A comedy co-operative founded by Northern Film + Media has won its first commission from Channel 4.
The North East Comedy Hot House has been established to develop both on- and off-screen talent and will be producing 24 digital shorts for the channel.
“I’m thrilled to finally have the opportunity to develop and showcase the rich on-screen and programme-making talent in the North East,” said Emma Lawson, Head of North East Comedy Hot House and Executive Producer for each of the shorts.
“We have such a unique, exciting comedy community, and this initiative has been formed especially for us to get more involved with that on a programme making level. The humour here is mischievous, inventive and has a strong sense of place, so it’s a dream first project for the North East Comedy Hot House to be partnering with a broadcaster like Channel 4 on, and we can’t wait to get cracking.”
The first 3 companies producing shorts are Roundhouse Pictures, Couch Potato Films and FNA.
They will be among 120 films airing this autumn as part of C4’s £1m investment into comedy shorts.
“Showcasing new writers and talent from across the country and providing a platform for them to try the things they wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to do is hugely exciting for us. We look forward to unearthing the comic voices of the future and seeing how our online audiences respond,” added Laura Marks, the Channel 4 Commissioner for the project.
Shorts will be aired exclusively across Channel 4’s portfolio of social channels, including YouTube and Facebook.
