A Winchester studio built around the news deadline
Since 2012 we have produced video for television news, from location shoots to studio packages, and helped newsrooms tidy the workflows that carry stories to air.
Why a small studio chose to work only in news
verbmelo was founded in Winchester in 2012 to produce video for television news. The idea was simple: newsrooms need crews and editors who understand deadlines, and a small studio can be quick, careful and easy to reach. Fourteen years on, that still describes the work.
The studio began with location work: compact camera crews sent to stories as they developed, returning footage that editors could use without rescuing it. That discipline, shooting what the edit needs rather than everything in sight, still shapes how Daniel Okafor and the crew approach a job.
As demand grew, we added lit studio sessions for presenters, interviews and short segments. Tom Gilbert designs the lighting and keeps the equipment ready, so a booking at short notice does not mean compromised results. Guests look consistent from one session to the next, which matters when items run side by side.
Editing and delivery followed naturally. Priya Shah cuts and delivers news items against tight deadlines, paying attention to pacing and clarity, and sends files in the format each gallery asks for. Captioning is part of the same step, not an afterthought.
Working alongside newsrooms also showed us where time is lost before any camera is switched on: unclear briefs, slow handovers, files arriving in the wrong format. So we began offering workflow advice, reviewing how stories move from tip to transmission and suggesting practical changes.
Helen Marsh, who produced regional news before joining us, plans each commission and keeps schedules realistic. Our clients are television news editors, producers and newsroom managers, and we try to behave the way a good colleague on the desk would: clear, calm and ready.
What guides the work when the clock is running
Deadlines test habits. When a story is moving and a gallery is waiting, the way a studio works matters more than what it says about itself. These principles are the ones we rely on, and they show up in the small decisions made on every job.
Speed
Speed means planning backwards from your transmission time. We agree the deadline and delivery format at the outset, line up crew and edit capacity, and start moving material early. Because schedules are set realistically, the promise we make to your gallery is one we can keep.
Accuracy
Accuracy is checked, not assumed. Names, titles, captions and technical specifications are confirmed before files leave the studio, and each delivery is compared with your brief. A clean, correct item spares your editors from corrections at the point in the day when they have least time.
Craft
Craft shows in steady handheld work, even lighting, sensible framing and edits that serve the story. Our operators teach newer colleagues the techniques used for fast-moving stories, so quality does not depend on one person and holds on short-notice jobs as on planned ones.
How our way of working took shape
verbmelo
- Founded
- 2012
- Today
- 2026
Start with the deadline
Every commission begins with the transmission time and works backwards. That habit from our first location shoots still decides how crews, edit time and delivery are planned.
Shoot for the edit
Crews capture what the item needs rather than everything in view, which keeps footage usable and shortens the path from camera to gallery on developing stories.
Light every guest properly
Studio work grew from a belief that contributors should look clean and consistent. Lighting is designed for each session, whether in our studio or at a contributor's premises.
Edit with clarity
Editing and captioning sit in one step, cut for pacing and clarity, then exported to the specification your gallery uses, so there is little left to fix on arrival.
Look at the workflow
Seeing where time was lost before filming began led us to review how stories travel from tip to transmission and propose practical changes that save time.
Keep schedules honest
Planning is led by our Managing Producer, who says plainly what is possible. Telling a newsroom early that something cannot be done is part of being reliable.
What newsroom colleagues say
We sent a crew request mid-morning for a story that was still developing. Footage arrived in good order, correctly labelled, and our editor could cut it straight away. The calm tone on the phone helped as much as the pictures.
Martin Treloar · Programme editor, regional television newsGuests in our recorded interviews look consistent from week to week now. The lighting is careful without being fussy, and the files come back in exactly the format our gallery needs.
Aisha Rahman · Newsroom managerThe workflow review was practical. We changed how tips were logged and handed over, and the delays between first call and shoot became easier to see and fix.
Colin Ashworth · Assignments editorCaptions were right first time and the schedule matched what we were told at the start. That reliability is what we value most when we are close to air.
Write to us through the contact page about a shoot, a studio session, an edit or a workflow question. We will reply with what we can offer and a written quotation.