Indielab West Yorkshire unveils first TV accelerator participants

BBC Panorama special Stacey Dooley & the Lockdown Babies

UK production accelerator programme Indielab has revealed the local indies selected to take part in its first TV accelerator in West Yorkshire.

The programme, opened towards the end of last year, has been set up to support and drive growth in the region’s creative sector.

The 15 participants in Indielab West Yorks’ 2022 TV Accelerator will be Art of Truth, Beyond Productions, British Muslim TV, Button Down, Candour Productions, Clockwork Films, Curley Vision, Fettle Animation, Hellfire, New Northern, Northern Imposters, Rollem Productions, Screenhouse, The City Talking and True North.

Among the shows produced by the prodcos are The Syndicate for BBC One, The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes on More4 and recent BBC Panorama special Stacey Dooley & the Lockdown Babies.

Indielab said more than half of the participating companies are ethnically diverse and/or female-led, in line with its mission to support and promote a diverse independent creative sector.

Indielab West Yorks is delivered in partnership with the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, which supports the growth of the screen sector in West Yorkshire through The Creative Catalyst, a £1.5m (US$2m) programme that has been developed to overcome the barriers to growth for creative businesses in the region.

Alongside masterclasses and seminars, participants will also have access to a package of free support services, including coaching, mentoring, a legal helpdesk and an accountancy helpdesk.

Victoria Powell, Indielab’s founder and programme director, said: “The creative industries in West Yorkshire have all to play for, with local TV indies benefiting from the national broadcasters’ commitment to invest in the nations and regions of the UK.

“With this new programme, we aim to support West Yorks’ creative industries to the next level. Working with our partners from across the TV sector, we have designed a growth programme that will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, networks and investment needed to grow their business and produce more content with impact at both national and international levels.”