Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund invests in True Vision Yorkshire

9 April 2019

Channel 4 today announced it has taken a minority investment in True Vision Yorkshire, a Leeds-based, factual indie led by multi-award-winning producer and director, Anna Hall.  True Vision Yorkshire is the first Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund investment in Leeds since the broadcaster announced it would be locating its new National HQ in the city.

True Vision Yorkshire is responsible for a host of hard-hitting documentaries including Behind Closed Doors for the BBC and The Truth About Muslim Marriage for Channel 4.  Anna Hall, director of BAFTA-nominated documentaries including The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs and Catching a Killer, will create more of the critically acclaimed crime series through True Vision Yorkshire.  Anna is the only female director ever to be nominated for the BAFTA CRAFT AWARDS Best Factual Director two years running. The company will continue to focus on ground-breaking, high impact documentary singles and series whilst also developing returning factual formats. 

Martin Baker, Channel 4 Director of Commercial Affairs, who oversees the Indie Growth Fund said: “This deal reinforces Channel 4’s commitment to driving growth in the creative industries outside London.  As we prepare to set up our new HQ in Leeds there could not be a better time to invest in a growing Leeds-based Indie.“

This is the second investment in a Leeds-based production company for the Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund, the first being in True North which was sold to Sky in 2017.

Caroline Murphy, Head of the Channel 4 Indie Growth Fund said: “I am delighted to see this deal being done just as I join the Indie Growth Fund.  It shows that Channel 4 really is delivering on its commitment to nations and regions indies.”

Anna Hall, Founder and Creative Director, True Vision Yorkshire, said: “My passion has always been to make hard hitting films which can genuinely make a difference to people’s lives – and my other passion has been to create a sustainable base in my home city of Leeds to mentor other directors and film-makers to do the same! I am thrilled that Channel 4 have seen the potential in our team and we are incredibly excited about developing our slate in the next few years.”

True Vision Yorkshire was founded in 2014 by Anna Hall with Brian Woods and Jezza Neumann from True Vision.  Brian and Jezza are also shareholders in True Vision Yorkshire and will continue to support the success, growth and creativity of the company.  The founders have particularly championed new talent, with the seven out of eight directors who have delivered films in the last 18 months being first-time female film-makers.

The Indie Growth Fund was launched in 2014 to provide additional support to the UK independent creative sector by providing access to funding for indies based in the UK to help them to grow and develop their business. It has made 15 investments to date and there are now 11 companies in the portfolio including Barcroft Media Group, Eleven Film, Firecrest Films, Lightbox Media, Parable, Spelthorne Community Television, The RightsXchange (TRX), True Vision Yorkshire, Two Rivers Media, Voltage TV and Whisper Films. Its future strategy is focused on investing in companies in the Nations and Regions, but will also encompass interesting digital and diverse businesses across the UK.

Notes to editors:

 

About Anna Hall:

Anna Hall has been nominated for five BAFTAs in the last 4 years and made BAFTA history as the only female director to be nominated for the BAFTA CRAFT AWARD for Best Factual Director 2 consecutive years running (2017/2018).  She is a member of BAFTA and has won the prestigious RTS Journalism Award for Current Affairs; The AIB for Best Investigative Journalism; been nominated for two Griersons and in 2013 won the hugely prestigious Women In Film and Television BBC News & Factual Award for her 17 year investigation into CSE and gang grooming.

 

About Channel 4:

Channel 4 is a publicly-owned yet commercially-funded public service broadcaster and has a remit to be innovative, experimental and distinctive. Its public ownership and not-for-profit status ensure all profit generated by its commercial activity is directly reinvested back into the delivery of its public service remit. As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 is also required to commission UK content from the independent production sector and currently works with around 300 creative companies across the UK every year. In addition to the main Channel 4 service, its portfolio includes: E4, More4, Film4, 4Music, 4seven, Channel4.com and digital service All 4.