Most creative studios exist to make things for other people. The goal at Awkward Studios, an entertainment development studio in Wales, is to build and scale its own brands. From its base in Cardiff, the studio develops, owns, and, where possible, funds ideas in-house. These include TV formats, digital content, and immersive experiences and games. For more on the full slate of original and exciting IPs it is running, we caught up with Hollie Abbott, its founder and creative director. Independent Creative Venture of the Year 2026 & Best Inclusive Digital Entertainment Brand 2026: Spectrum A BBC Small Indie Fund recipient and Pact Future Wales company, Awkward Studios offers everything from ambitious TV formats to immersive gameshows, digital-first series, and scripted comedy at its Cardiff IP development studio. Spectrum, its biggest brand to date and the recipient of our award for Best Inclusive Digital Entertainment Brand 2026, delivers a string of content celebrating neurodivergent and disabled creativity across a range of formats, including Spectrum Ink, a series about neurodivergent tattoo artists and clients. Then there is Defeat the Dome, a Media Cymru-backed R&D project, which marked Awkward Studio’s first move into an immersive gameshow format. Essentially, it is a fulldome gameshow built to work three ways at once: as a TV show it is currently piloting, as an immersive live experience, and as a corporate events offering. As Hollie explained: “It’s a good example of how we think: one idea, developed so it can earn across several markets rather than betting everything on a single commission.” Another area currently in development by Hollie and the team is Screenstorm, a software platform for the film and television industry that takes everything Awkward Studios knows about developing ideas and turns into a product for other people to make use of. Across these IPs, Awkward Studios works with a variety of UK and international broadcasters, format commissioners, brand partners, and a growing network of technical talent. Its work is guided by a mission that has remained unchanged since day one, which is to back the ideas it believes in, build a proof of concept, and scale them itself, instead of sitting waiting for someone else to give it the green light. On this, Hollie commented: “Plenty of great development dies in a drawer because a gatekeeper said, ‘not right now’. We bet on our own instincts and knowledge – develop what we’re convinced has legs, put it in front of real audiences, and build each idea so it can grow across formats and platforms rather than living or dying on a single decision.” She added: “We think it’s a really entrepreneurial way to run a studio.” That it is, and by not waiting for permission to move, Awkward Studios manages to sidestep the issue most media companies have, which is that they are tied to their own production pipelines, meaning ideas stall when things get busy. By focusing on development, this Welsh entertainment development studio ensures it is always on, busy, and building. Projects are also de-risked through the team bringing in the right partners, and Awkward Studios works with only the best-fit third parties to get things made well and made quickly. “Running a studio in Wales that works with partners across the globe is proof that world-class ideas don’t have to come from a postcode in Zone 1.” Looking ahead, Awkard Studios’ slate continues to prioritise impact-led entertainment (an extension of neurodivergent creative brand Spectrum), covering everything from disability to the climate and both mental and physical health. This content is not designed to be ‘chewy’ or ‘highbrow’, and audience enjoyment always come first. Getting that order right means that well-meaning content can reach a lot more people than it otherwise would. Touching on these future plans in more detail, Hollie told us: “The one I’m most excited about near-term is our ‘revenue before reach’ playbook, a repeatable approach to building value into an idea early, which we’re now applying across new formats, events, and products under the Spectrum brand and beyond.” This is not all, as commercial opportunities for Defeat the Dome have been pitched recently, and there are number of projects at various stages of development within the pipeline of this Cardiff IP development studio. As both these initiatives and the current slate of Awkard Studios’ content show, building a serious, commercially-minded business out of creative energy, and in Wales, is possible. Anyone looking to back or partner with a studio that thinks like a venture rather than a supplier is invited to reach out to Hollie and co. via the web address below. Contact: Hollie Abbott Company: Awkward Studios Web Address: www.awkward-studios.com
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