An in-water photographer and filmmaker from Cornwall is making a real splash with his new business thanks to a £5,000 StartUp Loan.

Sam Sherring, 28, from Wadebridge used the funds to purchase kit including a Canon Eos R5C camera with cage and rigging, as well as lighting and sound equipment and sundries including adaptors and hard drives.

Having enjoyed working with cameras from a young age, Bournemouth-born Sam started making short films in his teens and came to Cornwall in 2015 to study film at Falmouth University. He went on to work full-time with a creative agency for four years, producing everything from TV ads to school productions.

“It was a varied workload and a great way to learn, a hugely positive experience – but it was time to go freelance and carve out a niche for myself,” said Sam.

A love of surfing and surf filmmakers like Mickey Smith influenced his professional direction towards outdoor lifestyle, with clients secured through good contacts and a strong portfolio. These included footwear manufacturer XtraTuf in collaboration with the RNLI.

“I’d been working with an influencer who was blogging for XtraTuf and they recommended me to them,” Sam explained. “As luck would have it, I had also been working on a personal project about lifeguarding, and they chose me on that basis. The RNLI project was a dream – real people doing real stuff, lots of outdoors action – I went out with them on boats and got some cool stuff.”

Sam was also the in-water camera operator on a mini-documentary for car manufacturer Bentley in partnership with Gen Z high-fashion agency Culted and Welsh charity Surfability, which provides tuition for surfers with additional needs. “It was awesome to work with Bentley, and it was a big success online.”

More recent commissions have included a documentary about racing driver Sam Shrimpton, shot at Silverstone, and a campaign for XtraTuf to launch the COTTY boot, developed in collaboration with professional big wave surfer Andrew Cotton. As well as shooting at the world’s first inland surf resort in Edinburgh, Sam travelled to Nazare in Portugal, a coastal resort famed for its big waves, and shot the hero video from the water. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Sam had looked at lots of grants and loans when setting up his new business and decided to apply for a Start Up Loan via SWIG Finance. “I felt the most appropriate option for me was a Start Up Loan. The fixed rate of interest made a lot of sense,” he said.

“The SWIG process was pretty smooth and straight-forward. You have your own business advisor – mine was Jo, and she was great. The application was quite in-depth and you need a business plan.”

Jo MacEachen, Senior Start-Up Loans Manager for SWIG Finance, said: “Sam had already done a lot of groundwork and tested the market by the time he came to us with his proposition. As a result, it was well-considered and detailed; he had established strong links with an existing customer base, and was asking for a realistic sum of money.

“Sam was an absolute pleasure to work with, and I was delighted to assist him in attaining his dreams.”

Start Up Loans is part of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 and free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business. SWIG Finance is the Bank’s Business Support Partner for the government-backed programme in the South West, and last year alone delivered £7.2 million in Start Up Loan funding to over 400 new and early-stage businesses.