Creativeengland

Creative England is a not-for-profit organisation supporting the film, television, games, animation, immersive media and digital/createch sectors in England outside London. It operates two principal strands of activity. The first is Filming in England, a BFI-funded national production service that acts as a first point of contact for productions shooting in England outside London, providing free comprehensive support to feature film and high-end TV — including locations, crew and supplier databases, a bespoke crewing service, studios and build spaces, and filming guidance — and a signposting service with digital resources for other production genres. The service works with regional film office partners and local authorities from early feasibility through to post-production, and maintains a Filming in England Partnership aimed at strengthening the regional production landscape.

The second strand is investment and enterprise support for creative businesses and talent. Creative England has provided direct investment, loans and business mentoring to companies in games, TV, film and digital media, and has published annual CE50 lists of leading creative companies. Under the Creative UK Group, its Creative Enterprise programmes include Foundations, a three-month business development programme of six intensive workshops and one-to-one coaching for early-stage screen businesses (typically under two years old) based in England, and Business Builder, a rolling grant scheme awarding up to £2,500 for companies outside London to work with approved consultants on business planning, marketing strategy, IP monetisation or international operations. Related programmes referenced under the group include Screen Launchpad, Female Founders, Investment Readiness, Scaling Up, Regional Growth Programmes and Creative Crowdfunding.

Creative England and the Creative Industries Federation united to form Creative UK Group, which describes its mission as connecting, supporting, championing and investing in the UK's creative industries. The organisation retains the creativeengland.co.uk domain for staff contact and production enquiries, while group-level activity is presented under wearecreative.uk.

Business model

Creative England operates as a not-for-profit intermediary rather than a commercial vendor. Its production services arm is funded by the BFI and delivered free of charge to qualifying feature film and high-end TV productions, with a lighter signposting service for other genres. Its enterprise side deploys public and partner funding as direct investment, loans and grants into creative companies, alongside non-financial support such as mentoring, workshops and consultant matching. Within Creative UK Group, related activity includes membership, events, Creative Growth Finance, equity investment and crowdfunding programmes.

Not commercially revenue-driven: production support is funded by the BFI and offered free to eligible productions, while business support is delivered through grants and programmes. Investment activity has included direct investment and loans into creative companies, with Creative UK Group also operating membership, Creative Growth Finance and equity investment offerings.

Traction

By November 2016 Creative England reported £27.7 million invested into 1,066 businesses and creative talent, £25,357,409 leveraged in private funding, 560 jobs created, 37 games created, 205 feature films developed and 80 industry awards won. Supported companies cited include MakerClub (£50,000 investment in February 2016), Alex Rose Games (£50,000 through the Gameslab Campus Scheme 2015), Whispering Gibbon and MAGNAFI, plus 50% funding for the short film "Ernestine & Kit" via the Emerging Talent Fund and development work on a feature adaptation of "Days of the Bagnold Summer." Business Builder case studies describe grant recipients that added a TV arm, rebranded into a new market, secured four broadcaster commissions, and entered talks to license a first feature film.