The Big Light switches on in Glasgow
A podcast production company backed by high-profile investors from the Scottish cultural scene including Sir Ian Rankin and Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr has hit the growth path.
Thebiglight,foundedin2020 by broadcaster Janice Forsyth and producer Fiona White, has taken on new studio and office space in Glasgow as it targets commercial expansion. The “state-of-the-art” recording studio, editing suite and production office will allow the venture to expand its original content output as well as open up commissioned podcast revenue streams. The firm has movedinwithmarketingagencyframeatitsbaseinglasgow’s Pacific Quay.
The Big Light has made podcasts for commercial clients including BBC Sounds, Spotify and The National Trust. It also creates original podcasts for its independent network includingpopularweeklyshowssuch as Talkmedia with Stuart Cosgrove and Eamonn O’neill, Bletheredwithseanmcdonald, and Talking Derry Girls. The podcasts attract some 150,000 listeners every month from more than 50 countries. The company’s investors include Rankin and fellow Scottish crime writer Val Mcdermid.
White, co-founder and chief executive of The Big Light, said: “Podcasting is the fastest growing sector in digital media and
having our brand new studio space in the heart of Scotland’s media district will allow us to capitalise on that opportunity. Janice and I set up The Big Light in early 2020. So much of our production has – by necessity – been remote. Thanks to our incredible network of podcasters, we’ve enjoyed continued growth and now we hope to take it even further.
“It’s fantastic to be up and running in our new space which will allow us to build out our commercial capability. Sharingaspacewithframe’steamof
70specialistsfrompr,advertising, design, content and digital mediawillalsohelpustounlock new creative opportunities.”
Kerr, singer with Simple Minds and investor in The Big Light, said: “We are huge fans of both the rapidly growing podcast medium and the very impressive team involved – we believe the opportunity to support The Big Light as it inevitably climbs from one level of success to the next is not to be missed.”
Mcdermid said: “In these tough times, it's vital to have independentvoices,particularlyhereinscotland,andparticularly from the arts. We all need nourishment for our souls, and it's the promise of that which has made me want to be part of The Big Light journey.”
Rankin added: “I don’t suppose John Rebus is much into podcasts – though these days who knows?
"But to me it’s a vibrant cando medium with a lot to say. So three cheers and bunnets
hurled high for The Big Light.”
The podcast firm’s reflective series, Ida Schuster’s Old School,wasnominatedforbest documentary in the 2021 British Podcast Awards. This year, musical-drama series, Atlantic: A Scottish Story, was nominatedforbestfictionalstorytelling at the 2022 ARIA Awards. Comedy show Talking Derry Girls picked up the gold award for best arts and culture at the 2022 Irish Podcast Awards.