A SHADOW minister visited a Bournemouth business that produces visual effects for AAA Hollywood blockbusters as election campaigning continues.

Peter Kyle MP, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for science, innovation and technology came to Outpost VFX in Holdenhurst Road on Tuesday, May 28.

The Bournemouth-based business is globally renowned for producing visual effects for blockbusters like Napoleon, Wonka and Bob Marley One Love, as well as TV shows Bridgerton and The Acolyte in the Star Wars universe, among others.

The shadow minister and Bournemouth West and East parliamentary candidates Jessica Toale and Tom Hayes spoke to the group COO and CFO of the business, Gez Hixson and Jeremy Thompson.

Bournemouth Echo:

Mr Hixson said the meeting was to discuss how the UK’s VFX businesses could be placed at the top of the industry worldwide.

“The UK has got a fantastic VFX industry,” Gez said.

“It's one of the best in the world, constantly Oscar winning, but when it comes to competing on a global scale, it's seriously disadvantaged based on the current tax relief system that competes at the bottom of everyone else globally.

“The conversation that we had today was more about how do we put the UK front and centre in terms of its global competitors and how do we support it.

“The current proposal from Jeremy Hunt is good. It's not great.

“It still sees the UK VFX as one of the weakest tax incentives globally. And my hope is that Labour see the massive opportunity that there is to advance it further.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Mr Kyle said he was struck by the ‘globally leading’ work being done by the business, coming out of Bournemouth and ‘fuelled by talent coming out of Bournemouth Uni’.

“The team at Outpost have made a really compelling case for the need for government support and partnership when it comes to the visual effects work they're doing,” Mr Kyle said.

“The digital sector, the creative digital sector, overall, I would see, you know, if there's a Labour government and I'm secretary of state, it would be my job to advocate for these pockets of growth based on evidence, not based on hunches, based on firm evidence.

“I want to engage with Outpost and other digital creative companies like this and see exactly where the potential for growth exists.”