Channel 4 is joining forces with a range of Yorkshire-based organisations to showcase the support available for creative businesses in the region.
As the broadcaster gears up to open its new National HQ in Leeds later this year, it is hosting a special event today which will demonstrate the wide range of support and opportunities on offer to creative businesses.
Deborah Dunnett, Channel 4’s Nations and Regions Manager, said: “We’re entering a really exciting time as Channel 4 gets set to open up its national HQ in Leeds. But we know sector growth, here and across the country, isn’t just about better commissioning relationships.
“This event is a fantastic opportunity for the city, for Yorkshire and for the wider region to focus on commercial opportunities while bringing together the bodies which are boosting the creative industries with practical and financial support.”
Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds city Region Enterprise Partnership, added: “We’re committed to helping this sector grow. That’s why it’s great to work in partnership to bring together all the support initiatives for ambitious creative and digital businesses in the Leeds City Region.”
Organisations offering practical advice on how creative businesses can secure support and funding include Screen Yorkshire, PACT and Leeds City Council.
Jess Fowle and Andrew Sheldon, Founders and Creative Directors of the north’s biggest factual independent production company, True North, will share the challenges and strategies they’ve used to grow their business over the past 18 years and turn it into the huge success it is today.
The event also features Channel 4 executives who will offer advice on how to access support via the broadcasters Indie Growth Fund, how advertising funding programmes work and ways indies can unlock additional revenue streams.
Screen Yorkshire’s Head of Investment Hugo Heppell will explain the organisation’s Yorkshire Content Fund, and Leeds City Council’s Chief Officer, Economic Development, Eve Roodhouse will detail the city’s Inclusive Growth Strategy.
