North East Screen

What North East Screen does

North East Screen is a company limited by guarantee that operates as the publicly mandated screen industries development agency for North East England, delivering the North East Screen Industries Partnership (NESIP) on behalf of the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA). It serves incoming film and high-end television (HETV) productions seeking to film in the region, regional production companies, supply chain vendors, and crew at all career stages, by acting as a single coordinated front door for crew sourcing, location access, local authority permissions, training, and production finance. Its core product portfolio comprises the Film Office (free production support and database services), the North East Production Fund (investment vehicle for HETV drama and commercial features, reporting a £7 return per £1 invested), the Crew Academy and Skills Team (workforce development including masterclasses, shadowing, and subsidised trainee rates), the Talent and Business Development function, and the BBC Digital Accelerator for digital-first content targeting 16-24 year-old audiences. Underlying infrastructure includes a proprietary crew database, a 357-company local supply chain registry, and a monitoring and evaluation system tracking GVA, jobs, filming days, and production spend across the region.

The agency's commercial model is grant-funded rather than transactional: NESIP jointly invested £11.4m over a five-year period starting 2022, with additional £6.25m committed by Mayor Kim McGuinness and £3.6m jointly for the Production Fund by Mayors McGuinness and Houchen, supplemented by a £2.3m BFI National Lottery grant routed through Screen Alliance North and BBC's £15m regional investment commitment by 2027. Direct service pricing is zero-rated for the Film Office, while Crew Academy subsidises crew rates for productions hiring Academy Members and the Production Fund deploys risk capital into individual productions in exchange for regional commitment. Distribution is direct and event-driven, with Film Office engagement, industry conferences (Content Without Borders), skills workshops (Bridge to Industry, Frame Your Future), and webinars (BBC Audience Insight). Operating geographies are strictly limited to North East England, with 12 local authorities signed to the Filming Friendly Charter and offices in Hartlepool (headquarters) and Sunderland. Impact metrics reported by NES include £88.5m in regional GVA, 1,046 FTE jobs created across the sector over three years, a 131% surge in regional production spend, and 65% of crew on NEPF productions sourced from the region.

Name

North East Screen

Legal name

North East Screen

Website

https://northeastscreen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

North East Screen is the publicly mandated screen industries development agency for North East England, operating as a company limited by guarantee funded by NECA and TVCA. It serves film and TV productions, regional production companies, and crew via its Film Office, Production Fund, Crew Academy, and the BBC Digital Accelerator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Screen Industries Development Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production (MPADABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scripted Feature Film Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAA), Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC), Production Office Space & Support Facilities (MPADAIAD)

Keywords

• Film production services
• Screen industry development
• Crew training programs
• Production investment fund
• Regional film commission

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartlepool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Funding: NESIP jointly invested £11.4m over a five-year period to deliver a Screen Industries Development Programme. Funded by North East Combined Authority (NECA) and Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA).
2. North East Production Fund: Investment fund managed and delivered by North East Screen with funding from NESIP, investing in HETV drama and commercial feature films. For every £1 spent there's a £7 average return on investment.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North East Screen operates as the screen industries development agency for North East England. Its Film Office connects film and TV productions with skilled crew, diverse filming locations, and filming-friendly local authorities. The North East Production Fund invests in high-end TV drama and commercial feature films committed to filming in the region. The Crew Academy and Skills Team develop new entrants and mid-career crew through training, shadowing, and subsidised placement opportunities.

Product overview

North East Screen operates as a screen industries development agency offering a coordinated portfolio of services across the film and TV production lifecycle. The core offering includes the Film Office (production service connecting productions with crew, locations and local authorities), the North East Production Fund (investment vehicle for productions), and the Crew Academy/Skills Team (workforce development for new entrants and mid-career professionals). Additional services include Talent and Business Development, the BBC Digital Accelerator programme (digital-first content initiative), Connected Campus (education partnerships), Going Places (bursary fund for travel costs), Development Initiatives (writer/director support), and Content Without Borders (industry conference). The Filming Friendly Charter coordinates with 12 local authorities, while NESIP represents the overarching strategic partnership with Combined Authorities. Together, these services form an end-to-end ecosystem supporting production, talent development, and industry growth in North East England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Film Office: Free resource for film and TV productions shooting anywhere in North East England, providing access to skilled crew, diverse filming locations, and filming-friendly local authority partners.
• Crew Academy
• North East Production Fund
• Digital Accelerator
• Talent and Business Development
• Going Places

Products and services

• Film Office A free production service connecting film and TV productions with skilled crew, diverse filming locations, and filming-friendly local authorities across North East England.
• North East Production Fund An investment fund investing in HETV drama and commercial feature films committed to North East production, generating inward investment through production spend, supply chain companies, and regional jobs.
• Crew Academy A programme supporting new entrants to the screen industry through masterclasses, workshops, CV surgeries, on-set open days, shadow placements, and subsidised trainee rates for productions.
• Talent and Business Development Drives growth in the screen sector by nurturing talent and empowering businesses, connecting creatives with opportunities, supporting writers and above-the-line talent with development initiatives, and helping companies build scale and resilience.
• BBC Digital Accelerator A partnership with the BBC supporting North East production companies to develop digital-first content for 16-24 year old audiences through funding, mentoring, and business support.
• Connected Campus Talent development network linking universities and colleges with the screen industry through masterclasses, workshops and networking events.
• Going Places Bursary Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• £7 return for every £1 invested in the North East Production Fund
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• BBC Digital AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Bold partnership unveiled at Edinburgh TV Festival to turbocharge digital-first content creation through funding, mentoring, and business support for ambitious production companies.
• Screen Alliance North (BFI Skills Cluster North of England)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Partnership between Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester, and Screen Yorkshire. Awarded £2.3m BFI National Lottery Funding for another 3 years. Addresses skills gaps and broadens access to opportunities across the North of England.
• BBCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021MOU signed in September 2021 between NESIP and BBC signifying a long-term partnership. The BBC works with NESIP to support sustainable growth in the regional production economy and highlight cultural and economic contribution to the region. BBC committed £15m additional investment by 2027, taking total Network TV commissioning spend in the North East to at least £40m.
• 12 Local Authorities (Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Durham, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll 12 local authorities have signed the Filming Friendly Charter, providing support, knowledge, and contacts to assist productions filming in the region.
• Pact (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPact's Content Without Borders conference returning to the North East. Pact is the trade association representing UK independent television and film producers.
• North East University Screen Network (NEUSN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for the Connected Campus initiative linking universities and colleges with industry.
• GeoPuraminorOthersSponsor for Content Without Borders 2026 event, providing zero-emission hydrogen power solutions for productions.
• Audio NetworkminorOthersSponsor for Content Without Borders 2025 and 2026 events.
• Visit Northumberland LVEPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestination Management Organisation partnering for supply chain events in Northumberland.
• Northumberland Small Business ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for supply chain events helping businesses join the screen industry supply chain.
• ReelTime MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner delivering job sharing and flexible working sessions for the screen industry.
• Destination North East EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting the Power of Film, TV & Screen for the Visitor Economy webinar series.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ScreenSkills: ScreenSkills is the UK sector skills body for the screen industries, providing training, workforce data, and skills investment including for the BFI Skills Clusters. It is comparable to NES's Crew Academy and Skills Team in mission, though operating nationally rather than regionally, and is an adjacent rather than competing entity.
• Creative England: Creative England is a national creative industries agency with a broader portfolio than North East Screen, having historically absorbed South West Screen and operated regional production funds and skills programmes. It is comparable as a publicly funded UK screen agency, though it is broader in scope and not regionally specific.
• British Film Institute (BFI): The BFI is the UK's lead body for film, providing National Lottery funding (including the £2.3m Skills Cluster grant to Screen Alliance North), policy, and skills investment. It is a higher-level funder and strategic partner that NES interacts with, rather than a direct competitor, but defines the broader public-sector screen funding landscape NES operates within.

Direct peers

• Film London: Film London is London's screen agency, providing a Film Office, production support, and skills programmes through a public-private partnership. It is a structural peer to North East Screen as a regional screen development agency, though it operates in a much larger and more competitive production market.
• Liverpool Film Office: Liverpool Film Office is Liverpool City Region's screen agency providing location services, crew database access, and production liaison. It is a Screen Alliance North partner alongside North East Screen and operates an essentially identical Film Office / development agency model in a different but comparable UK region.
• Creative Scotland: Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creative industries across Scotland, including screen through its screen funding and skills programmes. Comparable to NES as a devolved public-sector screen industry development body, though with a broader creative industries remit.
• Screen Yorkshire: Screen Yorkshire is the most directly comparable UK regional screen agency, operating a Film Office, Production Fund (Yorkshire Content Fund), and skills programmes across Yorkshire. Like North East Screen, it is publicly funded and focused on attracting and developing regional screen industry activity, and the two agencies partner through Screen Alliance North.
• Northern Ireland Screen: Northern Ireland Screen is the screen agency for Northern Ireland, funded by the Department for Communities and offering funding, skills development, and production services. It is a close structural peer to North East Screen in delivering publicly funded screen industry development at a sub-national level.
• Creative Wales: Creative Wales is the Welsh Government body supporting creative industries including screen, offering production funding and skills programmes. It mirrors North East Screen's model of devolved public funding for screen industry development, with comparable Film Office-style production support services.
• Screen Manchester: Screen Manchester operates as Manchester's screen industries development agency, offering a Film Office, production support services, and skills development. It is one of North East Screen's closest peers through the Screen Alliance North partnership, serving a similarly structured regional screen ecosystem with major production infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/northeastscreen
• Xtwitter.com/northeastscreen
• Instagraminstagram.com/northeastscreen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northeastscreen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 North East Screen