Birmingham will be at heart of new screen network

BIRMINGHAM will be one of the three regional hubs for Creative England, the body which will replace Screen WM and other screen agencies, with chief executive Suzie Norton expected to play a key role in the new organisation.

Culture minister Ed Vaizey announced this week the formation of Creative England as part of wide-ranging changes to the way the government supports the UK film industry, following the abolition of the UK Film Council, much of whose work will now be carried out by the  British Film Council.

Mr Vaizey said the eight English regional screen agencies would be transformed into “a simpler, more efficient structure with an expanded remit to support the creative industries across England”. The current structure could no longer be afforded, he said, and the new body would work out of three regional hubs – North, Central and South – but he refused to specify exactly where these would be based.

But papers filed at Companies House showed the bosses of the screen agencies based in Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol, were named as directors of the newly formed private company behind Creative England.

Suzie Norton, chief executive of Screen WM, told TheBusinessDesk.com: ““It would not be cost effective to have centres in every city but the regional screen agencies have proved that we can provide efficient and effective delivery of services across the country.

“Three agencies covering these areas have created a joint venture company called Creative England Ltd as a basis for the single body announced on Monday.

“Over the past few months the network of screen agencies have been developing models for rationalised support for the sector.

“The Creative England model had the majority of support and was put to DCMS ahead of this week’s announcement.

“There is a rationale around exploiting the growth and creative activity in the economic centres of London, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol that allows these centres to operate as crucial and cost effective hubs for industry support across England.

“The Creative England model will engage fully with a wide range of business support and finance across the country”

Serving as directors of Screen England alongside Ms Norton are Paul Taylor, of Manchester-based Vision+Media is also a director, as is Caroline Norbury, chief executive of South West Screen.

Regional screen agencies were established by the UK Film Council in 2002 to support both the ‘screen-related’ sector of film and television, as well as the wider creative industries such as games, digital, new media, design and fashion. Funding came from the Film Council, lottery funds and Regional Development Agencies.

Using a ‘hub and spoke’ model, Creative England will commission services from the old screen agencies – including Screen Yorkshire and EM Media in the East Midlands, but is also free to look elsewhere to get best value-for-money. Without guaranteed income from Creative England, some screen agencies are expected to face further uncertainty over their future.

But Tom Harvey, CEO of Newcastle-based Northern Film and Media, said: “We fully support a hub and spoke model. The stronger links we have with creative hubs like  London, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol the better. These cities are powerful routes to national and international markets.”

Ms Norton said the screen agencies were working on a business plan which will include details of the corporate structure to be published in the new year.