Sam Teale Productions: Cleckheaton video production firm hoping to do an ‘Ant and Dec’ and record successive victories at ‘special’ Yorkshire Choice Awards

Nominations for this year’s prestigious awards were released earlier this month, with Sam Teale Productions, which is based in Central Arcade, looking to defend its Independent Business of the Year crown, with managing director Sam himself shortlisted in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category.

A proud Sam, 21, said: “There is something special about the Yorkshire Choice Awards, as all the best of Yorkshire gets together.

“We attended last year and won Independent Business of the Year, which was crazy, so we’re trying to be like Ant and Dec and bring it home again. It’s a big ask but if they can do it, we can do it.

“It would be massive to win again. There are loads of big, massive companies nominated. The first time was mad but to do it back-to-back and say that young people literally can do anything, would be big.

“It is a fantastic event and we are honoured to be a part of it.”

The company, which was formed by Sam in 2020, had huge success in December 2022 with their alternative Christmas advert entitled ‘The GoKart’, which, when released, was viewed by 6.4 million viewers on TikTok and 5.7 million viewers on Facebook, with over 190,000 shares, all in less than 24 hours.

The team, which is made up of three other young members in Lydia Horne (account manager), Ellie Connell (video producer) and Matthew Woodcock (videographer), has an average age of 20.5, with Sam hoping he can “inspire” the younger generation of Cleckheaton and beyond.

He said: “A big ambition of mine is to try and inspire people my age, people younger than me and people around me. If you believe in something then you can definitely go out and get it if you work really, really hard and have a good vision.

“We showed it with The GoKart advert we did. It got 40 million views, better than John Lewis. We are continuing to smash the content out and it would be such a lovely feeling to see the team on that stage getting an award to say that all the hard work is worth it. It would be class.

“I am just a typical kid doing what I love every single day. I get to walk in with a massive smile on my face and work with the best people who are all around the same age. We haven’t been to university, we are all self-taught. People are putting their trust in us as a young team.

“But our work speaks for itself. It doesn’t matter how old you are - it’s about if you believe in yourself, and if you’ve got the skills, then you will be absolutely fine.”

The awards is a celebration of Yorkshire’s exceptional talent and community impact and recognises the region’s finest individuals and organisations and the power to decide the winners now rests in the hands of the public via the Yorkshire Choice Awards website.

Sam added: “If any of our videos has resonated with anybody, a vote would definitely mean the world. That is the magic of the Yorkshire Choice Awards as it is a public vote.

“The result is in our hands as it’s down to the work we do. If we have had a bad year then people aren’t going to vote for us. A good year, people will. It’s based on merit and I love that because other awards are based on numbers. This is down to if you like what you see and want these people who you like to win then you can have a say in it."

The finalists and winners will be announced at the inaugural Awards Gala Dinner on Friday, June 7 at The Centenary Pavilion, Elland Road, Leeds.

Voting will remain open until April 12. You can cast your vote here: www.yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/votehere