Screen Yorkshire signs former Creative England head of film

The company, which helps to fund film, television and video games in the region, has taken on Caroline Cooper Charles as its strategic development executive, and she will report to chief executive Sally Joynson.

Her work will include the development and delivery of Screen Yorkshire’s new Film Office, which will launch later this year, and she will also explore new strategic opportunities for the firm to help it deliver an ambitious five-year growth plan for the sector.

Screen Yorkshire’s growth plan, which was developed with support from the British Film Institute and fourteen local partners, is centred around four strategic pillars: commercial content investment; developing talent to create a skilled, more diverse workforce; building “best-in-class” studios; and cementing Yorkshire’s reputation as an outstanding and supportive location for creative businesses. These ambitions are all underpinned by plans for the new Film Office, which will offer expert advice and support to native and international productions.

Ms Cooper Charles was most recently head of film at Creative England, where she graduated from heading up its Film Enterprise fund to have overall responsibility for the company’s film production and development activities, including support for the growth and sustainability of related businesses.

She said: “I have long been a fan of Screen Yorkshire. Since it was first established in 2002, it has been a pioneer in its field, constantly evolving to adapt to the changes in the industry, delivering great results and garnering a huge amount of respect in return.”

After the 2010 change in Government, the UK Film Council was abolished and the nine regional screen agencies were broadly integrated into just one, Creative England.