A MARKETING company that specialises in event management, public relations and product launches has been judged runner-up in a competition to find the businessmen and women of tomorrow.

Screaming Talent, which is run my Peter Moore, 34, and Lucy Dawes, 25, from their homes in Boughton, near Faversham, and Blackheath, won £1,000 worth of computer equipment for its innovative approach to its particular field.

The competition, which set out to find the best Kent companies formed in the past two years, was organised by the Kent branch of the Institute of Directors and the Kent Messenger and sponsored by Hewlett Packard.

It was won by Sevenoaks based Link 24/7 for a software system which helps hospitals find agency nurses at short notice. Mr Moore said he and Miss Dawes, who set up the company in February, 2000, delighted to have finished in the runner-up position and be recognised by the Institute of Directors. Although he and Miss Dawes, who originally comes from Hernhill, have known each other since they were children, the idea of forming their own marketing company came after they both attended a friend's wedding.

Mr Moore worked in the music industry after leaving the Abbey School, Faversham and Miss Dawes had gone into public relations after attending the King's School, Canterbury, and completing a history degree at Manchester University. They had decided on the company name following Mr Moore's experiences in the music business which sometimes left him screaming with frustration because the people he dealt with were incapable of coming to a decision.

"Working from home means we are extremely competitive because can keep our overheads down to a minimum," said Mr Moore. Their present programme includes working with Hewlett Packard on a youth festival later this year and helping young people interested in a career in the media.