Our North East Comedy Hot House project has been granted funds to develop the region’s comedy sector through our newly-created SIZZLE programme, a six month support programme working with SMEs, emerging comedy development producers and fresh comedy talent.

The SIZZLE programme has three phases of support including

1. Business development
2. Professional development
3. Pitch deck support

Phase 1

PEER TO PEER SUPPORT for NE SMEs led by the NE LEP.

Connecting business leaders & SMEs working in comedy production across digital platforms, to each other and to business and industry experts to support business growth.

Who is Phase 1 for?

We’re looking for ambitious individuals keen to grow their business and play their part in driving forward the region’s production of quality comedy content across digital platforms. A passion for comedy is super important!

Participants should be business owners or have a business leadership role in a company that employs staff or freelancers. They should currently work in the broadcast, digital, and/or comedy sector, or if not, must prove a keen interest in branching into these sectors. They must also be based in the North East LEP area.

Prior to setting up his company he produced The Inbetweeners 2, which was the highest-grossing film of 2014 in the UK. He has also produced 6 series of the multi-BAFTA and British Comedy Award-winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp (“the freshest and most original show on mainstream television”, The Guardian), all 3 series of the Broadcast award-winning and BAFTA, British Comedy Award, and Royal Television Society Award-nominated Bo Selecta, the RTS Award-winning series The Mighty Boosh, Man to Man with Dean Learner, Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show, Daisy Does America for TBS and Greg Davies’ Man Down.

This is a relaxed and interactive Zoom session. We invite you to have your camera on, if you’re comfortable, or feel free to just watch if you prefer! Please keep your mic muted until asking questions. Register through Eventbrite here. You will receive an emailed link to the Zoom event 24 hours beforehand.

For more information about this event, contact charlotte@northernmedia.org

This event is supported by Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley ERDF project. Places are free but limited. You must have a Tees Valley base, be over 18yrs and be eligible to access SME support.

Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley Screen project is funded by the ERDF through Creative Industries Business Support and Development Programme 2014-20, which is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region. Additional funding support for this project is from Tees Valley Combined Authority and Arts Council England.

Join us as we chat to Tom Marshall, comedy director, to find out how he got from self-funded short films in Middlesbrough to directing for Netflix in LA. Hear his top tips for capturing comedy on screen.

Our North East Comedy Hot House team will be teasing out some insights into what opportunities made a difference at key points in his career and how directing shorts, TV series, sketch shows at all budget levels is actually like. Hear his top tips for capturing the comedy at every budget level.

Tom Marshall has shot self-funded shorts, directed Young Offenders, Famalam, Netflix series Space Force with Steve Carell, as well as an Apple original.

This webinar will be shown via Zoom. Register through Eventbrite here. You will receive an emailed link to the Zoom event 24 hours beforehand.

For more information about this event, contact charlotte@northernmedia.org

This event is supported by Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley ERDF project. Places are free but limited. You must have a Tees Valley base, be over 18yrs and be eligible to access SME support.

Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley Screen project is funded by the ERDF through Creative Industries Business Support and Development Programme 2014-20, which is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region. Additional funding support for this project is from Tees Valley Combined Authority and Arts Council England.

Our North East Comedy Hot House team will be demystifying setting up and running an indie specialising in comedy, in conversation with Tim Sealey, Head of Production and co-founder of Roughcut. We’ll be chatting the highs and lows of surviving and thriving in tricky times.

Tim has 20 years of experience in film and television. He founded Roughcut in 2007 with Ash Atalla, where he has worked closely on the company’s comedy, drama and entertainment development and production.

This webinar will be shown via Zoom. Register through Eventbrite here. You will receive an emailed link to the Zoom event 24 hours beforehand.

For more information about this event, contact charlotte@northernmedia.org

This event is supported by Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley ERDF project. Places are free but limited. You must have a Tees Valley base, be over 18yrs and be eligible to access SME support.

Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley Screen project is funded by the ERDF through Creative Industries Business Support and Development Programme 2014-20, which is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region. Additional funding support for this project is from Tees Valley Combined Authority and Arts Council England.

Our North East Comedy Hot House team chat to Emily Fairweather, who has recently had her first broadcast appointment with The Mallorca Files, had a script optioned by Shiny Button Productions and secured a new leading writers agent in Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. Emily is currently writing for UKTV and ITV .

This is your chance to hear how Emily did it, how she built her networks and developed her craft, and to gain some insights into her day-to-day working life.

This webinar will be shown via Zoom. Register through Eventbrite here. You will receive an emailed link to the Zoom event 24 hours beforehand.

For more information about this event, contact charlotte@northernmedia.org

This event is supported by Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley ERDF project. Places are free but limited. You must have a Tees Valley base, be over 18yrs and be eligible to access SME support.

Northern Film + Media’s Tees Valley Screen project is funded by the ERDF through Creative Industries Business Support and Development Programme 2014-20, which is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region. Additional funding support for this project is from Tees Valley Combined Authority and Arts Council England.