”

Haçienda legend, DJ Graeme Park said: “Working with the wonderful Badger & Combes on the amazing United We Stream broadcasts was a complete joy. Their professionalism, creativity and dynamism made for a superb and relaxed environment, which meant I could totally concentrate on what I needed to do. What everyone sees on their screen is incredible, but so is everything they do behind the scenes.”

The award comes off the back of what has already been a brilliant 2021 for Badger & Combes working with other major clients such as Lancashire Cricket – delivering live broadcasts of all home County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup and Vitality T20 Blast matches.

The Badgers have also continued their longstanding relationship with Betfred Super League, filming and producing ‘Out Of Your League’ – the official Super League podcast & assisting at major events such as Magic Weekend and Grand Final.

If you are interested in joining the growing list of clients, contact production@bcombes.com or follow them on social @badgerMCR