Funding the Future of Television: TV Collective announce new lottery scheme

The TV Collective's Content Fund managed by BeeSMART, and new accelerator scheme: TV Collective Develops are key components of the bespoke offer by TV Collective to support Global Majority talent, who continue to be disproportionately financially impacted by the downturn in TV’s commissioning landscape. Both initiatives will be launched at TV Collective’s first international hybrid festival, 16-27 September, featuring top tier talent including:

-Behind the scenes of Netflix’s hit ‘Supacell’ with Sheila Nortley and Sebastian Thiel
-Ava DuVernay’s Array president Paul Garnes on ‘Origin’ and the future of filmmaking
-Sunday Times Best-selling Author of 'Natives: Race, Class in the ruins of Empire' / hip hop artist and Immovable Studios co-Founder Akala
- ‘Defiance: Fighting The Far Right’ with award-winning Rajesh Thind
-Amazon Prime ‘Gassed Up’ with award-winning filmmaker George Amponsah
-TV Collective Legacy Lecture honours giants like Simon Albury 
-Unmissable in-person events incl: Lunch with Big Zuu on Friday 20th September

At TV Collective Live festival, based on The TV Collective podcast (formerly The Plug): attendees can book 1-2-1’s with industry experts, attend over 30 masterclasses and business clinic tackling everything from pitching, attracting finance and distribution to protecting Intellectual property and the impact of AI; benefit from international networking and celebrate with creatives of colour who are producing the content that dominate our screens today and in the future.

Also launching at the TV Collective festival with the 1st prize draw, is the TV Collective Content Fund, which pays homage to the Pardner Hand, an informal, community-based savings scheme used by many from the Windrush generation to purchase homes in the UK when they first arrived and faced discrimination from lenders.

TV Collective CEO Simone Pennant MBE, says, “Even with the successes of our Breakthrough leaders programme, that has supported over 200 global majority talent at senior levels in TV to progress their careers - many of us are in survival mode, given the current economic challenges. However with these new initiatives, TV Collective hopes to continue to inspire our community to thrive, not just survive. Supporting the TV Collective Content Fund not only gives creatives of colour a chance to win big every month and get their hands on some cash money, but more importantly the money raised goes to global majority creatives supporting them to develop and produce the content audiences want to see. TV Collective - the clue is in the name; you have to be in it so we can all win it!”

Big Zuu says, "TV Collective is trying to make sure it's lit for diverse talent in TV and giving away cash money! Join me for an in-person Big Zuu lunch at TV Collective's festival, where I will be chatting about how and why I am bodying TV content production, and find out how TV Collective is backing their chat with cash!"

Paul Garnes says, “On behalf of ARRAY Filmworks I’m happy to join my fellow producers and storytellers at this forward-thinking convening to explore the importance of narrative change and the future of film.”

Notes to Editors

-Join the TV Collective community for £8.99 monthly and access all online Festival events for free:

https://network-7138364.mn.co/plans/1439780?bundle_token=a08dc26e03cb9006276b63a6b55fb245&utm_source=manual

For full TV Collective Live festival schedule information and to book tickets visit:

https://www.airmeet.com/e/18f16eb0-5ed7-11ef-bb56-bdf91d43844a

-Sign up to the TV Collective Content Fund for £10 a month and get a Free Gourmet Society membership https://collectivecontentfund.joinourlottery.org.uk/collectivecontentfund/

-To participate in the Lottery or receive a prize, individuals must be over 18 years of age and reside in Britain. TV Collective promotes responsible gambling and if you feel you have a problem with gambling visit www.begambleaware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133

-BeeSMART will have a monthly £25k charity payout from October 2024 but the TV Collective’s first payout will be at the end of TV Collective Live festival in September with the lucky winner receiving £5k! Bee Ethical | Leading UK Fundraising Agency + Lottery Provider (bee-ethical.com)

Breakthrough leaders programme - https://thetvcollective.org/breakthroughleaders/

- The TV Collective is a CIC that champions excellence, inclusion and change for creatives of colour behind the camera in the screen industries. It’s a networking organisation for creatives of colour, who are making innovative content today and for the future.

- CEO Simone Pennant MBE, founded The TV Collective in 2011 as a platform and community for content creators from global majority backgrounds across the UK to come together, support, celebrate and create opportunities for each other. https://www.thetvcollective.org/

-Contact TV Collective publicist Paula Ogun Hector via whattsapp messaging @PaulaOH on +44 7445 104 862 or paula@imaginationlab.co.uk for further information on the TV Collective’s Content Fund, Festival and TV Collective Develops and for interview and full bio with CEO Simone Pennant MBE.