Channel 4 is to offer around 20 nations and regions indies a scaled-up business support programme and is to train up six junior commissioners outside of London.
Next month, the broadcaster is introducing a new-look version of 4Skills’ Business Boost initiative, which offers bespoke leadership and business skills training for leaders of N&R indies.
The scheme will now be split between the Indie Business Builder, for emerging indies, and the Indie Scale Up Programme for established businesses poised for growth.
Meanwhile, C4’s 18-month junior commissioning editor programme will offer producer-level professionals the chance to get embedded in its commissioning teams and gain hands-on experience in content development, editorial decision-making and production oversight.
C4 has opened applications for the first three of these placements, with annual salaries offered at or above £67,000.
Two of these will based in lifestyle in Glasgow and/or Leeds, and the other within Bristol’s factual entertainment and documentaries team.
Each candidate will be mentored by a senior commissioning editor.
C4 managing director of nations and regions Sinead Rocks said the programme is “a strategic and meaningful investment in regional creative leadership” that “not only helps us nurture and broaden the range of voices shaping our content but, coupled with our Business Boost programme, will help build long-term resilience in the UK’s production ecosystem outside of London.”
The initiatives are the latest iteration of C4’s N&R growth strategy, building on the broadcaster’s £35m investment in nations-based producers, focusing on ‘skills, content and people’.
C4 has pledged to grow its main channel content spend in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales from 9% to 12% by 2028 and will allocated £10m to nations-based producers next year and a further £15m in 2027.
Meanwhile, Rocks told the Creative Cities Convention yesterday that there needs to be “a really good reason” for any vacancy to be filled by a London-based candidate, raising the prospect of Alex Mahon’s successor as chief executive being based in the nations and regions.
“The more senior decision makers you have outside London, the quicker sector-wide change can be delivered,” Rocks said.
“If we are prioritising recruitment for all our other roles in the nations and regions, we should be open to basing the CEO in any of our offices.”
