Setting up the county’s first film office

Screen Staffordshire: Setting up the county’s first film office

As the flowers of Spring begins to bloom, and the sun hangs in the sky a little longer, I feel now is a good time to reflect on the last few months here at Screen Staffordshire.

My name is Jonny Shelton, and as of December 2024, I have been the Film Office Manager, in the We Are Staffordshire team. After WAS secured three years of funding to deliver a film office pilot, I knew I wanted to be a part of it – having gotten to know Louisa Shaw and Louise Shaw during their feasibility study whilst employed by Creative UK.

I have worked in UK Film and TV Production for almost seven years; for most of that time, working with the Locations Departments on some of the world’s best-known feature and drama franchises. I have found other worlds for Star Wars, different eras for The Crown and set up police car chases for Brassic; I’ve had the pleasure of aiding the likes of James Bond, Marvel, Mission Impossible, Paddington, Peaky Blinders and many, many others. I have worked with every local authority and film office across the Midlands and the North of England, and know the sector’s needs and requirements.

The scale of ambition that We Are Staffordshire demonstrated when we first met in spring 2023 impressed me, and, less than 18 months later, I was delighted to accept the position of Film Office Manager.

Since joining the team, we’ve made a lot of progress.

Much like We Are Staffordshire, the Film Office is here for the good of the county. During the extensive feasibility study, We Are Staffordshire met with and gained support from each of the districts, boroughs across Staffordshire and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. I have since been welcomed to their areas, where they have taken the time to hear our plan, which is underpinned by working collaboratively. I have been blown away by the ‘yes, and’ nature of these interactions, having come up against ‘no, but’ from many local authorities elsewhere in the past. I’m pleased to have been able to visit the vast majority of them in person so far, and all of them in some capacity.

Visiting these areas is key for the film office, as we need to be able to tell Location Managers what our offer is. To that end, the Film Office has already scouted and photographed almost 70 locations, which are currently hosted on the Filming in England Locations Directory. There were just under 70 on their directory before I started, across the whole of the county, so we’ve effectively doubled it. This means we can refer to a wider range of locations, thus increasing the likelihood of being used. We are also in the process of acquiring our own Location Directory technology, in addition to a permitting system, project tracking software, and directories for both local crew and supply-chain businesses. This will allow us to represent the county and its interest to industry, all in one place.

I’m actually new to local authority – despite working with so many, I’ve never worked for one myself. My colleagues have been incredibly welcoming, patient, insightful and flexible with me, and the aims of the film office. They’re integral to the achievement of our ambitions; our Comms, Countryside and Parks, Highways, Legal and Property amongst others have gone out of their way to help us get up and running, and start making waves (and some shooting, in fact, which I can’t say too much more on at present but watch this space!).

Our Local Visitor Economy Partnership has also facilitated the film office brilliantly. I was so pleased to get the chance to host two workshops at the Big Tourism Conference in January, where I could bring my experiences to life with a live, and very engaged, audience of key stakeholders in the public and private sector across our fine county. The LVEP Board, much like the WAS Board, have been so supportive and responsive to our endeavours, which I am hugely grateful for (and inspiring, as I begin to assemble our very own Film Office steering group too).

The Film Office has already shown major productions around, and whilst any shooting is far from guaranteed, we’re firmly in the conversation now more so than ever before. I was also very pleased to secure our first paid day of work for a local freelancer on a commercial production (if I am honest, a little ahead of schedule!). Being invited to speak at Stafford Film Festival, and also meet and tour local academic establishments, directly led to this hire as it introduced me to the right people, who could help further.

The sector runs on the good work of its largely freelance employee base, and I’ve been lucky to meet so many great production professionals over the years. I have stayed in touch with them, been to visit them across the Midlands and the North, told them what we have, and intend to host them on fam. trips across the county and receptions outside the county later on in year, after our official launch in June – which will be taking place in East Staffordshire.

The immediate future feels bright for the film office, with lots of locations still to explore and catalogue, some super exciting live enquiries in the pipeline, and the official launch of our brand and service gearing up for summer!

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any further questions, I look forward to working with you.