TWENTY Scotland-based screen production companies are now receiving expert sector-specific business support as part of an initiative to help grow and strengthen Scotland’s film and TV industry.
FOCUS is a two-year pilot project developed to address current market conditions in the screen industry in Scotland. Many screen production businesses operating in Scotland are not of the scale where certain business development and support functions can be afforded in-house. This has had an impact on the ability on those businesses to grow, increase output, and remain sustainable.
FOCUS addresses this by providing subsidised access to specialist business development services. In the initial pilot phase, 20 participating screen companies are working with a business development consultant to create bespoke business development strategies, before moving on to access the sector-specific expertise they require.
Participating companies contribute one third of the costs of the consultancy, with the remaining costs covered by FOCUS, which is co-funded by Screen Scotland and Scottish Enterprise.
Film City Futures, in partnership with Scottish Documentary Institute, today announce further details of screen sector companies participating in the business development initiative, FOCUS.
Scottish companies now receiving support from FOCUS are barry crerar, Black Camel Pictures, Bees Nees, Forest of Black, Heehaw, Hopscotch Films, LA Media, Maramedia, Matchlight, Move On Up, Once Were Farmers, Pirate Productions, Plantation Productions, Red Kite Animation Production, SDI Productions, Selkie Productions, Seventh Crow, Shakehaus, Tripswitch Productions, and Urbancroft Films.
FOCUS is delivered by Film City Futures in partnership with Scottish Documentary Institute. The project is managed by business development manager, Rebecca Thompson, who previously created film audience development and crowdfunding consultancy Hot Tap Media, and the film crowdfunding and distribution platform Social Screen.
She said: “These 20 companies are representative of an ambitious screen sector in Scotland, and the selected consultants are well placed to help realise that ambition. We are excited to see what can be achieved by the FOCUS participants, as a result of this expert business support.”
Margarita Veberaite, founder-producer, Shakehaus (pictured), said: “Being selected to be part of FOCUS felt like a huge encouragement and recognition of our hard work over the last couple of years. FOCUS is already helping us to accelerate the growth of the film and TV side of our company and turn Shakehaus into a successful international production company. With FOCUS’ help, our goal to support new voices while focusing on female-led genre films and tv dramas has never felt so close.”
Jenny Williams, company manager, Pirate Productions, said: “Pirate Productions is delighted to have been selected for the FOCUS scheme. We look forward to working with the FOCUS experts to ensure Pirate is well placed to make the most of opportunities in our fast-changing industry.”
Isabel Davis, executive director at Screen Scotland, said: “FOCUS is an excellent example of Screen Scotland’s drive to support growth in Scotland’s Screen sector. Through the support of FOCUS we hope that these companies will be able to take the next step towards realising their growth ambitions.”
David Hartley, creative industries team leader at Scottish Enterprise, said: “For Scotland’s screen sector to grow, we need ambitious companies embracing international trade opportunities and using innovation to drive expansion. FOCUS can connect businesses to sources of expertise to achieve this and help screen companies fulfil their true potential.”
The FOCUS application portal has now closed. However, FOCUS continues to offer a free sector news subscription service, as well as talks and workshops, available for any company working in the Scottish screen sector. Companies interested in finding out more should visit www.filmcityfutures.com.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
Media contact: Rebecca Thompson, business development manager, FOCUS:
E: Rebecca.thompson@filmcityfutures.com
T: (+44) 07866 730612
About FOCUS
FOCUS is an initiative delivered by Film City Futures in partnership with Scottish Documentary Institute, and supported by Screen Scotland partners including Scottish Enterprise, as well as by the participating companies.
For more information, please visit www.filmcityfutures.com
For more information about the participating companies, please visit:
https://www.filmcityfutures.com/companies-new/
About the partners
Film City Glasgow has firmly established itself as the heart and soul of Scotland’s film and television industry. The facility comprises of over 12,000 sq. ft. of production office space, a 5,000 sq. ft. studio/build space, workshop areas, rehearsal/meeting rooms, café, and 10,000 sq. ft. of creative business offices, now home to over 25 permanent tenants from the screen and wider creative industries.
Film City Futures is a charitable subsidiary of Film City Glasgow. Its mission is to connect people, space and opportunity, enabling access and entry to the screen industries for all – acting as a catalyst for participation, learning, and innovation. A year-round programme of activities allows Film City Futures to offer a range of opportunities whilst identifying uniquely talented individuals. www.filmcityglasgow.com
Scottish Documentary Institute has produced over a hundred films, screening in sixty countries worldwide, garnering international recognition as being at the cutting edge of the documentary sector. Bridging art and industry, SDI is committed to supporting authored films driven by content and emotional experience.
SDI comprises two entities, SDI Outreach and SDI Productions. SDI Outreach is a non-profit organisation, delivering a ladder of development opportunities to benefit all Scottish filmmakers and producers, in addition to running Scottish delegations, in collaboration with Creative Scotland. www.scottishdocinstitute.com
Screen Scotland is the dedicated partnership for screen in Scotland. With £20 million from Scottish Government and the National Lottery, Screen Scotland is driving the cultural, social and economic development of all aspects of the sector in Scotland, through enhanced funding, services and support.
Screen Scotland sits within Creative Scotland and is a partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, working in close collaboration with the sector to ensure its success. www.screen.scot @screenscots
Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s main economic development agency and aims to deliver a significant, lasting effect on the Scottish economy. Our role is to help identify and exploit the best opportunities for economic growth. We support ambitious Scottish companies to compete within the global marketplace and help build Scotland’s globally competitive sectors. We also work with a range of partners in the public and private sectors to attract new investment to Scotland and to help create a world-class business environment. www.scottish-enterprise.com
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Contact: Rebecca Thompson
