Northern Business Incubator's Summer School Programme

The Creative Skillset funded Northern Business Incubator’s Summer School takes place at the Showroom Workstation in Sheffield from 16-20 July 2012. It offers business training for film and media professionals with an emphasis on establishing enterprises in the North of England. The programme of masterclasses, workshops, speakers, networking events and film screenings has now been announced.
The Summer School kicks off on the morning of Monday 16 July with a masterclass from a true Northern success story – Sheffield-based Warp Films. The Warp founders will share their story from raising funds for their first productions, to BAFTA awards and international acclaim. The rest of the day will be devoted to giving an overview of the UK film market, led by marketing guru Mia Bays. Market trends and distribution models will be discussed, illustrated by a case study of recent box office hit iLL Manors from Film London and Revolver Entertainment.

The second day of the Summer School begins with a masterclass from Nottingham-based Wellington Films with Al Clarke. Al will discuss Wellington’s production Crying with Laughter as a case study. The rest of the day will look at crucial business planning skills and tips. John Kawalek, Head of the MBA at the University of Sheffield and Alex Usborne of Picture Palace North / 104 Films will lead this session, focusing not on bits of paper and graphs, but on really getting to know your business and where it is in its lifecycle. Participants will be given the opportunity to apply this in a practical way to their own business plans. This will be followed by a session from Matt Harlock, director / producer of American: The Bill Hicks Story, who will reveal the distribution strategy behind this hugely successful documentary.

Wednesday 18 July kicks off with another success story from a regional production company – Liverpool’s Hurricane Films, the company behind Terence Davies’ Of Time and the City. The rest of the day is all about the most pressing matter of all for film start-ups – funding! Maggie Ellis of Film London will lead a panel of speakers from Creative England iFeatures, Screen Yorkshire, Cine Regio and MEDIA Desk UK. Everything from local funding schemes to pan European initiatives will be covered, making this an invaluable session for anyone looking to secure financial support for their next production. The day will be topped off with a Creative England networking event.

On Thursday 19 July Samm Haillay of Newcastle’s Third Films will talk about the company’s strategy, using their film Better Things as an example. Then it’s over to Rune Meyer of the European College of Innovation to examine alternative and progressive business structures. Mike Gubbins, former editor of Screen International, will examine the industry on a global basis – what can small indies and global giants learn from one another? Is it really a case of survival of the fittest? This is followed by a talk from Emily James (director of Just Do It: A Tale of Modern-day Outlaws) on the rise of crowd funding and distribution.

The final day of the Summer School is all about the necessary evil of pitching. A crash-course in pitching will be followed by the participants’ opportunity to put all they have learned to the test in their own business plans. They can then pitch their ideas to the Northern Business Incubator panel, with the chance to win office space in the Showroom Workstation and ongoing mentorship to give their business the best possible start.


The closing date for applications has been EXTENDED to MONDAY 2 JULY.
Bursaries are available to help candidates cover course costs.
More information and application forms can be found at:
www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/workstation/businesssupport/incubator
Google: ‘Showroom Summer School’
Twitter: @theworkstation @showroomcinema #nbisummerschool



For further information, please contact
Anna Lord 0114 221 0605 anna.lord@showroomworkstation.org.uk
Overview of the Summer School
After submitting a successful bid for Creative Skillset film skills funding, Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre (SMEC) in partnership with Studio of the North, are delighted to announce the Northern Business Incubator’s Summer School. 30 participants will get the chance to develop their business and entrepreneurial skills for setting up or developing a film enterprise in the UK regions.
The course will run for one week, 16-20 July 2012 and will be an intensive and immersive experience; it will take a collegiate approach to learning where peer-to-peer interaction and real life networking are key. The course is designed for professionals already working in the film and media industry. For the 30 participants, the aim of the Summer School is to provide inspiration as well as practical skills.

ABOUT CREATIVE SKILLSET
Creative Skillset is a licensed Sector Skills Council, helping the UK Creative Industries to be world-beating by leading the sector’s skills and talent drive. Creative Skillset is an industry-owned organisation that actively involves trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders to address skills issues in our industries.

A Bigger Future 2 is Creative Skillset’s three year skills and training strategy for the UK film industry, funded in part by the industry itself through the Skills Investment Fund (SIF) as well as by the National Lottery from the BFI. Building on the original A Bigger Future strategy, A Bigger Future 2 focuses on addressing the vital skills and training needs of the industry to deliver maximum economic and cultural return: safeguarding and creating jobs, nurturing talent and maintaining the UK’s position at the forefront of the international film industry.
www.abiggerfuture2.co.uk

ABOUT SHEFFIELD MEDIA & EXHIBITION CENTRE / SHOWROOM WORKSTATION
All Summer School sessions will take place under one roof at the Showroom Workstation, Sheffield in cinema screens, seminar rooms, office environments and social spaces as appropriate to each particular session. The venue is easily accessible being 2 minutes walk from the mainline train station, 4 minutes from the bus and tram interchanges and on major road routes to the M1. The venue is fully wheelchair accessible.

Showroom Cinema and Workstation Creative Business Centre is based in a converted 1930’s building, located in the centre of Sheffield. The once derelict building was acquired for redevelopment by Sheffield Media & Exhibition Centre Ltd (SMEC) in 1989 and opened in stages from 1993 -1998. It is now an internationally significant cultural centre and hub for the region and a treasured independent cinema.

Showroom is one of the largest independent cinema in Europe with four luxury auditoria, education spaces and a café/bar. It presents a lively programme of films from around the world, from contemporary film to classic cinema, and is the place to be for anyone with a passion for film. Showroom regularly hosts festivals and creative events, including Sheffield Doc/Fest and Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival.
The Workstation is a hothouse for the creative industries sector, with over 60 tenant companies working with clients in the region, the UK and beyond.

ABOUT STUDIO OF THE NORTH
Studio of the North is an umbrella organisation providing finance, production and executive production services to the film industry. SON works closely with a selected group of writers, producers and directors and between the private, commercial and grant aided sectors.

Colin Pons, Managing Director of SON, will manage the Summer School project. As a commissioner at SON Colin has identified and funded many award winning films and individuals often focusing on producer development.

Showroom Workstation
Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX
0114 275 7727
www.showroomworkstation.org.uk