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Screen Yorkshire, Liverpool Film Office, Screen Manchester and North East Screen are announcing today that they have joined forces as a BFI Skills Cluster and awarded BFI National Lottery Funding to make the sector more accessible and representative and to build a skilled workforce across the whole of the North of England.

The BFI announced yesterday an initial roll out of £8.1m has been awarded to partners across the UK to support the Screen Production Workforce through Skills Clusters. This will enable lead organisations to work collaboratively with local industry, education and training providers to develop clearer pathways to long-term employment in film and TV production.

Sara Whybrew, Head of National Lottery Skills Programmes at the BFI, said:

“The North of England has a world leading cultural offer and a rich history that the screen sector is a vital part of.  The unified approach being taken by Screen Alliance North to developing and supporting a greater diversity of local talent to enter the screen workforce speaks to the impressive leadership of the Alliance.  The BFI is delighted to be supporting their ambitions with National Lottery funding and I look forward to meeting many of the beneficiaries they’ll support over the coming months and years.”

The four Northern screen agencies are partnering as Screen Alliance North to support each other and to leverage additional local funding and support to maximise the impact of the £2.3m funding awarded to the region following a BFI Skills Review.  The Alliance is one of six clusters across the UK who have received funding for three years.

The BFI Skills Clusters investment aims to strike a balance between building on existing production infrastructure to provide new entrance and development opportunities in the most established areas of activity, while also helping to grow local crew bases in more emergent areas.

The funding focusses on establishing localised support for skills development and training with a clear aim to create new opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in the sector.

Caroline Cooper-Charles, Chief Executive at Screen Yorkshire said:

“Screen Alliance North will build a thriving screen workforce in the North of England that will reflect our diverse, talented and ambitious communities, our dynamic culture and rich heritage and will drive development so that we become a beacon of sustainable screen production.”

Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive at North East Screen said:

“We believe in a screen sector where access to opportunity is the norm and outdated preconceptions are banished. Whatever your background or wherever you live, we see a future for those with the ambition of working in the sector.”

Lynn Saunders, Chief Executive at Liverpool Film Office said:

“We are a uniquely northern partnership, grounded in a national context with sights set internationally. As we work closely with the screen industries and regional authorities, we can connect industry knowledge, opportunities and partnerships so that we can help boost regional economy and employment.”

Rob Page, Managing Director of Screen Manchester said:

“The scale of our footprint across the whole of the North of England will give us the opportunity to identify the skills needed, to reach out to new entrants from a range of backgrounds to support their journeys and steer decision-makers and providers towards sustainable skills provision.

The Creative Cities Convention has chosen OPPORTUNITY as its theme for 2023, to reflect the rapid growth of the screen sector outside London in all four corners of the UK.

The conference, which travels to a different city each year and provides the industry’s only dedicated platform for anyone working in film, TV or digital media outside London, will take place at the historic Boiler Shop in Newcastle, where Robert Stephenson built the first steam engine in the early 1800s.

‘The Victorians understood how to harness ingenuity and talent outside London and we’re doing the same,’ says conference director Ruth Pitt. ‘We’re channelling opportunity as a theme because the growth of our industry in the Nations and Regions is starting to make a real difference to local economies and communities.’

The 2023 event is being delivered with support from the twelve local authorities and three combined authorities in the North East – who have collaborated to form the North East Screen Industries Partnership.

‘We are thrilled to welcome the Creative Cities Convention to Newcastle, the heart of the North East,’ says Invest Newcastle director Jen Hartley. ‘Our city and wider region have recently experienced tremendous growth in the creative industries sector, with ambitious plans being brought forward for new production facilities and jobs being created for local residents at all levels. We can’t wait to showcase our city and welcome everyone here later in April.’

As well as the main event in Newcastle, several other activities will take place across the region.

On Teesside a morning of masterclasses for over 100 students will run at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, with students from colleges and universities arriving by coach from across the region. And in Darlington a small leaders’ breakfast will be hosted by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, to discuss the strategic development of the industry – boosted recently by government levelling-up funds to establish a media village in Hartlepool.

In Sunderland on April 24^th there will also be an address to students at the University of Sunderland by Rhodri Talfan Davies, the BBC’s Director of Nations, whose speech “More local than ever: The BBC at the heart of local communities” will explain the BBC’s plans to ‘transform its local services and the opportunity to offer local communities even more in the future’. Rhodri is in charge of BBC services for the nations and local audiences across Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland.

The University of Sunderland is also supporting a conference session on the growth of film and TV studios outside London, reflecting independent production company Fulwell 73’s plans to develop major studios on the banks of the Wear in Sunderland and deliver global industry impact.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer says: ‘We are proud to be part of the boost to the screen sector in the North East. We’re now on track to exceed the £25 million we promised to the region and have already delivered six new commissions while supporting production, talent development and the creative sector. It’s the perfect location for this year’s Creative Cities Convention.’

Channel 4’s MD of Nations and Regions Sinead Rocks will talk to host Kirsty Wark about the channel’s plans for growth outside London now that privatisation is off the table, and Channel 4 head of drama Caroline Hollick, based in Leeds, will join a stellar panel including Nicola Shindler, the head of ITV Studios-owned indie Quay Street, to share thoughts on the strong new regional voice of drama. Glasgow based commissioner Deborah Dunnett and senior comedy commissioner Andy Brereton will also contribute on behalf of Channel 4.

Elsewhere, ITV’s group director of diversity and inclusion Ade Rawcliffe will join Channel 4 director of commissioning operations Emma Hardy and 5 News editor Cait Fitzsimons to discuss making TV a happier place to work, and ITV factual supremo Jo Clinton-Davis and UKTV’s Director of Commissioning Hilary Rosen will offer clues for delegates on the future of factual television.

The ongoing skills shortage will be tackled in depth, with Sonny Hanley, ITV Academy Director, among those assessing the areas of greatest need. He says: ‘Supporting the regions is at the heart of what we do at ITV. I am delighted to be a part of this year’s Creative Cities Convention. This is a step towards change in our industry and ensuring that the future is bright for talented creatives to pursue a career in a sector that needs them.’

Two of the industry’s leading figures – Pact CEO John McVay and ITV’s group director of Strategy, Policy and Regulation Magnus Brooke – will discuss what the newly published draft Media Bill could mean for broadcasters and producers.

As well as the convention’s original stakeholders – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5/Paramount and Pact – the event is this year supported by Banijay UK, returning for a second year, and UKTV, who are partnering with the CCC for the first time.

Hilary Rosen, UKTV’s Director of Commissioning says, ‘It’s fantastic to be partnering with the Creative Cities Convention this year. Some of our most successful and returnable programmes are made by production partners based in the regions so we are excited to come to Newcastle and start more conversations about collaborating with North East indies.’

Conference discussions will range from the growth of studios to insights on factual television, the serious business of comedy, growing a successful indie outside London and bagging a big hit returning series, which will include the star of the successful series Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes. A session called Northern Treasures will welcome three more of the North East’s best known names – Sara Davies from Dragon’s Den, Si King from Hairy Bikers and Scarlett Moffatt of Gogglebox fame.

Delegates have already booked speed-dates with commissioning editors from all the main channels and a big networking party hosted by Banijay UK promises to maximise opportunities for connection and collaboration across the UK. A selection of shows made outside London will be explored in a Meet The Makers feature and an industry marketplace will house a range of industry organisations supporting the development of the screen sector.