Since 2012 we have designed and operated live production control rooms for television and streaming, working with venues, festivals and broadcasters across the north of England and beyond.
entertoly was founded in Durham in 2012 with a narrow focus: the control room. Rather than offering general video work, we concentrated on what happens between the cameras and the audience. That focus still shapes who we hire and how we plan every job.
When we began in 2012, the gallery was the part of a live event that clients understood least and worried about most. We chose to specialise in it, offering switching, signal management and operation as a service rather than as an afterthought. Being clear about what happens in the room, and who is responsible for each part of it, has been our approach from the start.
Most problems on a live broadcast can be traced to something nobody checked early enough. Our technical director maps every camera and signal path before the event, and the crew rehearses against that plan. It is slower at the start of a job and far quieter on the night.
We do not hand clients from one department to another. The same people who plan the camera positions are in the gallery during the show, and the production manager keeps schedules, equipment and sign-off in one place. That continuity matters when decisions have to be made quickly.
Over fourteen years the range of work has widened to include streaming delivery, replay and graphics, and remote contributors. Each addition came from client requests rather than ambition. We have kept the crew small enough that every show still gets proper attention.
A live production leaves no room for second takes, so the way a crew behaves matters as much as the equipment. Our three principles describe habits rather than slogans. They show up in how we plan, how we speak to each other on talkback and how we treat the client's event.
The gallery is quiet when a show goes well. Callum plans each signal path in advance, and the crew speaks in short, agreed phrases over intercom. When something does go wrong, nobody raises their voice, because the next step has already been rehearsed.
Clients know who is doing what, and when. Hannah sets out the schedule, equipment list and sign-off points in plain language before any work starts. On the day, camera operators, the vision mixer and the streaming engineer share the same running order, so nobody guesses.
We say what we can deliver and then deliver it. Quotations list what is included, tests are done before the audience arrives, and backup paths are prepared where the show depends on them. That reliability is the reason many clients book us again.
Our clients are event organisers, venues, festivals and broadcasters who need live television or streaming production without building their own gallery team. Some come to us with a clear brief and a finished camera plan. Others arrive with a date and an idea, and we help shape the rest.
On a typical job, Callum prepares the technical plan, Priya cuts the programme at the vision mixer, Daniel looks after the streaming chain and Hannah keeps the schedule and paperwork in order. Each person has one job in the gallery, which keeps responsibilities clear when the show is running.
We work on concerts, festival stages and stage events of different sizes. The same method applies whether the production uses a handful of cameras or a larger rig: plan the signal paths, test each feed, rehearse the running order and keep communication short during the show.
We also build control rooms. For some clients that means a temporary gallery in a hall, a tent or a back-of-house room. For others it means a fixed installation designed to be used regularly, tested thoroughly and handed over with clear documentation.
Afterwards we stay in touch. Clients often want notes on how the show ran, or a recommendation for the next event. A short debrief while the day is fresh is how we improve the plan for next time.
entertoly
entertoly has been working since 2012, which makes fourteen years of running galleries for concerts, festivals and stage events. A small crew of four core specialists covers technical direction, vision mixing, streaming engineering and production management. We prefer to measure our standing by clients who return rather than by claims we cannot show.
Send a few details through the contact page: the date, the venue and whether you need switching, streaming or a full control room. Hannah will reply with the questions we need answered.
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