Screen Yorkshire sets £3.5m spend target for Yorkshire Content Fund in 2013

ScreenYorkshirehas today announced it plans to invest around £3.5m in TV, film, digital and games projects over the course of 2013 through its Yorkshire Content Fund. After a series of high profile  investments in film and television in 2012, Screen Yorkshire is keen to grow its portfolio, and is looking to invest in up to ten high-end TV or film projects in 2013. ScreenYorkshirecan invest between £100k and £500k in such projects.
Sally Joynson, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire, said: “We’ve had an incredible first year for the Yorkshire Content Fund with TV investments such as Peaky Blinders for BBC2 and The Great Train Robbery heading into production soon for BBC1, along with features such as Warp Films’ ’71, Emu Films’ Catch Me Daddy and Ecosse Films’ Girl’s Night Out. We now have a number of financing structures in place with co-investors that are working very well for the film and TV sectors so I’d urge producers to contact us now with their latest projects so we can continue to invest in the some of the most creative and commercial UK productions.”

The Yorkshire Content Fund, launched in Feb 2012, will invest £7.5m of European Regional Development Funding into growing TV, film, games and digital business across Yorkshire and Humber. That figure will be matched by a further £7.5m of private investment, bringing the total fund value to £15m.

The Yorkshire Content Fund can co-invest in projects with distributors, sales agents, industry financiers, post production houses or any other source of private finance. It can be used as gap finance, mezzanine or equity along with cash-flowing tax credits.

Screen Yorkshire recently announced its production slate so far: Ecosse Films’ VE-day feature Girls’ Night Out; World Productions’ two feature length dramas for BBC1 entitled The Great Train Robbery; Warp Films’ hotly anticipated feature 71; taut and visceral thriller Catch Me Daddy from Emu Films; and A Miracle a UK-French-German-Turkish co-production. Peaky Blinders, which filmed in autumn 2012, was the first investment from the Yorkshire Content Fund.

Further information on the Yorkshire Content Fund and to apply visit: www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/funding