broadcastnow.co.uk 23 August 2019 | Broadcast | 39
Creating a northern powerhouse
Leeds’ successful bid to house Channel 4’s national HQ has been a catalyst for
creativity as new companies move in and opportunities for grassroots talent grow
R
uth Pitt started commuting between
Leeds and London in 2004 to further
her TV career. Now chair of the
regional production event Creative Cities
Convention after running documentary
departments at the BBC, Granada Television
and Tiger Aspect, as well as her own indie,
she hopes that Channel 4’s decision to base
its national HQ in Leeds means that future
generations of TV talent can flourish in the
Leeds city region.
With plans for new production facilities
and studios and the launch of talent schemes,
there’s no doubt that Leeds winning the C4 bid
in October 2018 is already having an impact on
the city’s production scene: Leeds has recently
welcomed new Lime Pictures’ non-scripted
label Wise Owl and fledgling comedy indie
Hell Fire TV, Manchester-based Workerbee
and TV trade body Pact, while the National
Film and TV School and UKTV have also
announced new hubs in the city.
According to Pitt, who acted as a consultant
on the C4 bid, the region’s aspirations as
an international creativity hub have long
gestated. Fashion house Burberry moved
from London to Leeds in 2017, while the
following year, Leeds City Council trans-
formed its European Capital of Culture bid
for 2023 – scuppered by Brexit – into a £35m
Celebration of Leeds plan.
In this context, Pitt predicts the C4 move
will build momentum for several council-
and enterprise-driven endeavours aimed at
turning the region into a northern production
powerhouse. “It will act as transformational
catalyst for the place that Leeds is already
becoming,” she says.SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Indigenous indies such as Daisybeck Studios
and True North are working with the industry
to develop a local skills and talent pipeline and
the spirit of collaboration is palpable, says Pitt.
“During the C4 bid, I saw rival chief executives
coming together to make it happen and this
collaboration continues as incoming indies
speak to indigenous companies about what
they can do to secure talent for the future.”
New companies can take advantage of the
Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership
(LEP) inward investment fund (#Welcome),
and investment and support is available to
others trying to create production infrastruc-
ture and talent pipelines within the region.True North, for example, is boosting the
region’s editing capacity with a major expan-
sion of its post-production facilities.
Elsewhere, Leeds City Council is working
with a series of partners on a major TV and
film studio complex at the former Polestar
Petty print works, just five minutes from
C4’s new headquarters. “Dramas have
taken advantage of our amazing locations
for years, from Victoria and Gentleman Jack
to Last Tango In Halifax,” says Pitt. “The
investment in studios takes this to the next
level – there’s no reason why a TV drama
needs to be shot anywhere else.”
Supporting grassroots talent is another
priority and Leeds’ ability to provide young,
talented and diverse workers is one of the
factors that likely attracted C4, Pitt says. “We
have the greatest number of 18-24s outside
London – that makes Leeds an ideal stomping
ground for change.” She points to mentoring
programmes such as Screen Yorkshire and
Bradford Council’s Beyond Brontës, which
is supported by LEP and launched last year to
nurture talented 18 to 24 year-olds from
diverse backgrounds.Pitt responds to criticisms of a perceived
lack of senior C4 execs moving to Leeds
by saying “organic” change is more sustain-
able and points to head of drama Caroline
Hollick now working out of the city as an
example of change.
News and current affairs, the genre in
which Pitt first cut her teeth, is set for a boost,
with plans for new offices that include a
studio that will provide a regular Yorkshire-
based co-host for Channel 4 News. Else-
where, a tender for a high-volume factual
show has gone out, further programme
opportunities will emerge and the city’s
digital capabilities are booming.
“The hope is that all these measures will
create new voices in the region and future
generations will be able to start their TV
careers in Leeds or move back here to
progress,” says Pitt. “It doesn’t’ take a lot
of transformation to make big changes.” nRuth Pitt: ‘Leeds is an ideal
stomping ground for change’PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Dramas have taken advantage of our
amazing locations for years, from
Victoria and Gentleman Jack to Last
Tango In Halifax. The investment in
studios takes this to the next level
RUTH PITT
CREATIVE CITIES CONVENTIONIf you’re a creative or digital business
with expansion plans, find out more
about the grants and support Leeds
City Region has to offer at:
investleedscityregion.com/welcome