Seeks four ‘slightly larger’ companies to invest in this year
Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund is seeking at least four firms to invest in this year with head Caroline Murphy interested in “slightly bigger” companies than its 2021 crop.
Last year it added six indies to its portfolio, while none exited, taking the total number of investments to 16 – the most since the fund was founded in 2014.
Murphy wants to add a minimum of four more indies this year, including some larger operators.
“If you look at the companies we’ve invested in over the last few years they’ve been at the smaller end and in the earlier stages of their development. There is potential this year to take investment in one or two bigger companies which may have ambitions to grow more quickly,” she said.
Murphy is interested in indies that specialise in an array of genres content, moving beyond 2020’s unscripted focus. Scripted indies Duck Soup and Paper Entertainment joined the fund last alongside the multi-genre Big Deal Films. She also cited Spirit Studios and its diverse digital focus as an area of interest.
“Spirit is interesting because it monetises through a mix of YouTube channels, podcasting, TV and branded content,” she said.
Nine of the 16 companies in the group are based out of London, six of them have ethnically diverse leadership and five are founded by women. She is keen to maintain this momentum, “whether that means a London-based indie with an ethnically diverse management or an N&R-based indie led by white males”.
“The main thing is finding companies that have a lot of ambition,” she added.
Since the beginning of 2020, three firms have exited the fund: Whisper Films, Eleven Productions and Lightbox Films.
Murphy said that the uncertainty of the past two years have made indies more cautious about leaving the fund though she is confident that at least two of the more established firms will exit this year.
Caroline Murphy will be speaking at the Broadcast Indie Summit tomorrow at The Barbican
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