Video man aims to be young business star

Jan 26 2008 by Hudd Student1, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A GRADUATE from Huddersfield has outperformed hundreds of young business hopefuls and has reached the shortlist for an entrepreneurial award of £20,000.

Ashley Pears, 22, from Salendine Nook, started AshTV after graduating in Contemporary Film and Video from Leeds Metropolitan University last year.

AshTV produces music videos and uses mass media outlets such as MySpace and YouTube, as well as its own website, to showcase its work.

He is hoping to be named Britain’s ultimate ‘Unipreneur’, a new award recognising campus-born businesses and a new breed of young businesses men and women who use their university education to start up on their own.

“It would be amazing to win,” said Ashley, a former Greenhead College student.

“The best thing that could happen.

“If I won, I’d use the money for renting studio space for video production, and perhaps some equipment for music production.

“But I’d be happy just with the title of Unipreneur of the Year.”

As part of his entry he submitted a DVD of a range of music videos which AshTV had produced for local bands.

Now in the national top twenty shortlisted, Ashley’s entry will be considered by a panel of local business experts who will whittle the list down to ten, and judges will later trim the numbers down to five.

Eventually, these five finalists will make it to the gala evening being held in April where they will have to face being quizzed live on stage by a panel of experts, and explain why they deserve the prize.

The Government-backed awards are sponsored by HSBC Bank in association with the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE).