Members Forum

Just a quick note to say what a brilliant time we had at our networking session last night. It was fantastic to see so many faces - old & new - and great to find out about the exciting projects that are in progress.

If you couldn't make it along and want to find out more about The Producers' Forum please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!

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It was a really magical feeling. We were back at the MAC where it all started nearly 7 years ago. Of course the MAC is now a newly re-furbished venue and it felt as though the energy of the building combined with the energy of so many new faces to create a truely inspiring evening. At least 2 new members have signed up and I was really excited to see such a mix of new and old faces.

really interesting to be back at the MAC: weird but good as it is where we had allot of our early meets. the diversity and interest last night was really good: networking excellent: ive got 2 scripts to read from a very interesting up and coming writer!! also great to talking about how the region can grow and progress in terms of film and wider media: lets be positive as we have a very rich heritage and great regional talent

For many the last few years being regional producers has been a long hard slog; by way of encouragement let me offer a perspective that will sound capitalist to many but which will have significant effects if it comes to bear.

I am totally dispassionate about the Region. I wasn't born here, nor have I lived here for very long. But the attraction to set up shop was due to low cost of entry into the market (corporate film production at the time), good transport links and low costs.

What I've observed since is a pattern that occurs in economic life-cycles in lots of sectors. Geographic areas, particularly those with heavy state stimulus, find it takes a very long time to make anything happen. Forgive the analogy, but to grow and develop a mature, prosperous sector is a bit like trying to grow a mature, prosperous garden. It takes a long time, a great many seeds won't germinate, and there's a thin line between a rapid climber and a weed.

The 'ecology' of a sector like the screen industries goes through stages of development, like a garden. In the Region we've seen many seeds sown, a lot of passionate local champions, a lot of artificial 'planting' (but even at worst, the legacy of these plants is that they decay and make the ground more fertile) and some promising signs of more established entities migrating into our patch. The big change comes with the money. The way our economy works, a sector without investment is like a garden without water. Except the water doesn't just come. Investors from funds we won't even have heard of will be sniffing around all the time, looking for the next area where they see an opportunity to make money - in this case, a sector that has the right amount of connectedness, the right level of talent, enough track record, certain unique factors/efficiencies/assets etc. Their investment (and profit) will mean there is an industry here, and the time is coming where I observe these factors coming together: but we need to demonstrate competent management and professionalism to complete the circle.

Most investors do not care about Regional representation unless it's key to selling the product, they find labors of love confusing, and there's nothing more off-putting to someone of this ilk than hearing moaning and complaining. No one wants to fund someone else's problem. It's time to get more professional: to discuss opportunities coolly and objectively, to promote rather than bemoan, and make it our business to do business. Even if the truth of this economic world is painful to some (myself included) it is by far the most likely way of growing a sector that relies on some pretty basic notions of investment and capital accumulation.

Web: http://www.venioservices.co.uk Twitter: @steffanaquarone