availability and how the next wave of talent will break through.” The same concern is voiced at Merman, co-founded by Sharon Horgan, which comes in the top 30 of the Production 100. “Broadcasters sufficiently cash flowing projects is still our major concern, but alongside this is still the shortage of skilled production freelancers, especially production management and accountants.” But is the shortage of crew and
wage inflation more of a challenge if you’re not part of a group? “You’re up against companies who have quite continuous pipelines of production or returning series,” says McArdle. Crew are being offered 18-month contracts. “We just can’t do that.” Describing the justifiable demand for production management pay increases, she says, “they are rightly asking to be fairly compensated, but the budgets haven’t changed and if you don’t have the support of being part of a bigger group that becomes really challenging.” At Curious, Freedman is aiming to offer longer, more secure contracts in the context of stagnant budgets and talent rates rising. “We have to cut our cloth accordingly, but that’s why we’re gearing across numerous and bigger projects at the moment.” Many young true indies are declaring a focus on people from the outset, on new talent, training and encouraging diversity and work-force well-being. Goat Films, the indie set up at the end of 2021 by former Comic Relief creative director and executive producer Mel Crawford, aims to “disrupt the standard working policies of the industry as much as possible and shape Goat Films as a new model.” This model includes a kindness policy, applying equally to staff and freelancers, a profit-sharing scheme for staff and a clear invitation for anyone to pitch ideas to them, with equity shares if those ideas make it to the screen.
Help to grow Whatever model a true indie follows, it can make a critical difference to get help and advice. Alongside PACT’s support services and invaluable informal networks between indie
producers, trusted resources include the Indielab Growth Accelerator and Export Lab programmes. True indies that have taken part on the programmes include Freedom Scripted, Minnow Films and King of Sunshine Productions. Victoria Powell, CEO of Indielab
says: “We help them to develop growth plans, to think about being resilient in this changing market, to develop their unique offer and to maximise UK partners and globally… It’s a combination of helping them to think about and be intentional about their growth and realistic, but also ambitious, and lean into the opportunities that exist.” Indielab programmes also offer guidance if indies are looking for investment. “It’s important to be able to demonstrate that you’ve got that really impressive package and that you’ll be able to deliver for those investors,” says Powell.
Finding funds One potential investment pot is the Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund, which will buy between 20 and 25 percent equity in selected production companies that are aligned with Channel 4’s broad objectives. In most cases it’s looking to help grow the company and see returns if it sells to a larger group. Although in some cases, management have bought back the Channel 4 shares; a case in point being Simon and Jonathan Chinn’s company Lightbox. In the last few years, the Indie
Growth Fund has been focused on investments out of London, with some level of diversity, also looking at companies in the digital space. Recent investments include Spirit Studios and Rockerdale.
Companies in the fund receive a mix of cash and advice from Caroline Murphy, who heads up the team, and from the fund’s three creative mentors, Lorraine Heggessey, Marjorie Kaplan and Tracy Forsyth. Mentoring takes the shape of consistent business input, as well as being a rock for the owners during any crisis. “A lot of them are single founders,” says Murphy. “It can be very difficult running your own
Autumn 2022
When we’re pitching to people, I think there’s a sense that these are really ideas that we care about that we want to make. That’s probably the biggest advantage of being a true indie
company for the first time. People ring up and say, ‘I don’t know what to do, it’s all a disaster.’”
“What our money often does is
to give companies a bit of traction with commissioners,” says Murphy, describing how it can be used for project development. “It allows them to take on some other people, a head of production or development, a part-time finance director. Our money gives them a buffer of cash to get to a point when they are making shows, the development team can be working on the next batch of shows.” As well as the focus on indies in the fund, she and her team do offer advice to others who might get in touch still unsure of their growth plans. They also liaise with the Channel’s Emerging Indie Fund. For those that want to be considered, a development slate, relationships with commissioners and a business plan are basics. “Just that rigour of putting together a plan for the next three years, how many shows could we get, what tariff and cost base are needed and going through that process is really important for a lot of indies,” says Murphy. In contrast to most other investors, Channel 4 has no distribution arm, so for those in the fund the choice of a distribution partner is up for
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