Channel 4 and the Leeds City Region have held a joint reception to celebrate the city being chosen as the broadcaster’s new National HQ.
The event brought together stakeholders from across the North including independent production companies, politicians and partners from education and the wider creative industries.
It was held ahead of a Channel 4 board meeting tomorrow, being held in Leeds for the first time, and was hosted by Channel 4’s Chair Charles Gurassa and Chief Executive Alex Mahon, together with Leader of Leeds City Council Cllr Judith Blake CBE and Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, Roger Marsh OBE.
Also announced at the reception was the formation of a new joint Partnership Board, which will work to support the growth of the independent production sector in the region and help nurture the next generation of emerging talent within the industry.
The new Partnership Board, which met for the first time today, brought together senior representatives from Channel 4, Leeds City Council, the Leeds City Region and Screen Yorkshire. It will work closely with production companies, education providers and other creative partners to develop a long-term strategy to support the sector in the region – with a particular focus on improving diversity in the sector, and on enhancing production facilities to help achieve growth in TV production.
Earlier in the day, key members of the Channel 4 commissioning team including Head of Drama Caroline Hollick held a commissioning briefing in Leeds to strengthen relationships with production companies from across the North.
