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The South West

Made in the South West: The creative media industries in our region

The South West of England is home to some of the most exciting, creative and successful media companies in the UK. Highlighted in the Government's 'Creative Britain' strategy, published in February 2008, the region is a centre of excellence in animation, natural history production and digital media.

The largest region in England, the South West occupies 18% of its land and extends 350km from North to South. Home to three World Heritage sites and 60% of the nation's stock of heritage coastline, the South West is the fastest growing region in England, with a truly diverse cultural and geographical landscape attracting creatives from all over.

Read on for some useful facts about the creative media industries in the South West

  • The South West generates £153m of television production each year (source: Ofcom).
  • The region's HE institutions offer some of the UK's most well regarded media courses. We are home to the only Skillset Screen Academy in England outside London (Bournemouth) and three Skillset Media Academies (Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, Cornwall and Bournemouth).
  • 700 hours of daytime TV are made each year in the South West.
  • 11 production companies from the South West feature in Broadcast Magazine's 2007 'top 50 by turnover' survey: more than any other region.
  • The South West has over 60 film societies and more community cinemas than anywhere else in the UK (source: UK Film Council and BFFS).
  • Bristol, the largest city in the region has a critical mass of production companies including: Oscar and Bafta winning Aardman; Endemol West (makers of Deal or No Deal); Icon Films; Tigress; Quickfire Media; Testimony Films and RDF Television West.
  • PACT's 2007 Independent Production Census singled out the South West: 'In one particular region, the South West, growth has been reported across a significantly broad base of independent production companies, far in excess of the industry average'.
  • The Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol - opened by Chancellor Alistair Darling in February 2008 - explores how new technologies can be developed to make media a more accessible part of our daily lives.
  • Planet Earth from the BBC's Bristol-based Natural History Unit was the first series filmed entirely in HD. It is now the biggest selling HD disc in the US.
  • There are more silicon designers based in the South West of England than anywhere else in the world outside the US.
  • Based in Plymouth, the Twofour Group is the UK's largest regional independent production company.
  • Hewlett Packard's largest research facility outside the US - HP Labs - is based in the region.
  • Bristol is the world centre of the Natural History film industry, with 25% of the world's output coming from the city.
  • Watershed, the UK's first media centre, was established in Bristol in 1982. As recently recognised by the Government's 'Creative Britain' strategy, the centre is a model of excellence and 'reflects the city's reputation as a media capital' according to The Guardian.
  • The region is home to world class festivals including Encounters - the UK's leading short film festival; The International Screenwriters' Festival; and Wildscreen - the world's largest wildlife film festival.
  • Productions shooting in the region bring £40 million to the South West every year.
  • Shot in Wells, Somerset, Hot Fuzz grossed $80 million worldwide from its cinema release. Over one million DVDs were sold in the UK in the first four weeks of its release and it won the award for Best Comedy at the Empire Awards in March 2008.
  • Shot in the South West: recent productions include: BAFTA nominated Channel 4/E4 hit series Skins; BBC series Cranford, Lark Rise to Candleford, Being Human and Mistresses; and ITV series Doc Martin, Echo Beach, Moving Wallpaper as well as Working Title feature film The Boat that Rocked.
  • Enable Interactive was ranked as the top agency/supplier in Revolution Magazine's 2007 survey. The agency also topped the tables for new technology, its ability to act technically and account management.
  • The South West has one of the highest concentrations of design companies outside London, with award-winning agencies of all sizes and across all specialisms.
  • The South West is a musical melting pot: we're home to Goldfrapp, Portishead, Massive Attack, Roni Size and the Glastonbury Festival and there’s a growing Dubstep scene in Bristol.

Click here to see a map of the region.

Watch a showcase of work produced in the region and interviews with people we've worked with on our YouTube Channel - click here.

The South West

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