CEO @Directors_UK, the professional association for TV and film directors
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ALT Andy Harrower: “Freelance creatives — including TV and film directors — are the people whose work makes the creative industries the success that they are. Making sure their careers are sustainable, and addressing the precariousness of freelancing in our sector, is key to ensuring growth. We look forward to working with the Government to explore solutions following its response to the CMS report on creator remuneration.”
ALT New broadcast licence for Channel 4
ALT I'm speaking at The Cultural & Creative Industries Pavilion. The Annual Labour Party Conference 2024. 22-25 September, Liverpool.
ALT 1. Introduce a Freelancer Commissioner in Whitehall to represent and defend the interests and concerns of the UK’s 4.3 million freelancers who often fall through the cracks of the UK’s tax, pension and benefits system. 2. Introduce a Smart Fund to pay creatives for the private copying and consumption of their content on digital devices such as laptops and mobiles, and fund grassroots arts schemes that will foster greater industry diversity. 3. Ensure the AI sector — through robust regulatory action — respects the UK’s ‘Gold Standard’ IP Copyright Regime and honours their obligations to that system through transparency, accountability and financial compensation.
ALT When I spoke on behalf of our members at the CMS Committee on Creator Remuneration in September, I was there to ensure directors’ income is protected and that they are fairly paid. Our call for a private copying scheme, in the form of the Smart Fund, has been recommended. For the Committee to recognise the importance of fair remuneration for the use of directors’ work, and set a 12 month timeline on the fund’s implementation, is recognition of the contribution directors make to our economy. Our call for better protection of freelancers, in the form of a Freelancers’ Commissioner, has been recommended. Having someone advocate across government in the interest of creative freelancers is a step towards accountability and away from the poor working conditions and unfair practices our members face. Our call to future proof the industry, in the form of protection for rightsholders, has been recommended. There must be no exception to copyright when we’re talking about the use of A
ALT In recent weeks we have seen the growing call for an increase in Channel 4’s ‘Made out of England’ quotas to address the concerns about the future sustainability of production in the Nations. The importance of production that’s sustainable long term in the Nations + regions is something that we reflected in our original submission to the consultation on the proposals for the Channel 4 Licence renewal, but we support the calls for Ofcom to increase Channel 4’s quota obligations in the Nations to 16%, and ensure that C4C plays its part in investing in the creative economy of all 4 UK Nations. Directors in the Nations + regions rely on the opportunities and investment that PSBs make outside of London. Crucially, it not only enables them to embark on and build a meaningful career, it enables them to reflect the people and places around them. PSBs have a duty to represent the people they serve – Ofcom must ensure that broadcasters make good on their commitment to supporting this work.