11th September 2024
Mark & I had the pleasure of welcoming two of Spark’s shareholders to Richmond today. We’ve always seen Dr Barry Lynch and Tony McAvoy as our ‘TV dads’ and I’m glad to say today’s reunion did not disappoint. They’ve been such huge supporters of Mark & I since they brought us together for the very first time – back in 1997 – on late-night ITV entertainment show Live From the Capital Café. To be fair, the show only lasted one series but I’m glad to say that Mark and I have been working together ever since, including a long-stint based at Capital Studios in Wandsworth which was owned by Barry & Tony and their business partner Rhys John.
Barry, Tony & Rhys ran their highly-successful production company Prospect Pictures out of Capital Studios but they always found time to offer up practical advice and provide key introductions to help Mark & myself nurture our first business, format-house Mast Media. They’ve also shown us huge generosity – first by housing Mast Media on a peppercorn rent, and subsequently as investors in Spark. We owe them a lot and it was a pleasure to have them visit our offices in Richmond and take them for lunch to chew over old times – and to get their take on the issues facing the industry today.