Funding support for creative industries

Jul 30 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

THE organisers of a new fund to help develop creative industries in the North East have urged budding video games developers to come forward for support.

This week saw the launch of the £1m North East Content Fund to stimulate film, television and video game production in the North East.

Tom Harvey, chief executive of regional screen agency Northern Film & Media, said: “We have been working on this fund with Codeworks and Generator and we are all delighted to be able to launch a fund to support production across the creative industries. Music, Games and interactive media are important sectors for the North East.

“Increasingly companies and talent are working across these different genres, so we know there will be significant demand for this sort of fund in the long term.”

Carri Cunliffe, head of sector development at digital industry body Codeworks, said: “Interactive content and games have played an increasingly important role in the North East’s economy -- and to that of the UK -- over the past 10 years or more, so news of this fund is very welcome.”