Hartlepool production company receives funding boost from BBC

Sea & Sky Pictures will join five other North East companies in receiving financial support through the £1million BBC Small Indie Fund, as well as a BBC commissioning editor as a mentor to support their growth.

This partnership will see the company co-develop a raft of original comedy projects with the aim of getting more of the North East seen and heard within the BBC’s comedy output.

Hartlepool filmmaker Adam Boabda, Managing Director of Sea and Sky Pictures, said: “The Regional Partnership with BBC Comedy and Hat Trick has been brilliant – we already have two scripted comedy projects in further development, with three more in the pipeline.

“The support we are getting is central to our future growth as a company and for the North East as a whole.”

It comes after the £11.4million North East Screen Industries Partnership was backed by £4.5million of investment from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Sea & Sky are another great example of the sheer depth of talent we have right on our doorstep.

"I’m delighted the BBC is sitting up and noticing how much we have to offer by their investment in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool following their £25million commitment to the region.

“We want to make Hartlepool a cultural capital of the North – and with our £4.5million investment in screen and film industries, the £16.5million boost to the town through the Levelling Up Fund, and the Hartlepool Mayoral Development Corporation turbocharging investment, we are within reach of making Hartlepool a real centre for filmmaking.”

Cllr Shane Moore, Combined Authority Cabinet Lead for Culture and Tourism and Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, added: “This year is already promising to be a great one for Hartlepool and I’m very pleased the BBC has bolstered a great company in the town with this fresh funding.

“We have the local expertise in organisations such as Hartlepool’s Northern Studios and a wealth of creative minds in our town to make our cultural vision a reality.

“By working together with the BBC, North East Screen and filmmakers, we have a lot to offer here in the Tees Valley and the sky is the limit for what we can achieve.”