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 report reveals.
A major catalyst for the 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 so far invested in 15 productions including 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 Smoggie Queens, each of which has 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.”
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.
The report in numbers:
- £72.5m production spend in the region (an 83% increase)
- £88.5m GVA over 4 years
- The equivalent of 1419 Full Time jobs created across the screen sector, according to the EIA Saffrey report
- £7.80 return on every £1 invested in projects via the North East Production Fund (NEPF).
- £3.6m invested in 15 productions through the NEPF
- 65% of crew members employed on NEPF productions are from the North East
- A 58% increase in filming days with productions staying and filming for longer in the region thanks to alternative studio spaces
- 9265 paid training days on production delivered to support lifelong workforce development
- 11 regional companies winning commissions
- 74 IP and business development investments
- 357 registered supply chain companies
- 137,000 days work on production
- 3730 people attended early career events
