Swallows and Amazons Film Producer speaks at MAA Press Lunch
by Alison Willis 15 May 2016 12:25 BST
13 May 2016
Producer of the new Swallows and Amazons film, Nick Barton, founder of Harbour Pictures, spoke to over 150 press and industry guests at the fifth annual MAA Press Lunch. The annual event, which took place on Friday 13th May 2016, is organised by Marine Advertising Agency (MAA) in conjunction with Dean & Reddyhoff, and was the biggest yet.
The highly anticipated new film version of Swallows and Amazons will be in cinemas 19th August 2016, and MAA was delighted to secure Producer Nick Barton, who is also a keen sailor, to talk about the project. Barton believes that the film can inspire the next generation of sailors: "I've always felt that the people who sail absolutely sail because they read Swallows and Amazons as children – and I suspect that's so true for most of the sailors around the UK." Barton was able to give insights into the boats used in the film, "They're very old boats, they're clinker built, and they're a particular size, which Ransome specified." Having sourced two of the rare boats, the team were then told by their insurers that they would need a third in case of a problem with one! During an interview with Tracey Clarke, Barton revealed how Ransome's fascinating background as an MI6 spy has been woven into the story. He also took questions from the audience about potential future projects based on other Ransome books.
Speakers at the event also included Ian Walker, the first British Skipper to win the Volvo Ocean Race, who gave the audience insights into what it's like to skipper a celebrity crew following his Hell on High Seas experience for Sport Relief, which raised over £1 million for the charity. Richard Percy, CEO of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF), also spoke. He presented the Foundation's plans for Bart's Bash 2016, which will take place over two days (17-18th September 2016) and gave an update on what the ASSF has been up to. Leslie Greenhalgh from Team Origin Events also spoke, saying that the 2016 America's Cup World Series events in Portsmouth will feel more about the sport following feedback from fans. She also revealed that the Portsmouth 2015 World Series events had an economic impact of over £9 million, raising the profile of Portsmouth worldwide. John Beavis from Gosport Marine Scene announced that the organisation hope to run its Gosport Marine Futures programme year on year in order to get more local young people into the marine industry.
During pre-lunch networking companies were able to showcase products and services with many companies including Raymarine and Contender UK using this as an opportunity to announce new products. Crewsaver had on display its range of pioneering buoyancy aids designed with Artemis Racing. Guests were also able to see Mara Buoy's unique mooring buoy, which is being trialled by the Royal Navy Sailing Association in Portsmouth Harbour.
The MAA Press Lunch has established itself as a key event on the industry calendar, illustrated by the huge attendance this year. Guests included journalists, editors and leading industry names from across different marine sectors.
MAA used the event to launch Performance Sailing Shop (www.performancesailingshop.com), a brand new online retailer selling the very best technical sailing clothing and lifejackets. Guests were able to view technical sailing clothing from Henri Lloyd, Musto, adidas and Rooster as well as lifejackets from Crewsaver, in Performance Sailing Shop's boutique store at Haslar Marina.
Mike Shepherd set up MAA in 2009, since then the company has enjoyed continued strong growth. MAA was named Best Marine Company to Work For (under 10 employees) at the British Marine awards in March 2016 and is now firmly established as one of the foremost agencies in the marine industry.
Mike Shepherd, Director of MAA, said: "This year's MAA Press Lunch, our fifth, has been the biggest yet. The fact that both journalists and marine companies are keen to get on the guest list as soon as we announce the date is a great compliment. At last year's event we talked about a desire to boost participation in our sport and industry, starting with young people. A year on and films like Swallows and Amazons, inspirational people like Ian Walker and the work of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation will all help achieve that, we're delighted to have been able to celebrate all that today."
Michael Prideaux, Managing Director of Dean & Reddyhoff Marinas, said: "The MAA Press Lunch is a great opportunity for us to showcase what Haslar Marina has to offer. We are delighted to be involved with an event that brings together our industry's press and key players and starts so many positive conversations."
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