A team of UK-based producers has launched a new indie financing fund that will help boost funding for independent TV and film producers in the country. Our local entertainment lawyer, Brandon Blake of Blake & Wang P.A. is here to share the news.
Unusual Source, Unusual Candidates
Evan Leighton-Davis and Ben Bond, both UK-based producers, are the originators of the new financing opportunity, to be called Heartseeker Media. They will be backed by a rather unusual, but growing, funding source for the entertainment industry- private equity investors. In this case, mostly local high-net-worth supporters.
Equally unusual for these sorts of funds, it will offer developmental funding to independent producers, spanning the $100,000 to $1,000,000 range. Their first suite of projects includes period drama Monstrous Beauty, horror The Severed Sun, and drama West the Road. The Severed Sun will be the first of those to see screen time, with shooting already wrapped.
Full Indie Slates
At its core, Heartseeker seeks to boost the development of fuller indie slates from newer production teams. Development money like this is critical to give directors, producers, and writers on the indie side of the industry the space and funding to properly develop materials instead of rushing them to production.
The fund is slated to help out 6-10 productions a year, with a focus on dramas and genre material.
As the 2023 box office rather aptly demonstrated, there is still a lot of market for independent and small-scale films at the box office. Working outside of established studio norms, however, finding the budget and backing to truly bring these stories to life has been an industry issue as long as it has existed. It’s always nice to see another funding source looking to work with independent producers to breathe life into these projects. We will be watching what comes from Heartseeker’s funding with great interest indeed.
Film and Television 