Firms across York and North and East Yorkshire are lining up to bid for glory in the biggest and most glamorous Evening Press Business Awards ever. DAN RUTSTEIN profiles another of the entries vying for success.

WHEN two friends with a mutual love of film decided to go into business, many of their fellow York University students were not convinced.

But 11 months on, with short films, music videos and interactive websites under their belt, the doubts about Reza Ghadiri-Zare and Daniel Mendelle have dissipated.

In fact their progress into the world of digital media and all things cutting-edge has impressed a number of their fellow graduates.

However hard the work is, filming horror films in haunted cottages, shooting adverts for Middle Eastern anti-drugs groups and making on-line documentaries can only be exciting.

"The digital revolution in film and multimedia production has significantly affected traditional formats of production," said Reza, company director and a 22-year-old former history student.

"Our expertise and knowledge incorporates these technical advances in the industry, enabling us to provide a dedicated professional service to our clients."

And that professional service ranges from designing websites and providing interactive web entertainment, to making short films and shooting a multi-million pound cinematic masterpiece in York.

The masterpiece is only at the script stage, ably written by Daniel, and much of these early projects are designed to raise the finance and contacts for the bigger project.

Not that they don't take these projects seriously.

"Essentially every project is different," said Daniel, 22, who provides the creativity to match Reza's business skills.

"We ensure that we work with our clients to determine their particular requirements, and provide complementary consultation to provide the options available within the outlined budgets and targets."

The entrepreneurs' are adamant that the potential of the Internet is largely untapped and it is their aim to tap it and provide unique services for their clients.

On that theme, their major project at the moment is an interactive, on-line docu-soap detailing the day-to-day lives of the fellow incumbents of the City of York Council-backed Young Business Project in Fishergate, York.

The program features interviews with businessmen as diverse as toilet-seat designers, magazine editors and computer whiz-kids.

Blind Productions is entering the New Business of the Year and Innovative Use of New Technology categories in the Evening Press Business Awards.

Reza said: "We see the Evening Press Business Awards as being very important to our company. To win an award would be a real stamp of approval.

"We are confident in the strength of what we do, and it would be a significant boost both for the company's profile and for own confidence if we could scoop an award."

PICTURE: Reza Ghadiri-Zare and Daniel Mendelle, of Blind Productions