Production Central WM
Production Central WM is the publicly funded production services agency for the West Midlands Combined Authority, providing filming permits, location scouting, crew sourcing, and statutory coordination across seven local authority areas for film, TV, and content productions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2025
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Production Central WM does
Production Central WM is the official production services agency for the West Midlands Combined Authority area, operated by the West Midlands Growth Company and endorsed by the Mayor of the West Midlands. Launched on 20 November 2025, the agency acts as a single front door for film, television, and content productions seeking to film across seven local authority areas — Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Dudley. Its mandate is to consolidate what was previously a fragmented, council-by-council permitting and coordination process into one operational interface for UK and international producers.
The agency's core offering comprises four interlocking services: (1) a bespoke digital permit application system, built on the OpenBrolly platform, that standardises submission and tracking across all seven councils and mandates a minimum of £5 million public liability insurance; (2) location-finding services supported by custom digital lookbooks tailored per production enquiry; (3) crew and supplier sourcing, delivered in partnership with Filming in England (Creative UK); and (4) logistics and statutory coordination with West Midlands Police and Transport for West Midlands on road closures and traffic management. A dedicated student filmmaker programme extends coverage to academic productions.
The business model is a hybrid of transaction-based and publicly funded revenue. Production Central WM collects filming permit fees (structured by crew-size bands, with separate fees for drone, night filming, and traffic management) plus administrative fees on permit issuance. The agency is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority and delivered through the West Midlands Growth Company, making grant support the primary financial underpinning rather than permit fee revenue. The agency's track record — drawn from regional productions including Peaky Blinders, Silent Witness, Small Axe, Mission: Impossible, Ready Player One, Line of Duty, This Town, DI Ray, and MasterChef — functions as credibility marketing for attracting future productions into the region rather than evidence of recurring customer revenue.
Production Central WM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Production Central WM
- Legal name
- Production Central WM
- Website
- https://productioncentralwm.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2025
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Production Central WM is the publicly funded production services agency for the West Midlands Combined Authority, providing filming permits, location scouting, crew sourcing, and statutory coordination across seven local authority areas for film, TV, and content productions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Production Central WM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Production Services
- NAICS
- Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (512199)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production (MPADABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Unit Basecamp, Parking & Logistics Services (MPADAIAJ), Production Office Space & Support Facilities (MPADAIAD)
Keywords
Where Production Central WM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Production Central WM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Filming Permits: Fees collected for filming permits across public highways, council-managed locations, and various permit types including drone filming, night filming, and traffic management. Permit fees vary by activity and location, with crew size bands determining cost structure. Public liability insurance (minimum £5million) and risk assessment required.
- Administrative Fees: Admin fees associated with permit processing and issuance. Permits are issued upon receipt of payment unless prior arrangements have been agreed.
- Government Funding: Funded by West Midlands Combined Authority and delivered by West Midlands Growth Company, suggesting public sector funding as a supporting revenue stream.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Filming Permits - Fees based on crew size bands |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Production Central WM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Production Central WM is the official production services agency for the West Midlands Combined Authority area, delivering a single front door for film, TV, and content production seeking permission to film in the region. Services encompass location finding, permit administration, road closures and traffic management coordination, crew and supplier sourcing, and logistics support across seven local authorities. The agency operates a bespoke digital permit application system and provides dedicated liaison through an experienced team with high-end TV and feature film backgrounds.
Product overview
Production Central WM is a unified production services agency that serves as a single front door for film, TV and content production across the West Midlands. The offering combines a bespoke digital permit application system, location finding services, crew and supplier connectivity, logistics coordination, and dedicated support programs. All core services are delivered through the central platform with additional support from specialist teams for student filmmakers and complex productions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Permit Application System A bespoke digital permit system for managing filming applications across the West Midlands Combined Authority area, handling public highways, streets, parks, council-managed land, and other location types. The system requires public liability insurance (minimum £5 million) and risk assessments.
- Location Finding Services Comprehensive location scouting across cities, towns, heritage sites, and adaptable industrial spaces throughout the West Midlands, including bespoke digital lookbooks tailored to each production enquiry.
- Crew & Supplier Directory Connects productions with skilled local crew and suppliers at all levels through a regional supply chain database, including access to build spaces, studios, workshops, offices and storage facilities.
- Logistics & Coordination Support Coordinates with local authorities, West Midlands Police, and Transport for West Midlands on permits, logistics, road closures, and traffic management for productions.
- Student Filmmaker Program Dedicated support for student film productions, including guidance documents, permit exemptions for journalism students in certain cases, and resources to help student productions navigate filming requirements.
- Resource Library Digital resources including Terms & Conditions, Filming Code of Practice, Drone Guidelines, Night Filming Guidelines, Birmingham Clean Air Zone information, and Permit Fee documentation in PDF format.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduces production coordination complexity through single point of contact across multiple authorities
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Production Central WM
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Production Central WM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
Production Central WM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.
- West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)coreOfficially endorsed by WMCA, which funds and backs the service. WMCA jurisdiction covers seven local authorities: Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, City of Wolverhampton Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.
- West Midlands Growth CompanycoreThe operating entity that manages Production Central WM. West Midlands Growth Company is the delivery partner responsible for managing the website and content.
- Create CentralcoreIndustry-led organization championing the region's creative industries. Production Central WM works closely with Create Central to connect productions with a connected ecosystem spanning screen, games, CreaTech, and post-production.
- Filming in England (Creative UK)corePartnership for crew and supplier databases. Production Central WM is partnered with Filming in England, part of Creative UK, for crew and supplier directories, helping welcome productions to the West Midlands.
- West Midlands PolicemajorWorks in close partnership with West Midlands Police to support and facilitate film, TV, and content production across the region.
- Transport for West Midlands (TfWM)majorWorks in close partnership with TfWM to support and facilitate productions, particularly for road closures and traffic management requirements.
- Mayor of the West MidlandsflagshipOfficially endorsed by the Mayor of the West Midlands, lending political support and visibility to the production services agency.
- Screen StaffordshireminorNeighboring film office for filming enquiries in Staffordshire. Linked as resource for productions seeking to film in neighboring authorities.
- Warwickshire Film OfficeminorNeighboring film office for filming enquiries in Warwickshire. Linked as resource for productions seeking to film in neighboring authorities.
- Film ShropshireminorNeighboring film office for filming enquiries in Shropshire. Linked as resource for productions seeking to film in neighboring authorities.
- Worcestershire Film OfficeminorNeighboring film office for filming enquiries in Worcestershire. Linked as resource for productions seeking to film in neighboring authorities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Production Central WM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- BBC Studios: BBC Studios is one of Production Central WM's largest enterprise customers (Peaky Blinders, Silent Witness, Line of Duty, MasterChef). It is the principal commissioning production company the agency supports, making it a key ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
Direct peers
- Film London: Film London is London's film office offering permit coordination, crew databases, and production services across London boroughs. It is the closest direct peer to Production Central WM in terms of regional single-front-door service model, though at much greater scale.
- Northern Ireland Screen: Northern Ireland Screen is a government-backed agency offering production funding, crew sourcing, and location services. Comparable public-sector production services model with regional mandate.
- Screen Yorkshire: Screen Yorkshire operates the Yorkshire Content Fund and provides production liaison, location services, and crew sourcing across Yorkshire. Comparable regional production-services-agency model with similar local-authority coordination function.
- Screen Scotland: Screen Scotland provides production services, location support, and crew connections across Scottish regions. Comparable regional film commission/agency model with public funding and end-to-end production liaison.
- Manchester Film Office (GMAC Film): Greater Manchester Combined Authority's film office providing permit coordination and production liaison across Manchester boroughs. Direct regional peer with combined-authority backing and overlapping service scope.
- Creative UK (Filming in England): Creative UK operates the Filming in England crew and supplier directory that Production Central WM itself integrates with. Acts as a national umbrella and standards body for regional film offices, making it both a partner and a peer in the production-services ecosystem.
Regional players
- Screen Staffordshire: Screen Staffordshire is the neighbouring film office for Staffordshire that Production Central WM directs producers to for enquiries outside WMCA jurisdiction. Direct geographic neighbour offering comparable services in adjacent territory.
- Bristol Film Office: Bristol Film Office supports productions filming in the Bristol region with permits, locations, and crew access. A smaller regional film office with comparable single-city mandate but different geographic scope from Production Central WM.
- Screen Central: Screen Central is a Midlands-based screen industries body supporting production and crew development. Adjacent regional player operating in overlapping Midlands geography but with a broader industry-development remit.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Production Central WM social profiles
Digital presenceProduction Central WM compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Production Central WM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Production Central WM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Production Central WM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Production Central WM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Production Central WM
What does Production Central WM do?
Production Central WM is the official production services agency for the West Midlands Combined Authority area, delivering a single front door for film, TV, and content production seeking permission to film in the region. Services encompass location finding, permit administration, road closures and traffic management coordination, crew and supplier sourcing, and logistics support across seven local authorities. The agency operates a bespoke digital permit application system and provides dedicated liaison through an experienced team with high-end TV and feature film backgrounds.
Is Production Central WM a public or private company?
Production Central WM is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Production Central WM founded?
Production Central WM was founded in 2025. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Production Central WM based?
Production Central WM is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Production Central WM make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Filming Permits are the primary driver. The others are administrative Fees and government Funding.
Who are Production Central WM's main competitors?
BBC Studios is listed as an others. Direct peers are Film London, Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Yorkshire, Screen Scotland, Manchester Film Office (GMAC Film) and Creative UK (Filming in England). Regional players are Screen Staffordshire, Bristol Film Office and Screen Central.
Does Production Central WM have an API?
No public API is recorded for Production Central WM.
What industry is Production Central WM in?
Production Central WM's product category is Film Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADABAG, Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production, with a secondary code of MPADAIAJ, Unit Basecamp, Parking & Logistics Services. Its NAICS code is 512199 and its SIC code is 7819.