About Focus:
FOCUS is delivered by Film City Futures in partnership with the Scottish Documentary Institute, and supported by Screen Scotland. The project was developed in response to feedback from the sector, which indicated that there was a lack of access to sector-specific business support for screen sector companies.
FOCUS supports independent micro-businesses and SMEs in Scotland’s screen sector – from emerging and new start-ups to established film, TV and animation companies – who require specialist advice in order to grow their business, but who do not have access to such support in-house. For screen companies, this is a rare opportunity to gain access to sought-after expertise in areas such as development, distribution, financing, legal, international co-production and business strategy.
FOCUS has engaged with over 300 companies in the past and our current cohort is made up of over 80 companies. We are always looking to support more indies and producers - find out how we might be able to help you below.
FOCUS ACTIVITIES:
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FOCUS has a pool of industry consultants covering a broad range of expertise across scripted and non-scripted in TV, film and animation. This expertise is across creative and business and includes legal, sales & distribution, script development, finance, business strategy, and more. The process involves identifying the specific needs of a participating company and aligning them with the relevant consultant (duration and length of contract varies according to need). Consultants complete brief, written reports outlining the aims of the consultancy, how they plan to undertake it, the impact of the consultancy on the company and recommendations for the future.
Find our more about the consultancy support available and how to apply.
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Industry Events and Webinars, delivered online via Zoom and aimed at FOCUS screen businesses, but open to all operating in the sector.
Find out more on our news & events page.
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New to FOCUS/ Film City Futures? Register now for a surgery, a 1-2-1 introductory meeting delivered by the FOCUS team and aimed at companies that are not yet part of FOCUS but who are seeking information and advice.
Email us to get started. Please include some information on you/ your company to help us guide your enquiry.
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Forums are aimed exclusively at the FOCUS cohort of companies and offer an informal meeting and networking platform with a guest speaker invited to explore specific topics.
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An intensive 3-4 day programme that aims to equip new/emerging screen companies with the skills, knowledge and contacts they require to grow and thrive by incorporating in-depth training sessions in key areas of business management, finance, development and markets. These also include short, 1:1 post-bootcamp consultancies.
Applications for bootcamps will be advertised on our news page and social media pages.
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Business Labs, an intensive 2-3 day programme that drills down into current industry issues or potential areas of growth for FOCUS companies.
Applications for business labs will be advertised on our news page and social media pages.
Are you a Scotland-based indie interested in connecting with FOCUS? Contact us using the button below.
read what previous FOCUS participants had to say:
“The quality of experts we have had access to as a result of our involvement with Focus has been exceptional and our confidence as business leaders and understanding of issues such as legal and business affairs has been transformed.”
“[FOCUS] is very industry focused from people who work in and understand the film and TV industry.”
“I’ve found the FOCUS team to be extremely responsive to often quite specific business problems that have come up, often in time-sensitive situations, which is incredibly helpful as a business owner.
The combined expertise of all of the FOCUS consultants is an extraordinary resource and a deep well of industry-specific knowledge.”
“Personal, tailored, accessible, friendly, comprehensive support that really understands and addresses all aspects of the industry landscape.
FOCUS has provided me with an invaluable network of colleagues from the wider film, tv and animation industry that I wouldn’t necessarily have met through other schemes or organisations, as we’d usually operate in different areas.”