Indielab reschedules, reveals 2020 class

Indielab, the accelerator scheme for UK-based independent producers, has revealed the 16 indies that will be part of its 2020 programme and unveiled details of its plans to adapt to the coronavirus outbreak.

Victoria Powell

The business-growth programme, launched in 2015 by producer Victoria Powell with backing from the Mayor of London through Film London, is again offering 16 up-and-coming production companies a tailored consulting process designed by the sector for the sector, but has been rescheduled to later in the year.

The 2020 cohort comprises BEEZR Studios, Bone Soup Productions, FirstLook TV, Forest, ie ie productions, Little Door Productions, Man Alive Entertainment, Merman, Milk and Honey Productions, Parable, Phoenix Television, Red Sky Productions, Saturday’s Child, Spirit Media, Very Nice TV and Yellow Door Productions.

Each participating indie has been invited to nominate two employees to take part in the programme, which is being adapted from previous years to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

The UK government substantially increased its measures of containing and controlling the virus on Monday, encouraging people to avoid bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres and saying it would “no longer be supporting mass gatherings with emergency workers in the way that we normally do.”

The 2020 indielab programme, which was due to start later this month, has been rescheduled to September in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. However, online mentoring will be offered to help the UK independent sector during the crisis.

This “virtual mentoring” service, designed to help indies, will run in tandem with Powell and her team working with broadcasters and government agencies to ascertain what support and financial relief is on offer to indies.

Powell, founder and CEO of Indielab, said: “In view of the continued spread of Covid-19 and recent government and health-service advice, we have decided to reschedule this year’s Indielab Accelerator until September and October.

“In the meantime, Indielab will host online mentoring sessions throughout the summer. While these may not offer all the benefits of our in-the-room events, we feel it’s a genuinely innovative way for us to deliver safe but effective one-to-one accelerator support during this difficult time.

“We have an excellent cohort of indies on this year’s programme and want to do what we can to support them through the challenges ahead.”

Each year, Indielab Accelerator helps early- and mid-stage entertainment production companies to explore the growth opportunities specific to their businesses. The programme, which includes masterclasses from 50-plus industry experts and consultants, provides global market insight, investment-readiness analysis and an investor-pitching event.

The programme is refreshed every year to reflect the dominant industry issues and trends. This year, there will be a focus on international production financing, the challenges faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the opportunities and challenges involved in doing business in the US, forging relationships with SVoD platforms and developing alternative revenue streams, including podcasts.

New this year to Indielab’s roster of partners are Creative Scotland and Getty Images, which join returning funders Channel 4 and the BBC.