CJP in 2023 

This has been an extraordinary year for CJP. We have signed key partnerships with market leaders, developed our in-house team as well as our facilities, been nominated for a major award, continued our commitment to our preferred charity, and of course delivered some outstanding systems. 

VIRTUAL PRODUCTION INSTALLATIONS 

Our systems integration services have been much in demand throughout the year, particularly in the UK Education sector. We have built virtual studios for Solent University, Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts, the University of the Creative Arts and Kingston University London. We’ve also built a creative space, including virtual production facilities, for the Croydon Enterprise Zone. 

Much of this is as a result of our acceptance as a registered supplier with the North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium. Despite its name, this provides a simple route for educational establishments all over the UK to access key suppliers through a framework purchasing agreement. 

CJP is the only major player in systems integration and virtual production accredited to NWUPC, recognising our proven skills, knowledge and experience. A growing number of universities are investing in professional-grade virtual production facilities, recognising that they are a wonderful resource, not just directly in a media studies degree but across faculties, encouraging a broad swathe of people to find out how virtual production could help their future careers, wherever that takes them. 

DEVELOPING KEY PARTNERSHIPS WITH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURERS 

Virtual production has been in the forefront of our minds and it’s been important to us to be able to provide our customers with the best technology available. We’ve forged new partnerships with XSens and Faceware for motion capture and AOTO for LED volumes. These partnerships complement our long-standing relationship with vendors such as Mo-Sys, renowned for its industry standard camera tracking technology and its Unreal Engine plugin software for green screen and LED workflows. 

One of our highlights of the year was attending the Ross Video event in Madrid in the summer. We were extremely honoured to receive the Partner Award from Ross, for our work in education and for opening up new verticals. 

We think that one of our unique strengths as a system integrator is that we work hard to maintain close relationships with our vendors, not just to win the business but to provide continuing support through the lifetime of each project. In turn we extend that relationship on to our customers, particularly in the education sector, so not only are they getting the best systems and support, but they are also nurturing connections in the industry to help their students’ future careers. 

LIVE PRODUCTION 

The live production facilities were out and about again this year, including providing coverage for football academies, including Onside Football Academy, and the UK round of the European Blind Football League. Once again, we provided full coverage for the Hereford Light Up a Life concert, in aid of our charity partner St Michael’s Hospice. 

SHOWCASING OUR SERVICES AT HOME AND ABROAD 

To build on our industry presence, CJP exhibited at the Media Production and Television Show in London earlier this year, and we are planning an even bigger presence in 2024 with live mo-cap and LED virtual production demonstrations. Watch out for our talented performer walking around the show in the XSens body suit showcasing the on-body recording feature! 

The team was also at IBC in Amsterdam, ISE in Barcelona, and attended various other regional industry events talking to potential customers and investigating the latest developments in the industry. 

At CJP HQ, we are building our own demonstration XR studio showcasing the cutting-edge technology solutions that form part of our extended capabilities as a systems integrator. We’re looking forward to using this to demonstrate what we can do for potential customers both in-house and on the road as well as making the most of the facility as a training and development base for future work. 

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION 

Our installation at the University of Sunderland, and the opportunities this brings for the industry in the Northeast of England, won us a place on the shortlist for the 2023 AV Awards. The CJP team celebrated in style at the AV Awards dinner with representatives from our partners at Ross and Mo-Sys.  

More celebrations were in order shortly afterwards as CJP’s Kieran Phillips was named as one of InAVate EMEA’s “40 under 40” industry leaders. We’re so proud of his achievements at work and in his spare time – a dedicated member of the CJP Broadcast team by day and a life-saving Community First Responder by night. Quite the balancing act! 

COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE GROWTH 

Talking of Kieran, he has now joined the board of CJP as Director of Sales and Marketing, promoted alongside James Ruddock, now Technical Director and also a board member. These two promotions are an indicator of the way that CJP is continually adapting to the demands of our exciting industry. 2023 has been a demanding and thrilling year, and with a strengthened management team providing even better responsiveness both internally and externally, we are set for further success in 2024.