The People Behind the Stories
TwentyThree Studios is built on talent, experience, and a shared passion for storytelling. Here’s the team that makes it happen.
Gary JJ Spate
Managing Director
Gary’s passion for filmmaking began at school in Grimsby, where a Media Studies teacher named Laurie Boxer helped ignite a love of the craft that has never left him. That early passion led him to TV and video production courses at the Grimsby Institute, and in 1997 — the same year he completed work experience at Immage Studios — he had the rare privilege of meeting legendary British film producer Lord David Puttnam, an encounter that left a profound impression on a teenage filmmaker with big ambitions.
Gary has spent almost 30 years working across video production, television, feature film, short film, and music video. In the early 2000s he became involved with Turning Point Productions, an award-winning disability awareness TV production team co-founded by his father, and later co-produced and edited the horror film Christmas Slay. In 2020, he channelled more than two decades of experience into founding TwentyThree Studios — the culmination of a lifelong commitment to storytelling.
As Managing Director, producer, and co-presenter of Two For The Road, Gary remains as hands-on creatively as he has always been. His belief that great stories should be immersive, accessible, and emotionally honest underpins everything TwentyThree Studios makes.
Sadie Ingoldby-Spate
Marketing Director
Sadie brings a rare combination of creative and strategic expertise to TwentyThree Studios. A BA (Hons) graphic design graduate with extensive experience in marketing, she oversees all aspects of how the studio and its productions are presented to audiences, broadcasters, and industry partners. With a sharp instinct for visual communication and brand storytelling, Sadie ensures that the stories TwentyThree Studios tells on screen are matched by equally compelling stories off it.
As co-founder of the studio and Gary’s partner in both life and work, Sadie’s contribution runs deeper than any job title suggests. She is the creative eye and communicative voice behind the brand — the person who makes sure the world knows what TwentyThree Studios is and why it matters.
Glyn Spate
Creative Director
Glyn brings more than 25 years of television experience to TwentyThree Studios, and a career that speaks for itself. As the writer, director, and presenter of In Focus — the award-winning disability awareness magazine show that aired throughout the 2000s via Turning Point Productions (which he co-founded) — Glyn understands every dimension of television production, from the creative decisions made in development to the practical realities of the studio floor.
That breadth of experience makes him an invaluable presence at TwentyThree Studios. As one of the company’s founding members, Glyn provides the depth of knowledge and steady creative hand that every production needs — the experience behind the ambition, and a guiding influence on everything the studio makes.