Indielab Accelerator announces 2020 cohort and postponement to Sept/Oct
March 17, 2020
Indielab Accelerator has announced the 2020 cohort for the fifth anniversary edition of its growth programme for independent TV production companies looking to achieve scale and develop their business.
It has also been announced that the 2020 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 coronavirus outbreak.
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.
As in previous years, the 16 indies selected to take part in the 2020 programme reflect the diversity of the UK’s vibrant indie community in terms of gender, ethnicity, genre and geographical location. The 2020 cohort consists of: 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.
Victoria 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 1-2-1 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 16 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.
Indielab Accelerator’s programme is refreshed every year to reflect the dominant industry issues and trends. In 2020, 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 the SVoD platforms and developing alternative revenue streams, including podcasts.
New this year to Indielab’s roster of partners is Creative Scotland, Getty Images, who joins returning funders C4 and the BBC and sponsors Banijay Rights, law firm Harbottle & Lewis, accounting, and tax consultants Ecovis Wingrave Yeats and Nyman Libson Paul. Each sponsor specialises in a different field, ensuring that the programme’s participants have access to 360-degree support and services.