Indielab launches GrowthLab industry event to “power up” UK indies

Victoria Powell

Indielab, the UK accelerator programme organisation, is launching GrowthLab, a new industry event dedicated to promoting growth for UK indies.

The event will be held in at Barclays in Canary Wharf, London, on 9 February 2023, with earlybird tickets going on sale today. GrowthLab is aimed at both scripted and unscripted indies keen to “power-up production, kick-start new commercial opportunities and invest in their future.”

Indielab created the event to help support the sector, which it said is beset by “constantly changing economic and sector challenges” as well as uncertainty around the future of both the BBC and Channel 4.

TBI is the exclusive media partner for GrowthLab, which will tackle key issues driving indie development and growth today, delivered across different activity hubs. These include Speaker and Session Rooms, largely interactive spaces where delegates can hear from and question industry leaders, and a Distribution and Production Finance Markethall, where indies can meet one-to-one with potential partners.

Confirmed speakers include Liam Keelan, SVP of original content, Europe and Africa, for Disney+ and Harjeet Chhokar, unscripted executive at Amazon Studios, as well as indie founders including Hello Dolly CEO Victoria Ashbourne and Spirit Studios’ Matt Campion.

Topics covered on the day will range from succeeding in a recession and finding new opportunities in the changing global market, to how to develop a winning company culture for richer results.

Distributors and production finance companies already confirmed to be attending include Abacus Media Rights, Banijay Rights, BBC Studios, BossaNova Media, Great Point, Hat Trick International, Passion Distribution and Silverlining Right.

“The UK’s independent production sector has long been the envy of the international television industry but as the media landscape continues to evolve, growth is not a given and the sector needs more support than ever before to thrive and compete,” said Victoria Powell, Indielab’s CEO.

“We’ve listened to what indies want and have combined that input with our own extensive experience around indie growth to deliver a dynamic event that will address current issues and help identify the new opportunities that exist, all the while providing tangible advice, useful take-aways and interesting new connections.”