The strengths of the world-leading UK screen sector – from studio space to partnerships – were laid out at the UK Screen Investment Dinner in the run-up to the flagship conference this month.
The UK Screen Investment Summit – in partnership with Hertfordshire Futures – will take place on 26 November at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, and the dinner – co-hosted by Hertfordshire Growth Board – at The Grove, Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, on November 3 brought together senior figures from across the UK’s key regional production clusters and studios, along with investors, producers, technology innovators, educators, and industry stakeholders.
They met to explore opportunities to connect and shape the future of the high-growth screen sector, and to further inform the conference agenda.
Cllr Jeremy Newmark, Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, Vice-Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board and Chair of Elstree Film Studios, hailed the work going on in UK regions such as Liverpool, where local creators are being backed through the Independent Production Fund; in Wales, where “committed public support is attracting serious global projects”; and in Bristol, where a “compelling model” is being actively created.
He highlighted how “Europe’s highest concentration of global studios and support infrastructure” sits in Hertfordshire and that, alongside Surrey and Buckinghamshire, production space is “on a par with the whole of LA.”
“Hertfordshire is no longer a supporting actor in the UK’s film and TV story – we are on the main stage.”
“But we’re doing it differently,” he added. “We’re building something new. We’re building a genuine ecosystem – studios, skills, innovation, and investment.”
The stellar studio line-up in Hertfordshire includes Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden; Elstree Film Studios, which has just entered into an expansion project with The MBS Group; Sky Studios Elstree, which is adding ten new stages to its current site; the new Fairbank Studios on the former BBC site; and the Langleybury Film Hub, which is supporting independents. These sit alongside plans for the new Equinix Data Centre, which will provide digital infrastructure to support the expanding studios.
“This is confidence – concrete confidence – in Hertfordshire as the UK’s creative heartland,” Councillor Newmark said. However, he further announced that “studios alone don’t constitute an economy – people do, skills do – and that’s why we’re launching a new era of collaboration: a triple helix partnership with education – the University of Hertfordshire and our local colleges – working directly with industry, studios, production companies, and the entire supply chain, and with government, both local and national, not as bystanders but as partners.”
Caroline Cooper, Chief Operating Officer, Sky Studios, talked about the success stories Sky had hosted – including Barbie and Wicked – and also the popular local productions such as The Traitors being filmed in UK regions.
“It’s a very exciting time for the UK screen industry. It’s very clear we are a vital source of growth, a big engine for the economy, and we’ve got the support of government.”
UK studio capacity has doubled in the past three years, she said – a momentum being felt across the country, from the North to Birmingham and Wales, to name a few successful regions.
Agreeing with Councillor Newmark, she added: “One of the biggest factors in this success has been partnership – the partnership between industry, academia, and local government. And when these three come together, the results can be transformative – offering innovation, skills, and ideas that truly match what productions need on the ground.”
The Summit and Dinner are part of the UK Screen Investment Programme, a national platform championing and driving growth in the UK’s screen sector through collaboration, investment, and innovation.
It is a partnership between Hertfordshire Futures with Associate Partners – Creative Wales, Hertfordshire Growth Board, McLaren, and Trowers & Hamlins; Supporting Partners – British Film Commission, Glencar, Liverpool City Council, Marlow Studios, RIOS, Screen Capital West, and West London Film and TV Skills Hub; Event Partner – University of Hertfordshire; and Media Partner – PACT.
To hear more about the remarkable strength of the UK screen sector and its capacity for growth, join us for the UK Screen Investment Summit. Book now.
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