DEFINITION December 2018

SET- UP | MA JOR BROADCAST MOVE

IMAGES Channel 4’s big hits, Gogglebox and GBBO, will be moving with the broadcaster.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION In this highly competitive field, it was the broadcaster’s view that Leeds was best able to deliver Channel 4’s vision and objectives for a new National HQ. The Leeds City Region put forward a comprehensive, compelling and ambitious strategy to partner with Channel 4 and the wider sector to support growth in the production and creative industries, as well as to nurture new talent from diverse backgrounds, both in the region and across the UK. Establishing the National HQ in Leeds will enable Channel 4 to capitalise on a strong and fast-growing independent production sector across northern England – and further unlock the potential for growth in the underserved east and north-east of England. It is extremely well-positioned to be a base for collaboration with producers and creative talent across other cities including Bradford, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. Leeds is already home to a thriving digital industry and a strong digital talent pool. It’s hoped that this will help support Channel 4’s new Digital Creative Unit, which will be established in the National HQ to grow the corporation’s impact and reach across digital and social media platforms. Leeds also demonstrated a commitment to work with Channel 4 to bring diverse new talent into the industry, working in partnership with other organisations and educational establishments – and through harnessing the diversity of different communities across the wider West Yorkshire region, such as Bradford.

Following discussions between Channel 4 and ITN, it has also been decided that a major new Channel 4 News hub will be established in Leeds, in a new building that will include a studio with the capability to regularly co-anchor the programme. Alex Mahon commented: “Leeds [City Region] put forward a compelling and ambitious strategy for how they could work alongside Channel 4 to further build the strong independent production sector in the city and develop new diverse talent from across the region.” LEEDS PRODUCTION According to Danny Howarth of ProVision, which is based in Leeds but owned by ITV, production growth in the area can only increase with Channel 4’s move next year. “We’ve got a lot of independent production companies here, such as True North and Daisybeck, we have facilities, too, and Screen Yorkshire. ProVision has been

operating out of Leeds for about 30 years and we do get a lot of passing production across the board; drama, features, factuals and the like.” He adds: “Being an ITV-owned company, we look after the big shows, such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale . We’ve also just completed Vera and Victoria , and work with the BBC for CBeebies and also with Netflix. We stand as almost an independent label, but still part of ITV.” However, Danny is reserving final judgement until it’s known what Channel 4 is planning for in-house production. “Not knowing the ins and outs of the portfolio, it’s hard to say how much production will move up here, too. Will there be a lot purchased off third-party independents? If that’s the model, then there will be growth.” The popular series, Victoria, has moved up to Leeds completely and is now based at Church Fenton Studios with three hangars offering nearly 100,000 sq ft of internal production space. Series three has just been completed there. But Leeds is offering more than just space; crew and creative talent has been part of the scene for years. “There’s been rich production here for more than 30 years and there has been a swing to Salford with the BBC –we’re only 40 minutes from there,” says Danny. Leeds put forward an ambitious strategy for how they could work alongside Channel 4

14 DEF I N I T ION | DECEMBER 20 1 8

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