Women in Film and Television UK

What Women in Film and Television UK does

Women in Film and Television UK (WFTV UK), incorporated as Women in Film and Television (UK) Limited and headquartered at Somerset House, London, is a private membership organisation founded in 1989 that serves women working across film, television, and digital media in the United Kingdom. It is structured as a horizontal, persona-segmented community rather than a product technology business, and its sole end customer is the individual professional member, with corporate partners acting as sponsors rather than buyers.

The organisation's service portfolio spans twelve distinct programmes. Core membership provides access to a member directory, online resources hub, and catch-up content. Career-development programmes include the Four Nations Mentoring Scheme (mid-career mentoring across England, North of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — 48 mentees in 2024), the Fast Track to Fearless Leadership Programme (senior-leader development, 11 participants as of 2024), the Kay Mellor Screenwriters' Lab, the Production Management Programme, the Elouise Carden Rising Star Bursary, and the Pat Llewellyn Bursary Fund. Profile and community programmes include the WFTV Awards (annual since the early 1990s), the WFTV Festival (launched March 2025 at London's Garden Cinema, expanded to five cities in 2026), and the WFTV Short Film Club. The underlying technology stack is a Wix-hosted public website with MemberSpace managing member access and Stripe processing subscription payments; no proprietary technology, mobile apps, or AI components are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through annual membership subscriptions paid by individual members, ticket and event revenue from the awards ceremony and festival, and corporate sponsorship of named programmes. Sponsorship partners are concentrated in UK broadcasters and major industry players — Netflix funds mentoring in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales through the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity; BBC and Channel 4 fund England and North of England mentoring cohorts; Sky is a long-standing awards partner; and EON Productions sponsors the Lifetime Achievement Award. The organisation is led by CEO Katie Bailiff with Sarah Wright as Director of Mentoring; no venture capital, private equity, or external institutional funding is disclosed, and the entity operates independently.

Name

Women in Film and Television UK

Legal name

Women in Film and Television (UK) Limited

Website

https://wftv.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women in Film and Television UK is a private London-based membership organisation, founded in 1989, serving women working in film, television, and digital media across the UK through membership subscriptions, mentoring schemes, an annual awards ceremony, and a multi-city festival.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual subscription fees from members who gain access to restricted materials, networking, mentoring schemes, events, awards ceremonies, and member-only resources. Members must pay subscription fee to access restricted website materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Women in Film and Television UK (WFTV) is a UK-wide membership organization for women working in film, television, and digital media. It sells annual membership subscriptions granting access to networking, mentoring, awards, festivals, leadership programmes, bursaries, and industry resources. Core offerings include the Four Nations Mentoring Scheme, WFTV Awards, WFTV Festival, Fearless Leadership Programme, Kay Mellor Screenwriters' Lab, Production Management Programme, Short Film Club, and member-only resources hub.

Product overview

Women in Film and Television UK is a membership organization offering a portfolio of programs and services for women working in film, television, and digital media. The core offerings include membership with access to networking and resources, the annual WFTV Awards ceremony celebrating achievement, the WFTV Festival showcasing members' creative work, the Four Nations Mentoring Scheme providing six-month structured mentoring across the UK nations, the Fearless Leadership Programme for senior leaders, the Kay Mellor Screenwriters' Lab, Production Management Programme, bursary funds, the Short Film Club for member screenings, and the Events/Catch-Up Hub for industry content and networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Four Nations Mentoring Scheme: Six-month mentoring programme for mid-career women in film, television and digital media, with dedicated cohorts for England, North of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
• Fast Track to Fearless Leadership Programme
• WFTV Short Film Club
• WFTV Festival
• WFTV Awards
• WFTV Kay Mellor Screenwriters' Lab
• Production Management Programme
• Elouise Carden Rising Star Bursary
• Pat Llewellyn Bursary Fund

Products and services

• WFTV Membership Annual membership subscription providing women in film, television, and digital media with access to networking, resources, member directory, events, mentoring schemes, awards participation, and industry connections across the UK and internationally.
• WFTV Awards
• WFTV Festival
• Four Nations Mentoring Scheme
• Fast Track to Fearless Leadership Programme
• Kay Mellor Screenwriters' Lab
• Production Management Programme
• Elouise Carden Rising Star Bursary
• Pat Llewellyn Bursary Fund
• WFTV Short Film Club
• Resources Hub
• Events and Catch-Up Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• Connected hundreds of women with mentors over 16 years of mentoring schemes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Belfast HarbourminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor of WFTV Festival 2026, helping bring the festival to Belfast and supporting women filmmakers
• MBS EquipmentminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor of WFTV Festival 2026
• MetFilmminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Co-hosted Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern breakfast and Q&A event to celebrate new documentary Prime Minister
• SkycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Long-standing partner for WFTV Awards ceremony (partnership with Sky mentioned in WFTV Awards 2023, 2024 descriptions)
• Sunbelt Rentals UK and IrelandmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partners with WFTV Fearless Leadership Programme, providing support for the initiative that equips senior female leaders with skills and vision to reshape the industry
• Eastbrook Studios LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival partner for WFTV Festival 2026, providing venue and support for the event celebrating International Women's Day with screenings and panels
• Loop TalentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival partner for WFTV Festival 2025, supporting the inaugural festival at Garden Cinema in London
• BBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports England and North England mentoring schemes, providing mentors and resources for mid-career women development
• Channel 4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports England and North England mentoring schemes with mentors and resources
• EON ProductionscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing sponsor providing Lifetime Achievement Award named after EON Productions at WFTV Awards

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BAFTA: UK's leading film, TV, and games industry membership organization with awards, learning programs, and talent initiatives. Broader incumbent serving both genders and the full creative industries; partially overlaps with WFTV UK's mission on screen industry talent development.
• Directors UK: UK trade association representing film and TV directors. Comparable as a UK membership body for screen-industry professionals with advocacy and professional development, though gender-neutral rather than women-only.
• ScreenSkills: UK industry-led skills body for the screen industries, funded by broadcasters and government. Comparable in delivering training, bursaries, and mentoring across the UK screen sector, but broader than WFTV's women-focused mission.

Direct peers

• Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI): Global umbrella coordinating national women-in-film chapters worldwide. Highly comparable as it represents the network of which WFTV UK is a constituent chapter, and provides a model for how WFTV UK could formalize its international reach.
• European Women's Audiovisual Network (EWA): European network supporting women in the audiovisual industry through training, mentoring, and advocacy. Comparable mission and program mix, but operates across multiple European countries rather than a single national membership base.
• New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT): NYWIFT is a long-standing US membership organization for women in film/TV offering mentoring, networking, screenings, and professional development. Direct comparable to WFTV UK — same mission, similar program mix, regional focus.
• Women in Film Los Angeles: US-based membership organization for women in the entertainment industry with mentoring, awards, and professional programs. Closest direct peer — operates the same model (membership + mentoring + awards + leadership programs) for women in film/TV, but in the US market.

Regional players

• Women in Film & Television Ireland (WFTI): Irish sister organization focused on women working in film, television, and animation in Ireland. Direct peer offering same membership/mentoring model but operating in a separate (and smaller) domestic market.

Emerging players

• Film Fatales: Membership-based organization supporting women and non-binary feature film directors. Comparable in mission and community-led model, but narrower in focus (directors only) and US-centric.
• Women in Music: UK organization supporting women in the music industry through networking, mentoring, and events. Thematic peer in adjacent creative industry using the same women-focused membership and program model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WFTV_UK
• Facebookfacebook.com/WFTVUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-in-film-and-television-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/wftv_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women in Film and Television UK