TRUE INDIES PRODUCTION 100
SURVEY
TOP TRUE INDEPENDENTS
A Productions Aardman Air TV
TRUE DEFINITIONS Before we go any further, let’s define what Televisual means by ‘true indie’. We are aiming to look at companies run by their owners, rather than as divisions or labels by a superindie group, US studio, UK broadcaster or private equity group. It’s different from the legal
definition of an independent production company that qualifies as part of the PSB quota. Companies qualify for the quota as long as no single UK broadcaster has a shareholding greater than 25%, or any two or more UK broadcasters have an aggregate shareholding greater than 50%. Many superindie groups fall
within the definition and their group companies qualify for the quota. But while it’s true to say that the superindies own many of the biggest and best UK production companies, it’s also the case that many true indies such as Avalon TV, Arrow and Nutopia are leaders in the industry. Around half of Televisual’s
2021 Covid-friendly Production 100 is made up of true indies. Many of them have investors backing them with a shareholding of less than 50 per cent and many have considerable and growing businesses.
MANY VOICES The true indies listed on this page represent just the tip of the iceberg. The latest Pact census estimated 260 small indies turning over
under £1m. Above this, the census took findings from 171 indies, dividing these by turnover to show another 64 companies operating at between £1 and £5m, leaving just 107 indies with a turnover above £5m. At Woodcut Media, a true
indie with backing from the Anthology Group, CEO Kate Beal celebrates “the plurality of voices” in the UK’s audiovisual industry, a phenomenon that feeds into the industry demands for diversity both on screen and behind the camera. During the pandemic, Pact got
a gauge on just how many voices there are out there. It was decided to give indies a helping hand by offering free Pact membership for a limited period. Its membership grew to 903, falling back to 583 by May 2021 when fees were reintroduced. But many stayed as members. “Most of those are small start-ups” say John McVay, chief executive of Pact. “By hook or crook, ingenuity or design, they are growing their companies.”
FINDING A NICHE McVay’s advice to them is to look at the broadcaster schedules and find a place where they can get a toe-hold. Once they have a programme credit and become a supplier, they can grow their business. There is room in the
broadcaster schedules. Total sector revenues in the UK stood at £2.87 billion in 2020, even after a 14
Autumn 2021 P36
Appeal TV Arrow Atlantic Avalon
Back2back Bad Wolf Big Wave Bigger Bang Blue Zoo Brinkworth Cactus CC Lab Collective Media Group Cornelia Street Double Act Drama Republic Element FilmWave Footstep Fulwell 73 Hardcash HCA Entertainment Icon Films Impossible Factual
televisual.com
Interstellar ITN Productions King of Sunshine Magic Light Pictures Marshal Bishop Minnow Films Nutopia October Films Oxford Film and TV Plimsoll Rare TV Red Planet Rollem Rondo Sister Sixteen South Spun Gold Strawberry Blond Threewise Entertainment Tuesday’s Child TV Two Rivers Voltage TV Wildseed Whitworth Woodcut Yeti Zig Zag
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
