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The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, will be flying the Welsh flag at the UK Film and Television Week in Los Angeles this week to promote our thriving creative industries sector and attract more high-quality international production to Wales.

Wales is now the UK’s biggest creative industries base outside of London, with recent international success’ including Da Vinci’s Demons and The Bastard Executioner.

UK Film and Television Week is organised by the British Film Commission and provides opportunities for networking with US studios and production companies to highlight to key industry decision-makers the fantastic production facilities and scenery that makes Wales an ideal place for filming.

The Deputy Minister will attend a series of events and meetings with high-profile TV and film executives, including Twentieth Century Fox, Netflix, the Executive Vice President of Pinewood USA and Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner from Bad Wolf productions, to discuss how the Welsh Government can support and attract future major TV productions to Wales.

The Deputy Minister said:

“UK Film and Television Week presents us with an opportunity to promote Wales’ huge success in producing high-quality TV drama and film production as well as our fantastic facilities, scenery and skilled workforce.

“In our ambition to establish Wales as an international centre of excellence for the creative industries we have created packages of support which have seen growth in the industry in Wales outstrip that of the UK as a whole over the same period.

“This brings with it significant economic benefits to all sectors, including tourism. Just last week 200 rooms were booked out in Pembrokeshire due to production taking place there, bringing a welcome boost to the tourism trade at what would normally be a quieter time in the season. We’re also seeing images of Wales’ breathtaking scenery shared on social media and broadcast all over the world, which is invaluable in encouraging international visitors to Wales.

“I intend to take every opportunity to promote all Wales has to offer during the visit so that we can look forward to seeing even more international TV drama productions coming to Wales.”

The creative industries is already the fastest growing Welsh Government priority sector and bringing significant economic benefits and creating opportunities to develop new generation skills in areas such as set design and visual effects.

In the 2014-2015 financial year, TV drama productions supported by the Welsh Government spent over £32m on services supplied by businesses and individual freelancers located in and operating in Wales.

Recent statistics show the number of people working in this industry in Wales increased by 52% between 2005 and 2014, with nearly 50,000 people now employed by the sector.

Last month Fox Television 21, with support from the Welsh Government, secured a long-term lease for the Dragon Studios in Pencoed, which was used for the filming of the historic blockbuster TV series, The Bastard Executioner.

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