INDIELAB OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR 2024 TV ACCELERATOR
Indielab is opening applications for its annual TV Accelerator once again, to ambitious scripted and non-scripted UK indies looking to build their commercial confidence and company resilience, and to capitalise on domestic and international opportunities in today’s market.
A new addition to this year’s accelerator programme is insight into how AI will feature in the landscape of production, and how new tools and platforms, as well as new legal frameworks for AI generated content, will enable UK producers to reduce production costs and broaden creativity in AI production. Experts including Broadcast Award winning Producer/Director Benjamin Field from Deep Fusion Films, currently advising Equity and PACT on the ethical & creative uses of generative media in the TV industry.
Indielab will start welcoming applications for its ninth annual programme from existing UK early- and mid-stage production companies from today until Friday 1 March. The fifteen successful applicants will be announced on 4thMarch, ahead of the programme launch on 16th April 2024.
“The indie sector continues to come under pressure as streamers and traditional players face a range of challenging issues combined with the rising cost of television. The result is an increasingly complex route to production for the indies” said Victoria Powell, CEO of Indielab. “It’s vital for successful indies to understand how to build an agile and resilient business for today’s landscape, without compromising their creative DNA. Access to insight, support and connections to navigate this environment and build stable, successful production businesess has never been more vital.”
The Indielab TV Accelerator remains focused on giving production companies the entrepreneurial tools to reach their commercial potential, regardless of genre of content or size of company. Over the last decade, Indielab has enabled hundreds of production companies to achieve success. The course takes place across four months and comprises panel sessions, masterclasses, LabTalks, briefings, and leadership sessions delivered by industry experts. 2024’s programme will host expert sessions from Sarb Nijjer (COO, Banijay UK) George Faber (Managing Director, The Forge), and Elizabeth Kilgarrif (CEO, Firebird) along with many others.
“Regardless of where you are on your Indie journey, every session has value. You’ll never find a better opportunity to learn about how to grow your business.”
– Mob Dar, Vibrant Television
The 2024 Indielab TV Accelerator continues to be funded by our key partners, including Creative Scotland, the BBC’s Small Indie Fund, and Channel 4, alongside international distributor Banijay, Harbottle & Lewis LLP and Nyman Libson Paul. We are delighted Sony Pictures Television returns as our Diversity Bursary funding partner. Each partner is an expert in their field and together they are able to give Indielab participants 360 degree support including legal and commercial helpdesks advising on all areas of business.
Simon Cox, EVP Content & Acquisitions, Banijay said: “Television is a truly dynamic industry; it’s constantly evolving and indies are at the forefront of this, but uncertainty is one of the biggest obstacles to creativity so it’s crucial for production companies to be built on solid foundations. Indielab truly understands today’s content market, it demystifies commercial, legal and financial best practice, and consistently enables independent production companies to build resilient, agile, successful businesses along with the commercial confidence needed for growth.”
As in previous years, Indielab’s 2024 TV Accelerator cohort will be selected from scripted and non-scripted producers, male and female-owned businesses and will have a minimum of 50% of participants from the UK’s nations and regions, in line with the programme’s mission to help nurture diversity and sustainable production hubs outside of London.