Latest news with #DragonsDen
Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Larry Bass: ‘We're building Hollywood in Ireland'
Larry Bass was 13-years-old when he started out in the entertainment business through pirate radio, which led to a career as a sound and lighting technician in the music world. Shinawil is a 26-year-old film and television production company. The majority of its content has been non-fiction entertainment television, with shows like Popstars, You're A Star, The Apprentice, Dragons' Den, MasterChef, The Voice of Ireland and now Home of the Year and Dancing with the Stars. While it has a core team of full-time staff, any one of its productions can have up to 200 people employed while it is shooting. It has its headquarters in Sandymount, Dublin, and an office in Belfast. What prompted you to start-up in business? READ MORE I've always worked for myself from a very young age, and the founding of Shinawil came from a desire to make a documentary about the Dublin rock band Aslan. With Aslan... Made in Dublin, Shinawil was born, not from a business plan, but from a huge desire to create the highest quality content. What was your back-to-the-wall moment and how did you overcome it? Within the first two years of starting the business, we were dealt a significant financial blow. A major client became a casualty of the dotcom crash – the day after we delivered a number of significant films to them. As a small production company, we were very exposed. My founding partner left the business to pursue his career. Being married with four young children, I had little choice but to knuckle down and focus on finding new clients and new projects to move forward. What deal would you cite as a game changer for the company? In 2000, I came across the television format Popstars at a trade fair in Los Angeles. That one show completely changed the complexion of the business. Not only was it a commercial success, but it also connected me at an executive level with my business mentor and partners for the following years. What were the best and the worst pieces of advice you received when starting out? The worst piece of advice was around investing in technology, which evolves so rapidly. We've invested in various equipment based on seemingly sound advice, but even the wisest experts can be overtaken by the speed of change in the modern world. Describe your growth funding path. Our recent growth has been financed through internal company resources, with support from Enterprise Ireland in the post-Covid period. Looking ahead, our future growth will be powered by new investment as part of the next phase of our company's growth strategy. The need to invest in our team and develop new shows makes this an exciting opportunity for investors. We're building Hollywood in Ireland. How will your market look in three years and where would you like your business to be? One thing is certain: people are watching more content globally, and they'll continue to do so on new platforms emerging every year. We must ensure we're serving viewers across all of these platforms. What are your annual revenues and profits? Our turnover was €33 million in 2023 and €38 million in 2024. We've been growing rapidly and have reinvested most of our earnings into developing new content. What are you doing to disrupt, innovate and improve? We were first to introduce entertainment television formats and among the first to explore auxiliary revenue streams such as phone voting. We're committed to diversity, both in our business operations and in the stories we tell. In our drama productions, we're creating new financing paths and partnerships. We also produced Ireland's first virtual reality drama for Meta. How are you deploying AI in your business and what impact has it had? AI has instilled significant fear in our industry, particularly among actors and writers. At Shinawil, we will always prioritise working with the best practitioners in their fields, from writers and actors to craftspeople. That said, AI can support nearly all of us in certain aspects of our work, and we must remain open to technological advances that help us work smarter, not harder. AI is already proving to be a game changer in areas like visual effects, post-production, and script analysis, and it's likely to impact other parts of the industry in the near future.
Press and Journal
7 days ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
New alterations shop to bring a tailored touch to Inverurie
A new alterations shop is hoping to stitch itself into the heart of Inverurie. Anca Mazhari has opened Thistle Alterations in Falconer Court on North Street. The shop, which offers dry cleaning, laundry and clothing alterations, is the second location for Anca, who already operates a successful branch in Aberdeen. Anca, who has six staff members, decided to open the shop after realising there was a 'big demand' in the area for her services. The 38-year-old, and husband Amir, spent months looking for the perfect location. She said: 'We saw there was a big demand but no alteration shop whatsoever in Inverurie. 'My husband and I had been driving for months, twice a week to look for premises. 'We wanted to do Inverurie because we actually get a lot of customers in the Aberdeen shop from Inverurie.' Anca, who also runs Thistle Alterations in Aberdeen's Chapel Street, spent four months renovating her new premises, which was formerly Altro Designerwear. She said: 'My husband and I did most of the work. 'It was a lot of late nights with 3am finishes, commuting back and forth from Aberdeen. 'But it's worth it as we really wanted to make this happen.' Thistle Alterations opened its doors last week and Anca, mum to Aydin, has been overwhelmed by the support. She said: 'It's been fantastic. 'There's been more people than we expected. Everyone has been so friendly and supportive. 'We've been non-stop.' Anca, who has owned her Aberdeen shop for five years, got a surprise earlier this year when Dragons Den star Steven Bartlett booked an appointment at her shop. The Diary of a CEO podcaster needed his suit trousers altered. Calling it a 'memorable experience' and a 'privilege to assist him', Anca said he was 'just like a normal person'. In November 2021, they helped fix the dress of singer Leona Lewis, who was in Aberdeen as the support act for Gary Barlow at P&J Live.
Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- Times
Pasta Evangelists plans to open 100 new restaurants
A London-based fresh pasta specialist is defying the gloom being felt in the hospitality sector with plans to open 100 new restaurants, creating up to 1,500 jobs. Pasta Evangelists, which made its name after being rejected by Dragons' Den investors and branded 'pasta la disaster', is now looking for franchise partners as it hunts out sites up and down the country. It plans to invest more than £30 million in the new restaurants, about half of which will be 'flipping' its 'dark kitchens': food preparation hubs that service delivery and takeaway orders quickly. 'If you are just doing delivery only you can obviously only be making delivery-only cash,' Finn Lagun, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Pasta Evangelists, told The Times. 'But if you dine in as well, you get the dine-in cash, alcohol sales and offer our events like pasta-making experiences, which are very high margin.'
Scotsman
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Who is on Dragons' Den tonight? Full list of dragons
Step back into the Dragons' Den and be joined by these familiar faces 🐉 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Dragons' Den is back with brand new episodes. The iconic show's 22nd series finally returns after a break. But who are the hopefuls on Dragons' Den tonight? The Dragons are back and more hopefuls will be risking facing their fire tonight (July 31). BBC's iconic business show is returning and picking-up where it left off earlier this year. Dragons' Den series 22 is set to continue this evening as more entrepreneurs dream of securing the investment they need. From food delivery to luxury skincare, it is shaping up to be a strong return. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But which of the Dragons can you expect to see as the show returns? Here's all you need to know: Who is on Dragons' Den tonight? Dragons Den series 22 | BBC/Simon Pantling Stepping into the den this evening will be a food delivery entrepreneur, who aims to impress the Dragons with her reusable tins inspired by India. Viewers can also expect to see a Derbyshire-based father and son unveil their T-shirts for neurodivergent wearers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There will also be a luxury skincare, without the high price tag, on offer from a French beauty buff. And two Brighton-based business partners are hoping their virtual gifting app will win over the Dragons. Which Dragons are in tonight's episode? Waiting for the hopefuls in the den tonight (July 31) will be Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman. The panel has featured a few extra guest Dragons over the course of the 22nd series including Joe Wicks, Emma Grede and Trinny Woodall, so watch out for them in future episodes. Before the start of the series earlier this year, Peter Jones said: 'This series will take you on a journey – some of the most outrageous and emotional pitches we have ever had in the Den.' Deborah Meaden added: 'Each year the quality of the pitches gets better and better and this year may well be the most impressive yet!! (But don't tell the others I said that!).' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stephen Barlett said: 'This season is truly special. Viewers can look forward to some of the most entertaining and heartwarming pitches we've ever seen. 'From entrepreneurs tackling global challenges to those bringing a fresh twist to everyday products, there's a lot of inspiration coming your way. Plus, you'll get to see the Dragons engaging in some friendly banter and perhaps a few fiery disagreements!' What time is Dragons' Den on tonight? The show will return in its usual late evening slot on a Thursday night - some things just fit after all. Dragons' Den will start at 8pm and will last for approximately one hour. It will be followed by the second episode of Destination X, the Beeb's newest competition show. Rob Brydon is on hosting duties for that one. If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film.
Scotsman
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Who is on Dragons' Den tonight? Full list of dragons
Step back into the Dragons' Den and be joined by these familiar faces 🐉 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Dragons' Den is back with brand new episodes. The iconic show's 22nd series finally returns after a break. But who are the hopefuls on Dragons' Den tonight? The Dragons are back and more hopefuls will be risking facing their fire tonight (July 31). BBC's iconic business show is returning and picking-up where it left off earlier this year. Dragons' Den series 22 is set to continue this evening as more entrepreneurs dream of securing the investment they need. From food delivery to luxury skincare, it is shaping up to be a strong return. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But which of the Dragons can you expect to see as the show returns? Here's all you need to know: Who is on Dragons' Den tonight? Dragons Den series 22 | BBC/Simon Pantling Stepping into the den this evening will be a food delivery entrepreneur, who aims to impress the Dragons with her reusable tins inspired by India. Viewers can also expect to see a Derbyshire-based father and son unveil their T-shirts for neurodivergent wearers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There will also be a luxury skincare, without the high price tag, on offer from a French beauty buff. And two Brighton-based business partners are hoping their virtual gifting app will win over the Dragons. Which Dragons are in tonight's episode? Waiting for the hopefuls in the den tonight (July 31) will be Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett and Touker Suleyman. The panel has featured a few extra guest Dragons over the course of the 22nd series including Joe Wicks, Emma Grede and Trinny Woodall, so watch out for them in future episodes. Before the start of the series earlier this year, Peter Jones said: 'This series will take you on a journey – some of the most outrageous and emotional pitches we have ever had in the Den.' Deborah Meaden added: 'Each year the quality of the pitches gets better and better and this year may well be the most impressive yet!! (But don't tell the others I said that!).' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stephen Barlett said: 'This season is truly special. Viewers can look forward to some of the most entertaining and heartwarming pitches we've ever seen. 'From entrepreneurs tackling global challenges to those bringing a fresh twist to everyday products, there's a lot of inspiration coming your way. Plus, you'll get to see the Dragons engaging in some friendly banter and perhaps a few fiery disagreements!' What time is Dragons' Den on tonight? The show will return in its usual late evening slot on a Thursday night - some things just fit after all. Dragons' Den will start at 8pm and will last for approximately one hour. It will be followed by the second episode of Destination X, the Beeb's newest competition show. Rob Brydon is on hosting duties for that one.
