Securing Funding for Films and Documentaries

In this session, we ask our panel of Film and TV finance experts what funding avenues are open to young film and documentary makers.

Panellists

• Debbie Mason, CCO and Co-Founder Heap Mason Media
• Hannah Bush Bailey, Production Manager, BFI Doc Society Fund
• Jordan McGarry, Head of Talent Development and Production, Film London

Panellist Biographies

Debbie Mason, CCO and Co-Founder Heap Mason Media

Debbie is a leading international authority in the development and exploitation of content and has produced/exec produced in excess of 2000 hours of television in the UK and USA over the past 25 years.

In 1991 she co-founded Kudos Productions and Kudos Film Productions, one of the leading independent UK production companies, acquired by the Shine Group in 2007 for £35 million, and best known for the award-winning drama series, Spooks.

Her 2006 joint venture with Elisabeth Murdoch, ShineMatrix, launched PTV in the USA and brought the critically acclaimed ‘My GamesFever’ into 31 million homes on the My Network, broadcasting live 4 hours every afternoon. As managing director of DITG (Digital Interactive Television Group) she created and launched the first fully interactive TV channel in the world, BAFTA-winner AVAGO, which was sold to Gala Bingo in 2006. She went on to launch more than 10 channels onto the SKY platform, including iSportsTV, acquired by William Hill in 2006.

As Interactive Commissioner at ITV she was responsible for driving digital revenues across all of the programming genres with the controllers, to integrate a fully worked digital strategy driving new revenues.

As founder and CEO of Mason Media Matrix Ltd, her boutique digital media consultancy, she specialised in developing brand concepts for global multi-platform exploitation. Clients included everything from gaming operations in Israel to media and technology companies in China and designer swimwear companies in Australia.

She has been advising an international digital sports comic and graphic novel business aimed at the mass market of India and cricket fans.

As the co-founder and CEO of HeapMasonMedia Ltd, a ‘true’ independent production company launched in 2017 specifically to develop scripted dramas for TV she is currently working with multi million selling British authors Peter James and Andy McNab.

More about Heap Mason Media: www.heapmasonmedia.com.

Hannah Bush Bailey, Production Manager, BFI Doc Society Fund

Hannah Bush Bailey is the production manager for the BFI Doc Society fund. She works across the funds feature slate and Made of Truth Short Scheme supporting filmmakers both in production and editorially.

Prior to this role she worked as a short form producer creating work for companies such as Universal, Disney and Channel 4's Random Acts. Her experience also spans a number of feature docs and high-end television series.

Hannah has previously been involved in BFI Network X BAFTA Crew, BAFTA'S Guru Pro training scheme and Film London's Microwave Feature Film Development Scheme.

Her short films have screened internationally including at Raindance Festival, BFI Future Film Festival and London Short Film Festival.

About the BFI Doc Society:

The BFI/Doc Society Fund supports creative and hybrid feature documentaries and short films by diverse creative voices from all over the UK. The fund has three calls a year for feature documentaries, and one for shorts.

Find out more: https://docsociety.org/bfi-doc/.

Jordan McGarry, Head of Talent Development and Production, Film London

Jordan is responsible for Film London's production and talent development strategy including the agency's shorts and feature length productions schemes, as well its range of training initiatives.

Prior to joining Film London in 2016, Jordan spent five years at Vimeo, latterly as director of curation. She also worked on key projects such as Vimeo On Demand, Vimeo Brand Studios, Vimeo Originals and the Staff Picks channel.

Before joining Vimeo, she worked as executive producer for Partizan Films and also as a journalist and commissioner for Dazed & Confused, Nowness, the British Council, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, among others.

Visit http: www.filmlondon.org.uk to learn more.