Indielab Accelerator Sets Cohort for Fifth-Anniversary Edition

Indielab Accelerator has unveiled the cohort for the fifth-anniversary edition of its growth program for independent TV production companies, which has been postponed until September.

Originally slated to start later this month, the program aims to aid indies looking to achieve scale and develop their business. With the delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, online mentoring will be offered to help the U.K. independent sector during the outbreak. This virtual mentoring service will run in tandem with Indielab Founder and CEO Victoria Powell and her team working with broadcasters and government agencies to ascertain what support and financial relief is on offer to indies.

The 16 indies selected to take part in this year’s program reflect the diversity of the U.K.’s indie community in terms of gender, ethnicity, genre and geographical location. The 2020 cohort consists of: BEEZR Studios, Bone Soup Productions, FirstLook TV, Forest, ie ie productions, Little Door Productions, Man Alive Entertainment, Merman, Milk and Honey Productions, Parable, Phoenix Television, Red Sky Productions, Saturday’s Child, Spirit Media, Very Nice TV and Yellow Door Productions. Each participating indie has been invited to nominate two employees to take part in the program.

In 2020, there will be a focus on international production financing, the challenges faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunities and challenges involved in doing business in the U.S., forging relationships with the SVOD platforms and developing alternative revenue streams, including podcasts. New this year to Indielab’s roster of partners is Creative Scotland, Getty Images, who joins returning funders C4 and the BBC and sponsors Banijay Rights, law firm Harbottle & Lewis, accounting, and tax consultants Ecovis Wingrave Yeats and Nyman Libson Paul.

Powell said: “In view of the continued spread of COVID-19 and recent government and health-service advice, we have decided to reschedule this year’s Indielab Accelerator until September and October. In the meantime, Indielab will host online mentoring sessions throughout the summer. While these may not offer all the benefits of our in-the-room events, we feel it’s a genuinely innovative way for us to deliver safe but effective 1-2-1 accelerator support during this difficult time. We have an excellent cohort of indies on this year’s program and want to do what we can to support them through the challenges ahead.”