Mythos Manchester, the new film, television, culture and commerce industry event taking place on Thursday 11 June 2026 at ABC Buildings in the city’s St John’s District, has confirmed that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will be taking time out from his current campaign to return to Westminster, and potentially Downing Street, to deliver the keynote address at next week’s event.
Mythos Manchester will bring together producers, directors, financiers, creative entrepreneurs and senior leaders actively developing projects, building slates and seeking finance for content and creative businesses, positioning Manchester and neighbouring Salford’s MediaCity at the centre of conversations shaping the future of the UK screen industries.
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The keynote from Burnham will reinforce the Mayor’s recent confirmation of a £10.5 million Screen Production Fund to support TV and film projects across the region as part of the Good Growth Fund, focusing on projects that spend locally, use regional crew and facilities, and create training and skills opportunities. The initiative forms part of Greater Manchester’s Creative Industries Sector Development Plan, which aims to establish the region as the strongest screen industry cluster outside London by 2028. The mayor will share his vision for the North’s creative economy and the case for regional media investment and how Greater Manchester is uniquely placed to lead the next chapter of UK screen growth.
Mythos will convene around 300 senior figures from across film, television, gaming, finance, tech and media, creating a “high-value environment for collaboration, networking and investment conversations.” The event will connect creatives with capital through a programme of panels, roundtables, investor meetings and discussions exploring co-production, international partnerships, funding opportunities and the future of regional screen production.
Alongside Burnham, confirmed speakers include Caroline Simpson from GMCA; Emily Feller, chief creative officer at Warp Films and the executive behind Adolescence; Phil Hunt, founder of Head Gear Films and Bankside Films; Richard Fee of Quay Street Productions; Rob Page from Screen Manchester and Space Studios; Caroline Cooper Charles from Screen Yorkshire; BBC iPlayer’s Dan McGolpin; Isabel Davis from Screen Scotland; and screenwriter Paul Fraser.
Additional speakers include Marcus Ryder from The Film and TV Charity; Noel Hedges, former EVP at Lionsgate; Carol Bell OBE from Creative UK; plus finance and investment specialists including Peter Touche of Allegro Finance, Karim Palent from UK Private Capital, John Glencross and Mariyah Dosani from Calculus Finance, Victoria Fäh from IPC.VC and Nick Donaghy from Creative UK.
The event will also spotlight emerging and independent voices shaping the future of the industry, including Upstream founder Charlie Read; and independent producer Neil Chordia.
Mythos Manchester is supported by a network of partners including Head Gear Films, UK Private Capital, Creative UK, Invest Manchester, Space Studios, Lifted Ventures, Women in Film and Television, Manchester Publicity Association, Reclaim The Frame, Calculus, Dinosaur and Hotel Football.
The Film and TV Charity has also been announced as the event’s official charity partner, reinforcing Mythos’ commitment to wellbeing and sustainability across the screen industries.
Alongside its industry programme, Mythos will celebrate Northern and working-class storytelling through curated screenings of classic northern cinema and television, while also providing opportunities for emerging filmmakers and independent producers to showcase new work.
Rachel McClelland, co-founder of Mythos Manchester, said: “Mythos has been created to connect the incredible creative talent in the North with the people, partnerships and investment needed to bring stories to life. We want to create meaningful conversations between filmmakers, producers, investors, broadcasters and brands, while opening up opportunities for the next generation of regional storytellers.
“We have also added a special screenwriting workshop with Paul Fraser on Wednesday 10th and a post-event breakfast on Friday 12th at On the 7th, MediaCity which allows us to continue those conversations in a more focused way with the businesses and creative community based there, exploring how Manchester and MediaCity can continue growing as internationally recognised centres for content creation and screen innovation.”
Mythos Manchester takes place from 9.30am to 5.30pm on Thursday 11 June 2026 at ABC Buildings, St John’s District. The event is supported by Estrella and Sticks’n’Sushi, and registration and updates are avaliable here. More information on the screenwriting workshop is here, while tickets for the post-event breakfast session on Friday 12 June 10am-12.30pm at On the 7th, Media City are here.
