The chief executive of the Indie Club has told the Edinburgh TV Festival that they are talking to the BBC and Channel 4 about improving Ofcom’s “Made Outside London” criteria.
Charles Lauder wants to set up a cross broadcaster working party to bring more work to the nations and regions.
“Our thinking has moved on since our submission to Ofcom back in June. Instead of the box ticking nature of percentages, we want a brand new approach to the criteria, based on how many jobs will be created outside London, how much money will be spent and, most importantly, what legacy each production will leave. This is the best way to ensure PSB’s investment in programmes in the nations and regions helps build the creative clusters the UK needs; fulfilling Sir Peter Bazalgette’s key recommendation in his recent Creative Industries Review,” he explained.
“We believe a cross broadcaster working party can come up with a long term solution to this industry wide problem. It needs to be strategic, and expectations of what can be achieved need to increase incrementally over a period of 3 to 5 years. We all recognise it’s going to take time to properly rebalance the industry. It is very heartening that those in charge of the PSBs are genuinely committed to making this happen by developing a sustainable, robust, creative ecology.”
The Indie Club is currently putting together its first board, which will be made up of members from around the country – including London.
