Callum Isaac and Kyle Withington win £1000 enterprise prize for their video animation and design company

Knotwork launched in 2018 and already have a 95% referral and repeat business rate from their clients across the UK, the Netherlands and the Isle of Man.

Callum graduated in 2018 with a degree in Film, Photography and Media, and Kyle graduated with a Master’s degree in Film, Photography and Media in 2017.  The duo met through a student radio show they produced, then honed their skills further – Kyle as a freelance animator and Callum producing programme content for the Made in Leeds channel through his role as Station Manager at Leeds Student Television.

Callum said: “We are resolute that Knotwork will work for clients whose ethos matches our own – to make a positive difference in the world – whether that’s a charitable cause or an organisation that wants to inform, make a positive change or entertain."

Commenting on Knotwork, Michael Collins said: “I awarded them a special prize because of their commitment to only work with companies ‘who do good’ and I think that should be encouraged. While I was very impressed with Knotwork’s passion to do good, they are commercial enough not to focus on the social sector but also seek to work with private companies who meet their high ethical standards and that is very impressive.”

Kyle added: “We first met Michael shortly after launching the company, and the advice he gave us then has helped us make some big decisions with the business which we feel have directly informed its success so far. It has been both a surprise and an honour to receive a special award for our work and we’re very excited about the future.”

The duo have also recently launched the Knotwork Network, which allows them to share their connections and work opportunities with a pool of talented student and graduate freelancers who are just starting out in their creative careers.

The Sir Peter Thompson Enterprise Award, sponsored by Michael Collins of Goldcrest Land plc is organised by the University’s business start-up service, Spark.