Screen Yorkshire’s contribution to the success of the UK’s creative industries has been recognised this week in two reports: one by HM Government and the other following research undertaken by the British Film Institute (BFI). As the UK’s creative industries are growing twice as fast as the UK economy as a whole and account for £92bn of Gross Valued Added (GVA) and two million jobs, both reports acknowledge the work undertaken by Screen Yorkshire since 2002 in growing revenues from the screen industries in the region and contributing to increased employment in the sector.

Released on 28th March 2018 at the launch of the Government’s ‘landmark’ Creative Industries Sector Deal, Screen Yorkshire is highlighted in an industry strategy report prepared by prepared by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS); the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Creative Industries Council. Acknowledging the contribution the creative industries make to the UK’s economy, it acknowledges how Screen Yorkshire’s work has contributed to an increase in employment in the region by 88% between 2009-2015 and turnover by 247% over the same period.

Earlier in March, Screen Yorkshire’s contribution to the creative industries was also recognised by the BFI following a mapping study it had undertaken which looked at EU Funding of the UK screen sectors between 2007-2017. The report showed how EU funding had enabled the screen sector and the economy to grow, attract investment, and generate jobs. Screen Yorkshire – through its Yorkshire Content Fund – was cited as having delivered unprecedented growth in turnover and employment in the screen industries, delivering high-end television and film productions across the region.

Screen Yorkshire has invested in more than 40 feature film & TV projects through its Yorkshire Content Fund, including:

Ghost Stories, Journeyman, Dark River, Yardie, Official Secrets, Dad’s Army, Peaky Blinders, Swallows and Amazons, Testament Of Youth, ’71, National Treasure, Ackley Bridge, The Great Train Robbery, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Hank Zipzer.

In June 2017, Screen Yorkshire announced figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) that revealed that the growth of Yorkshire & Humber’s film and TV industries outstripped that of every other part of the UK, including the South East. The figures showed that between 2009-2015, Yorkshire’s Film & TV Industries generated an annual turnover of £424m across 590 creative businesses (an increase of 247% against the UK average of 118%) with Gross Value Added (GVA) increasing 242% in comparison to a UK average growth of 120 %.

The ONS data also showed that the number of business units across Yorkshire and Humber grew 57% vs a UK average of 47%, while employment across the film and TV industries in the region grew 88% against a UK average of 32%.

The total impact of the Screen Industries in Yorkshire & Humber is estimated to support some 12,000 jobs (directly and indirectly) with a turnover of just below £1.1 billion, including an estimated 1,000 jobs in tourism and £120 million in turnover of tourism-based companies.

In the news….
Screendaily: UK government unveils £150m creative industries ‘sector deal’

Screendaily: UK screen sectors received £300m EU funding in the last decade, BFI study finds