Council chief executive Sheena Ramsey and Council Leader Martin Gannon, have signed a Filming Friendly Charter on behalf of the local authority with North East Screen – who are developing and championing North East England as a UK-leading film and TV production hub, where industry talent can live, create and work.
In signing the charter Gateshead Council recognises the positive economic and cultural benefits that hosting filming activity can have on the locality. In recent months Gateshead based production company Twenty Six 03 celebrated the broadcast of season 4 of Angels of the North and Signpost Productions produced Robson Green’s ‘Weekend Escapes’ to name just a few successes.
Gateshead has wonderful assets which compliment the regional screen industry, including PROTO’s Advanced Media Production Studio that offers a unique combination of technologies – Virtual Production, Motion Capture, Photogrammetry, 5G Private Networks and XR equipment that enables hands-on experimentation, training and skills development to address gaps that exist today in the creative industry.
The studio includes large LED volume and enhanced motion tracking capabilities will allow creative and digital companies to design and develop new content and experiences. PROTO will also be connected by a 10gbps private network with Target3D studio in London, a unique 5G connected research and innovation offer which bridges the gap between digital and physical.
Cllr Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council, said
“Through signing the filming friendly charter, I am committing Gateshead to play its role in collaboration with the region to grow the screen sector. This is an opportunity for us to showcase the talent we have here in Gateshead but also the region. The creative talent is not just limited to the traditional roles we associate with the screen industry, but we also need skills such as joiners, electricians, caterers and hospitality.”
“By committing to the charter, we recognise the economic benefit that the sector can bring to Gateshead and the region, through attracting productions. We want the region to be recognised as a centre of excellence. We want to develop our own talent but also attract talent into the region across all aspects of screen production.”
Sheena Ramsey, Chief Executive of Gateshead Council, said:
“The Filming Friendly Charter is a fantastic opportunity for the North East to showcase all the hidden gems we have up here, including the amazing technology we have here in Gateshead at PROTO. The filming friendly charter brings a real opportunity for residents from across the region to thrive. I’m delighted that we are a part of the wider regional approach to creating a thriving screen sector that will benefit a whole host of different businesses and individuals. The sector is already proving to be an economic driver for Gateshead with companies relocating successful production companies to Gateshead from the south.”
Duncan Gray, Founder of Twenty Six 03, said:
“In 2020, when we were filming Angels of the North, we discovered that Gateshead was an exciting place to run a creative business. At this point we were filming season 2 of Angels and decided to look at relocating our head offices from Brighton to the North East. As a region it is culturally rich and has a whole host of stories we can tell on TV.
“During filming of Angels of the North we found Gateshead Council to be incredibly proactive, helpful and receptive to filming in the borough.
“Gateshead Council has a tradition of supporting creative enterprise and has shown itself to be forward thinking in ensuring that creative businesses have a place where they can succeed. When it came to establishing a formal head office in the North East it felt right to us that we came to Gateshead.”
Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive of North East Screen said:
“We are working closely with the North East Screen Industries Partnership and the BBC to encourage and promote filming across the North East. We want all parts of our region to benefit. It is important that each local authority area is committed to welcoming production crews and making the process of filming as smooth as can be. North East Screen will support them to do this.
“The economic and tourism benefits of a production filming in our area and the jobs it can create for local crew, as well as local businesses across the supply chain, is something we don’t want any part of the North East to miss out on. We are delighted that Gateshead have signed up to the charter and look forward to working with them to encourage more filming in the borough.”
