A Brighton media and production company is taking advantage of Government initiatives to develop one of the country's first broadband studios.

The Bridge, set up this year by Tony Steyger and Barbara Mackie, is moving into the new studios in February but already taking steps to get Brighton citizens involved in digital media.

Alongside its core post-production activities, the company has filming and editing facilities to create programmes and programme content in-house with greater independence and creative freedom.

The company is working on a South East Arts-funded project, which uses digital media to encourage people's interest in theatre and has joined Brighton University in setting up a course on making programmes for the internet.

Managing director Mr Steyger, who created the BBC's first new media unit in 1997, said: "The studio will be used for more traditional things like post-production work but we are also looking at new and relevant projects like organising young people's film workshops, recording them in the summer holidays and posting them on the internet for people everywhere to see."

There was a massive demand for film-making facilities in Brighton, especially from young people, and this was evidenced by the fact Hove Museum's film-making course was consistently over-subsc-ribed.

Mr Steyger said: "We want to have these facilities in Brighton as a place to put together material in various ways for various people."

It was a diverse place which had a history of attracting people from other cities because they could express themselves here.

He said: "We have been asking ourselves how we can tap into the creative talent which exists in, or passes through, the city.

"We think we can use new technology like broadband to capture elements like short master classes from actors or directors, or exclusive tracks from musicians."

The company will be piloting broadband next year to provide a link to two international conferences, on Aids and oceanography, at Brighton Conference Centre.

Mr Steyger said: "The conferences will provide us with the ideal opportunity to demonstrate how broadband media can be used to disseminate information internationally, which is especially important now because people are travelling less."

Last week, the Government approved a list of industry recommendations designed to accelerate the rollout of broadband in the UK.

The concessions include tax breaks for broadband content production and follow the Government's concern over the dis-appointing take-up of the services in the UK.

Broadband content producers and application developers will be encouraged to claim research and development costs against their tax bills, while small businesses will be reimbursed for up to 100 per cent of the capital costs of getting connected.

Mr Steyger said the subsidies could help new media companies establish themselves in the difficult economic climate.

He said: "It can be a fragile business being an independent producer, going from one commission to another and often not retaining any rights over the work.

"But building our business around the production activity diversifies our income and gives us more creative options.

"We are trying to provide public access to television and allow them to come in and record things."

www.the-bridge.tv