Screen Yorkshire has recruited experienced industry freelancer Nardia Fortune to join its growing film office team in Leeds, during what has been its busiest year to date for filming enquiries.

Nardia joins Screen Yorkshire’s Film Office as the new Production Liaison Manager, bringing more than 10 years’ experience working with UK and international producers, directors, designers and supervising location managers. Nardia’s production credits include TV dramas; Gentleman Jack, Peaky Blinders, The English Game and feature films; Ali & Ava, Emily, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and God’s Own Country.

The TV industry’s fascination with Yorkshire has flourished despite the pandemic, with new research shared by the BBC this week showing that the region appeared in more programmes on the UK’s five main channels than anywhere else in England over the past year, almost double that of, Cornwall, the next biggest English region for filming.

As a result, Screen Yorkshire’s Film Office has had one of its busiest periods to date, bringing the total number of filming days supported in the region to 3693 since 2019. Since it launched its crew service last year, the Film Office has also secured over 4500 days’ work for skilled freelancers working in the region’s growing film & TV sector.

Productions supported over the past year include major Hollywood franchises, Mission Impossible 7 and Indiana Jones V, as well as UK feature film classics The Railway Children Return and Emily. TV dramas supported by the film office include returning British dramas All Creatures Great and Small, Gentleman Jack and The Witcher, as well as The Confessions of Frannie Langton, which is currently filming in Yorkshire.

Nardia takes over from Richard Knight, who previously held the dual post of production liaison and education manager. Richard moves full time into Screen Yorkshire’s skills and training team, taking up post of Career Support Manager, to boost the help we give to those wanting to enter the industry as well as those already within it. Richard has been vital to the development of Screen Yorkshire’s groundbreaking Connected Campus initiative, which is designed to forge closer links between Yorkshire’s leading educational institutions and the TV and film industry. Connected Campus has proved hugely successful, as the demand for skilled new recruits to Yorkshire’s booming TV and film industry increases. The network has doubled in size over the past year, expanding its remit to work with local colleges as well as the region’s leading Universities.