The UK Screen Investment Summit – a national platform championing the UK screen sector through collaboration, investment and innovation – has announced its programme.
Taking place on Wednesday, 26 November at BAFTA Piccadilly, the Hertfordshire Futures-sponsored event will bring together senior leaders from across film and TV production, studio real estate and operations, local and national Government, skills and education, to explore how the UK can scale-up its world-class screen industries.
The UK screen sector is one of the country’s most valuable sectors contributing £17.4 billion to the economy and directly employing around 300,000 people, with its impact extending further to underpin growth in screen tourism, music, gaming, immersive technology and esports. The Government has marked the sector’s importance through the national Industrial Strategy, identifying it as a priority for growth and investment.
The event is part of the UK Screen Investment Programme, which alongside Hertfordshire Futures, counts the University of Hertfordshire as event partner, Hertfordshire Growth Board and McLaren Construction as associate partners, and Trowers & Hamlins as supporting partner. The steering committee includes the British Film Commission, Elstree Studios, Oxygen Studios, Pinewood Group, RD Studios, Screen Alliance North, Sky Studios, and Warner Bros Studios Leavesden. Together, they have shaped the programme.
Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair of Hertfordshire Futures, said: “The UK Screen Investment Programme’s members have discussed the critical issues facing the sector and how opportunities can be maximised to consolidate and expand the UK’s world-leading screen position. With Hertfordshire at the epicentre of this growth, we are excited to announce the programme and look forward to the summit.”
Hertfordshire is home to globally renowned companies such as Sky, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and Elstree Studios, while Pinewood and Disney UK operate in the South East. Cities including Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London all host dynamic clusters with outstanding potential, alongside landmark investments such as the £450 million Crown Works Studios in Sunderland.
The UK Screen Investment Programme aims to unlock new opportunities for growth across all four nations. Its focus spans studio infrastructure, government financing and inward investment, developing skills, embedding sustainability, harnessing innovation such as AI, and showcasing the UK’s world-class capabilities to global investors.
Confirmed speakers include: David Conway, CEO, Pinewood Studios; Paul Serkis, Director, Film, Media & Creative Arts, McLaren; Stephen Partridge, Dean, School of Creative Arts, University of Hertfordshire.
Panels and keynote topics include:
- Empowering Collaboration
- Shared Vision, Local Delivery: How the UK clusters can scale screen production
- Winning more production from non-traditional markets
- Homegrown & Hired: Aligning Skills with Industry Needs
- Financing UK Content – Where public ambition meets private capital
- What AI really means for the screen industry
- Innovation on set and behind the scenes: Reimagining production to remain competitive
- The Rise of the Creative Production Campus: space, scale and sustainability
- Screen-Led Growth: Unlocking the ripple effect of UK productions
“The UK Screen Investment Programme’s members have discussed the critical issues facing the sector and how opportunities can be maximised to consolidate and expand the UK’s world-leading screen position. With Hertfordshire at the epicentre of this growth, we are excited to announce the programme and look forward to the summit.”
“The UK Screen Investment Programme’s members have discussed the critical issues facing the sector and how opportunities can be maximised to consolidate and expand the UK’s world-leading screen position. With Hertfordshire at the epicentre of this growth, we are excited to announce the programme and look forward to the summit.”