West Midlands

Creative UK

Creative UK (formerly Creative England) is a non-profit organisation that works in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) to support the independent creative industries, including through direct investment, loans and business mentoring.

Creative UK have a  West Midlands Production Fund which invests in the sustainable production of higher end feature films and TV drama in the region.

Film Hub
Midlands

Film Hub Midlands provides funding and training to those working in the Midlands region.

The Midlands region covers Derbyshire, Birmingham, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Film Hub Midlands is part of a UK wide network of eight film hubs, managed by the British Film Institute (BFI), which form the Film Audience Network (FAN).

BBC

Find the BBC's network of genre-specific commissioners on the BBC Commissioning page.

Drama: Lucy Richer, Senior Commissioning Editor, UK and England

Entertainment: Neil McCallum, Lead for Nations & English Regions producers

Channel 4

Find Channel 4's network of genre-specific commissioners on the Channel 4 Commissioning page.

Director of Commissioning, Nations & Regions: Jo Street
Contact: [email protected]
Assistant: John Cannon [email protected]

ITV

Find ITV's network of genre-specific commissioners on the ITV Commissioning page.

Paramount/5

Find Paramount's network of commissioners on the Paramount Commissioning page.

Sky

Find Sky's genre-specific submission portals on the Sky Commissioning page.

Create
Central

Create Central is an initiative aimed at supporting and building on the West Midlands’ existing creative and cultural talent.

Its purpose is to display the breadth and volume of businesses working in television, film, games, virtual reality and other associated screen-based industries throughout the region, to build partnerships, foster collaboration and facilitate business-growth.

Crew
Birmingham

Crew Birmingham is a database of crew and facilities, which are all based in and around the Greater Birmingham area.

Its website features a free-to-access database of Birmingham-based crew, facilities, locations and new talent.

Film
Birmingham

Film Birmingham is Birmingham City Council’s film and television office.

Its team handle a wide range of queries from international and domestic productions, and works closely with them to provide a range of services to help meet their requirements, including:

•   Filming permit applications

•   A locations database

•   A crew and facilities database

•   Funding opportunities

•   Training and courses

Film Hub
Midlands

Film Hub Midlands provides funding and training to those working in the Midlands region.

The Midlands region covers Derbyshire, Birmingham, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Film Hub Midlands is part of a UK wide network of eight film hubs, managed by the British Film Institute (BFI), which form the Film Audience Network (FAN).

Growth
Hubs

A Growth Hub is a free and impartial resource, which exists to provide support and advice, diagnostic services, networking opportunities, and signposting for all businesses looking to grow and/or increase their productivity.

There are over 30 Growth Hubs across England, each designed to meet the specific needs of their local economies. By being part of a national network, they are able to draw on expertise, best practice and connections from across the Growth Hub Network, central government, and national and local partners.

Below is a list of Growth Hubs for the West Midlands region.

• Black Country: West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
• Coventry and Warwickshire: CW Growth Hub
• Greater Birmingham and Solihull: Birmingham & Solihull Growth Hub [defunct but with contact information]
• Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire: Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub
• The Marches: Marches Growth Hub
• Worcestershire: Worcestershire Growth Hub

Production
Central

Production Central is the West Midlands' one-stop-shop agency for film and TV production, offering locations, crew and facilities to streamline filming in the region.

Arts
Council England

Arts Council England is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). It champions, develops and invests in activities across the arts, museums and libraries.

NB: Not including nations.

British
Council Film

British Council Film supports the UK film industry. It offers international opportunities and resources to UK film professionals as well as various funding opportunities throughout the year.

NB: Not including Northern Ireland.

British
Film Institute

The BFI supports and promotes film and television, and is sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). The BFI Film Fund annually invests National Lottery and Government funds to support skills and business development, as well as other funding opportunities, across the UK.

Creative UK

Creative UK is a non-profit organisation that works in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) to support the independent creative industries, including through direct investment, loans and business mentoring.

Doc Society

Doc Society is a non-profit organisation supporting companies working within documentary. It offers various funding schemes for both short and long-form documentary films.

Make a
Move

ScreenSkills' Make a Move initiative encourages on-the-job training for crew members identified, by industry colleagues, as ready to move up to a more senior role.

Productions contributing to the Film Skills Fund are eligible for funding and can access up to £15,000 for an individual receiving training, if stepping up to a head of department role. For all other step-up roles, productions can access up to £10,000 per individual.

UK Global
Screen Fund

The UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF) is a fund designed to boost international development and distribution opportunities for the UK’s independent screen sector.

Financed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and administered by the British Film Institute (BFI), the fund focuses on accelerating export growth, boosting revenues to independent UK screen companies and deepening international relationships.

British
Council Film

British Council Film supports the UK film industry. It offers international opportunities and resources to UK film professionals.

British Film
Commission

The British Film Commission (BFC) is the UK national agency, with a remit to maximise and support the production of international feature film and television in the UK. The BFC provides bespoke production support and assistance with sourcing facilities, locations, studios, and key crew and talent for major film productions. It also offers comprehensive guidance on the UK’s film and television tax reliefs and production funding opportunities, as well as advice on production related regulations. The BFC works in partnership with key film industry bodies and is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), through the British Film Institute (BFI) and the Department for Business & Trade.

Film & TV
Charity

The Film & TV Charity provides advice, support and financial assistance to people who work (or have worked) in the film and television industry in the UK, especially during times of need.

The charity supports those working in film, television and cinema who experience difficulties due to poor health, career and financial issues, as well as other unavoidable circumstances. It offers awards and scholarships for emerging talent, as well as online financial management tools.

ScreenSkills

ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills charity for the screen industries. It works across the UK to ensure that industries for film, television, VFX, animation and games have the skills and talent they need.

The charity provides insight, training and other opportunities to help with career development. Support is provided for childcare, accommodation and travel, in a move to open up opportunities to people returning after a parenting break, and for those who need initial help in taking up opportunities to advance their career. Its work is supported by National Lottery funds and industry contributions.

Help to
Grow

Help to Grow brings together all the support on offer to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the UK Government into one place, making it quicker and more convenient for business leaders to find resources, including information on what funding they can access.

As well as providing business news, the website offers:

• Help to start-up
• Help to scale and grow
• Help with finance and funding
• Help to sell internationally

Filming in
England

Managed by Creative UK, Filming in England offers free comprehensive production support to film and high-end television productions. Alongside its film office partners, and regional and national networks, it is on hand to help at every stage of production, including early feasibility, filming permissions and post-production.

It has directories for filming locations, crew, suppliers, and studios and build spaces across England (excluding nations).