Drive for creative diversity at Channel 4

2 February 2010

Stuart Cosgrove, Director of Creative Diversity

To reflect the broader scope of his new team, Channel 4's Director of Creative Diversity, Stuart Cosgrove, has announced the creation of entirely new roles within commissioning, a group of dedicated grass roots commissioners, Media Project Managers, signaling a clarification in Channel 4's approach to diversity.

The Creative Diversity department will have the joined up, over arching focus of driving the commissioning of content from new, diverse, grassroots talent throughout the UK.

Cosgrove and his team of Media Managers will manage The Alpha Fund, an annual fund unveiled by Chief Executive David Abraham at the Salford Nations and Regions conference last week.  The fund is designed to identify and support creative talent at its earliest stage and in its first year, it will launch at £2 million.

Ian Mackenzie, Ade Rawcliffe, and Susie Wright will assume the roles of Media Project Managers ensuring that creative talent, new companies, regional companies and under represented groups from across the UK are connected into Channel 4.

The Alpha Fund is about commissioning development based on ideas, first and foremost, at grassroots level across all genres and platforms. There is no formal application system; interested applicants with ideas to pitch should contact Media Managers Ian MacKenzie, Ade Rawcliffe or Susie Wright to arrange a meeting. The Media Managers only prescription is that ideas are clearly targeted at Channel 4 - its audience, its values, and that they "feel" 4 in ambition and focus. There is no limitation on size or scale, but proposals do need to come from companies, rather than individuals.

Of the new roles, Stuart Cosgrove said,

"The Media Project Managers role will be to work with grass roots creative constituencies, and to connect this new talent into the system, advocating their best work. They have budgets, they can fund ideas and they can make things happen."

He continued,

 "These new roles will work at the front-end of commissioning, identifying ideas, strengthening propositions, funding development, and making companies more compelling for the commissioning culture to adopt. It's a role that many other industries take for granted - A&R in music, and fashion buyers work in a similar way. It's about identifying and selecting talent ahead of the system."

The first raft of commissions facilitated by the Cosgrove's Creative Diversity team, were in the interactive games and entertainment sector in Dundee, an emergent hotspot of new media production. Channel 4 pledged over £1m into the vibrant, up and coming digital media sector in Dundee, connecting hot companies including Headlight Scotland, Dynamo Games, Tag Games and Proper Games up with Channel 4 commissioning system.

Last autumn, the team also announced an investment in a wide range of new projects from ethnically-diverse talent, and connected them into the Channel 4 commissioning system, including companies such as Maroon Productions, Cinnamon Films and Hey Buddy Productions. In addition, working alongside Channel 4 drama and Film4, the team have helped bring one of the UK's most creative theatrical talents, writer/director Debbie Tucker Green, to C4, to make her TV directorial debut with a drama based on her stage play Random.

The first raft of commissions which have benefitted from the Alpha Fund will be announced in due course.