SCOTTISH independent TV production companies are to be able to apply for match funding to help get their projects off the ground.
The £-for-£ scheme – which involves matching investment sourced from elsewhere – comprises a pot of £1million and is being administered by Scottish Enterprise and the national development agency for the arts, screen and creative industries, Creative Scotland.
Says a Creative Scotland media release, announcing the move: “By providing co-investment, alongside a private sector investor, the new scheme will increase Scottish television producers’ ability to secure UK network commissions that can then be sold in international and secondary markets.
“This direct support to independent production companies in Scotland will give producers access to finance to make high-quality, high-value programmes with national and international appeal, enabling producers to more effectively exploit their intellectual assets in different territories.”
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, is quoted, as saying: “Television and digital media support 42,000 jobs and are an important part of our creative industries – a thriving sector of the Scottish economy with tremendous potential for growth. This Government is creating the right conditions for the creative industries sector to flourish and I am pleased to see Scottish Enterprise and Creative Scotland working closely with the television production industry to ensure appropriate support is in place.”
Jane Muirhead (pictured), national director for Scotland at PACT, the UK trade association for the independent production sector, is also quoted, as saying: “This important initiative has been designed by listening to the independent TV sector and responding to some of the challenges that currently face the industry. This scheme will serve as a lever to get content made, and to exploit and take that content global. It will support business and creativity and safeguard jobs, while building a strong skill base for the future.”
Details of how to access the fund can be read here. Also, a workshop about the scheme is being hosted in Glasgow a week on Tuesday, as detailed here.
