Wales chosen for another top US TV Pilot

Wales’ excellent reputation as a successful production base for the creative industries has been given a further boost with the team behind yet another high profile US TV drama choosing to film their new production in Wales.

Having considered locations throughout the UK and Europe, the makers of the Fox 21 Television Studios, Imagine Television and FX Productions drama pilot, The Bastard Executioner, will film the project in South Wales in March 2015.

The production is expected to bring significant economic benefits to Wales.  In 2014, drama productions supported by Welsh Government spent over £45m in Wales.

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Welsh company makes documentary on success of Disney animation - Frozen The joint Welsh Government and Channel 4 Alpha fund, which facilitates new ideas and talent, has contributed to a documentary shown in a prime Christmas Day slot.  Yeti - a new business venture of the independent television production firm Rondo Media - was commissioned by Channel 4 and supported by the Alpha fund to make a documentary on the success of Disney’s animation film Frozen. Ian MacKenzie - Development Manager, Channel 4 Creative Diversity said, “Channel 4’s partnership with the Welsh Government in supporting Yeti has been one of the big success stories of the Alpha Fund”. Tom Ware, Executive Producer for Rondo Media said the support of The Alpha Fund has been instrumental in securing commissions over the last couple of years. Find out more about Rondo Media.

BAFTA award for Pride Writer Stephen Beresford and producer David Livingstone have been awarded the BAFTA for ‘Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Pride. The historical comedy drama, produced by Calamity Films and staring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton was inspired by true events that took place during the Margaret Thatcher era and follows a group of gay and lesbian activists who help striking miners. The film was also nominated for two other BAFTAs. Wales Screen supported the production to find local crew and locations, including the villages of Onllwyn and Banwen in Neath Port Talbot and Carreg Cennen Castle in Carmarthenshire, for filming in October 2013. View the full list of nominations and winners here.

Set fire to the stars – Filmed in Swansea Swansea, the home city of Dylan Thomas, has shared top billing with Hollywood star Elijah Wood, with a starring role in Set Fire To The Stars, the story of the writer’s time in New York in the 1950’s. The production was filmed entirely in the city and supported with Welsh Government Production Funding. Released in cinemas in Autumn 2014, the film was praised for its stylised look, using monochromatic cinematography and for the performances of Elijah Wood and co-star Celyn Jones. While promoting the film on the BBC’s The One Show and Graham Norton show, Elijah Wood sang the praises of the city as a location. View more here.

MIPTV 2015 – 13-16 April Welsh Government will host a reception to promote the creative industries in Wales at the annual MIPTV event in Cannes. MIPTV is one of the world’s most-established TV and digital content markets and the biggest gathering of entertainment industry professionals. This year’s event will include 11,000 international participants, 3,800 buyers, 1,600 exhibiting companies, and 1,700 production companies. The Welsh reception will be held at the PACT/UKTI Indies Stand and will focus on promoting Welsh content on the international stage as well as providing an opportunity for those in the independent sector who are looking to increase co-production to network with international companies. Find out more about MIPTV here.  Email us to apply for a travel grant to attend the mission and for information on the Welsh Reception.

Exploring opportunities in new markets – networking event for Welsh and Mexican delegates – 3 March 2015, Cardiff

A networking event for Mexican and Welsh businesses with a special focus on the creative industries will be held by the Welsh Governmenrt on March 3rd. The event will provide an opportunity to showcase our creative industries to visiting businesses and individuals from the animation, TV & Film, Games & Apps and Digital Media sectors and help Welsh creative companies to understand the opportunities presented by collaboration with companies in the rapidly-emerging Mexican market. Read more and to book a place email us.

The visit comes after a recent knowledge transfer mission to México by six creative business “ambassadors” from Wales. Read more and view here to find out more about their visit.

South by southwest (SXSW) – 17-22 March 2015

Welsh musicians will get a chance to showcase their talent at the SXSW festival in Austin Texas as part of the ‘British Music Embassy’, a UK wide collaboration at Latitude 30 bar in downtown Austin for the duration of the event.

Wales will host a networking event on 17 March, with performances from Welsh bands and the British opening party will be presented by Huw Stephens and Cerdd Cymru: Music Wales.  During the week there will be performances covering different genres, with Welsh bands including: Paper Aeroplanes; Catfish & The Bottlemen; Golden Fable; The People The Poet; and Until The Ribbon Breaks, expected to perform. Other events will include B2B networking and international round table discussions.

Find out more about the event and email us to apply for a travel grant to attend.

Stop motion,  animated comedy – The Trampires, to shoot in Wales

Welsh based animator Michael Mort is to begin work on his new creation The Trampires a feature length, stop motion, animated action comedy featuring the animation character, Chuck Steel.
Chuck Steel made his first appearance in the animation short, Raging Balls of Steel Justice, which was enthusiastically received at a number of film festivals around the world, including Malaga, Brazil and the Hollywood Shorts Festival and has screened on Film4.

Assisted by Welsh Government’s Wales Screen, production will take place in Bridgend where the company’s highly experienced production team intend to develop their animation studio. The production was also supported with Welsh Government Production Funding, and is expected to generate significant employment opportunities and contribute to the development of relevant and saleable skills in the Welsh creative industries workforce.

The Creative Europe Programme  - active funding deadlines

• MEDIA - Development – Single Project – deadline 16 April 2015
• MEDIA - TV Programming –  28 May 2015
• MEDIA - Distribution Selective Scheme – 2 July 2015

To find out if you are eligible and how to apply, email Judy Wasdell, Manager of MEDIA (the Creative Europe Desk UK Wales). Read more about Creative Europe.

Business Wales service helps create nearly 9000 jobs and 6580 new businesses

The Business Wales one-stop-shop service for SMEs has helped create nearly 9000 jobs and 6580 new businesses since it was launched two years ago, Economy Minister Edwina Hart announced today.

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