Who we are

Black and white logo with a stylized face profile and the text 'RURAL MEDIA'

Rural Media exists to empower rural young people and underserved communities to find their voice, develop their creative talent, and use digital creativity to drive real social change. Over three decades, we've built and refined a creative participation model that gives early-career talent, young rural people and underserved groups the skills, confidence and platforms to grow and to change the world around them

Logo with the words 'Rural Studios' in bold, with 'Rural' in white on a black background and 'Studios' in black on a white background.

Rural Studios, our sister commercial production arm making content for broadcasters, brands and the public sector, creating pathways for early-career creatives and finding a platform for the stories that deserve to be heard..

Logo with black arrow pointing right and the words "STORY" above and "POINT" below

StoryPoint  is Herefordshire's home for digital creativity. A hub with professional podcast and production facilities where creatives come to meet, collaborate and make.

Interested in working with us?

Visit our careers page: ruralmedia.co.uk/work-for-us

Our impact

Last year, we reached over 5 million online audiences.

Our projects worked with 1,364 people

92% of our direct participants were aged between 14 and 25.

We can and do make a difference. 

Even when our projects are finished, their legacy continues to have a positive and lasting impact.

Through our projects, our participants:

  • Engage with and gain a greater understanding of their communities

  • Improve self-esteem and confidence

  • Learn practical filmmaking and creative digital skills

  • Share and tackle the problems of rural isolation

  • Influence policy and help determine their own future

  • Promote a better understanding of their culture, history and way of life

  • Actively participate in cultural production

A woman on a film set, operating a camera with monitoring equipment, in a dimly lit room with a rough wall background.
A young man with glasses wearing a black Nike hoodie, smiling, in front of a microphone, possibly filming or recording.
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Meet the team

A smiling young woman with shoulder-length hair in black and white photo.

Lauren Rogers

Head of Youth Programmes

LaurenR@ruralmedia.co.uk

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Black and white portrait of a young woman with curly hair tied back, wearing a turtleneck sweater, smiling slightly.

Elle Adams

Social Media & Content Producer

ElleA@ruralmedia.co.uk

Grant Black

CEO & Creative Director

GrantB@ruralmedia.co.uk

A smiling man with glasses and a beard, wearing a dark polka dot shirt, sitting in front of a brick wall.
Black and white portrait of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair, slight smile, wearing earrings and a cardigan.

Julie Colman

Head of Production

JulieC@ruralmedia.co.uk

Rich Hankins

Post-Production Manager

RichH@ruralmedia.co.uk

Black-and-white photo of a smiling man with short hair, a beard, wearing a dark top and a headset around his neck, standing near a white wall.

Dan Haworth-Salter

Education Manager & Filmmaker

DanS@ruralmedia.co.uk

Rachel Lambert

Director/Producer

RachelL@ruralmedia.co.uk

A man with a beard and dark hair sitting cross-legged on a chair in a photography studio, surrounded by equipment, with a backdrop and lighting setup in the background, black and white image.

Rich Matthews

Development Director

RichM@ruralmedia.co.uk

Callum Neville

Media & Film Technician

CallumN@ruralmedia.co.uk

A black and white close-up photo of a smiling woman with short dark hair.
A woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a black jacket over a polka dot top, standing against a plain background.

Ewa Olearczyk

Finance Manager

EwaO@ruralmedia.co.uk

Mel Page

Office Manager

MelanieP@ruralmedia.co.uk

Our Board

A black and white portrait of an elderly man with short hair and a beard, smiling with arms crossed, wearing a denim shirt.

David Holdsworth

Chair

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Ussud Ali

Black and white portrait of a middle-aged woman with short hair, wearing earrings, a necklace, and a sweater, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Jo Davidson

Black-and-white portrait of a man with short, slightly disheveled hair, wearing a striped button-up shirt with a small embroidered logo on the chest, looking directly at the camera against a plain white background.

Matt Hayes

Black and white portrait of a smiling young woman with long wavy hair, wearing a dark sweater and earrings, against a white background.

Georgia Helme

Black and white portrait of a middle-aged man with glasses, wearing a blazer and a collared shirt, smiling, with arms crossed.

Martin Hitchin

Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a patterned blouse and a dark cardigan.

Judith Vickress

A photograph of a man smiling at the camera. He wears sunglasses on his head and has a short beard

Ross Whelan

Rachel Carter

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Black and white portrait of a young woman with wavy hair wearing a knitted sweater and a necklace, smiling at the camera.

Hannah Jones

Andriane Usherwood-Brown

Our Partners & Supporters

Logo of the Big Lottery Fund with a purple hand and circle, and text 'Big Lottery Fund'
Logo of the Esmé Fairbairn Foundation featuring a pink circle with white lowercase letters 'ef' and the foundation's name in black text next to it.
BBC Arts logo in black and blue text.
Logo of Herefordshire Council featuring a stylized apple and the council's name in black text on a blue background.
Logo with the text 'Lakeside Wellness'.
Logo for The Shelley Foundation featuring stylized text with a flowing ribbon design in teal shades.
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BFI Film Academy UK Network logo with light blue circle and black and white text