Company

Barry Ryan & Katie Kinnaird, in partnership with David Walton and Veerinder Mann, established Free @ Last TV in September 2000, to create an opportunity to maximise our extensive cross-genre experience in television and media production.

The company idea was first discussed on a beach in Ibiza, August 2000 with the strains of The Moodswings' 'Spiritual High' wafting across the San Antonio sands. When we heard the Martin Luther King freedom speech sample, on the record; the track became the significant soundtrack to our sentiments at the time. The inspirational words of Dr King became the motivational force behind our desire to create the best media company that we could.

The company was formally incorporated in May 2001, as we gained our first commission.

The reasons why we set up Free @ Last TV are all in the name - we wanted to be able to develop and make programmes across a range of genres that we have both experience and interest, not just within a specific department at the BBC or to the narrow demands of another independent production company. We wanted to operate creatively without the usual constraints of large and impersonal corporations, and in a team environment that is conducive to producing quality work, whatever the budget constraints.

Pushing cultural and social boundaries
Our aim has always been to push cultural and social boundaries, breaking through the limitations and restrictions imposed on the industry by forces both from within and externally. Making creative, innovative and inspirational media production an integral part of our company philosophy, we are unafraid of breaking the traditional methods and practises in which television is usually made. Empowered by our new freedom we have the confidence to consistently deliver high quality, and industry admired programmes and content.