Regional screen agency, North East Screen has published its latest impact report showing continued growth during it’s fourth year of funding. Production spend in the North East region has increased by 83%, more regional companies are winning commissions and 1,419 jobs have been created on productions since 2022.
The catalyst to growth has been the North East Production Fund, backed jointly by £3.6m funding from Mayors Kim McGuinness and Ben Houchen to create new jobs and opportunities for local people in film and TV.
The production Fund has invested so far in 15 productions. Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day, Channel 5’s The Fortune and The Feud, UKTV’s The Red King, ITV’s I Fought the Law and Transaction and returning BBC comedy series Smoggie Queens are just some of the productions that have helped to create jobs and opportunities for local people with a 58% increase in filming days and 65% of North East based crew working on these productions.
Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive of North East Screen said;
“Production has never been better in the North East, the growth rate is phenomenal and we already have a number of productions lined up to shoot across the North East for next year. We need to credit the success of the Production Fund in attracting production companies to the region. Once they are here, they benefit from our filming friendly region – 12 local authorities and 2 combined authorities supporting production, our breadth and quality of locations, our first class talented crew and the vital support of our film office.
We also have many indigenous companies in the region who we support such as Lonesome Pine, Twentysix 03, Film Nova, Signpost and Candle and Bell who continue to create commissionable content, employ regional teams and produce content that is viewed by global audiences. We now have 357 local supply chain companies registered on our database and we champion local businesses to all incoming productions.”
Kim McGuiness, North East Mayor commented;
“It is great to see new productions coming to the region, but it’s even better to see that 65% of their crews are North East creatives.
“Creating opportunities for local people is behind every decision I make as Mayor. It means investing in industries and boosting training places so that normal working class people can get their dream jobs.
“There’s a real energy in the North East creative sector right now, and that’s why I’m putting in £104m to boost skills, and build the infrastructure to attract more investment, bring more businesses to the region, who employ local people. At the centre of this is our new £38m film studios, which will start construction this summer in Sunderland.”
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Mayor, said:
“A few years ago, nobody was talking about Teesside in the same breath as major film and TV production. Today, that’s exactly what’s happening.
“From productions like The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and I Fought the Law, our region is increasingly being recognised as a place where world-class television can be made.
“That’s creating opportunities for local people, supporting our businesses and showcasing everything our area has to offer to millions of viewers.
“The Hartlepool Production Village and expansion of Northern Studios are the next chapter in that story. Alongside the fantastic work North East Screen is doing to attract productions and develop local talent, we’re helping to build the infrastructure for an industry that will create skilled jobs, bring more investment into our region and give the next generation the chance to build successful creative careers right here at home.”
The North East of England is the fastest growing region for the screen industry and a welcoming home for world class TV and film production. North East Screen Industries Partnership is funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority.
