Tag: economic benefits

New report finds economic impact of the Screen Industry in Edinburgh grows to £97million

1,820 FTE Roles Across the Region

  • Studio growth enabled inward film and HETV production spend to increase by 110%, driving increases in employment and economic value in Scotland’s screen sector  
  • Overall production spend in Scotland grew by 55%, including content made by Scotland-based producers  

Screen Scotland has published latest figures evidencing continued growth in the value of Scotland’s film and TV industries to the country’s economy including in Edinburgh.  

Commissioned by Screen Scotland and produced by Saffery Champness and Nordicity, the independent report which looks at The Economic Value of the Screen Sector in Scotland in 2021 finds that significant growth was found in all areas of production, particularly inward investment film and High-End TV (HETV) production:  

  • Inward investment film and HETV production spend increased by 110%, from £165.3 million in 2019 to £347.4 million in 2021. 
  • In total, an estimated £617.4 million was spent on the production of film, TV and other audiovisual content in Scotland in 2021, compared to £398.6 million in 2019, up 55% compared to 2019*. 
  • This included content made by Scotland-based producers, producers based outside of Scotland filming in Scotland and Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) commissioned content. 

The employment impact in Scotland’s production sub-sector rose from 5,120 full time equivalent jobs (FTEs) in 2019 to 7,150 FTEs in 2021, a 39% increase. The employment impact across Scotland’s entire sector increased at a lower rate, by 5.6%, from 10,280 FTEs in 2019 to 10,940 FTEs in 2021 – with the covid impacts in that year on employment in the cinema exhibition and screen tourism accounting for the difference. 

According to the research, undertaken by Saffery Champness and Nordicity as a follow-up to their recent study of 2019, growth is in large part due to sector development work undertaken since Screen Scotland’s formation in 2018, including significant skills development work and the opening of new or expanded studio facilities, particularly FirstStage Studios in Edinburgh, where Prime Video’s The Rig (which has returned to Scotland to film series 2) and Anansi Boys were filmed, and the expansion of The Pyramids in West Lothian, home to another Prime Video HETV series, Good Omens 2.

These studio facilities have made Scotland an even more attractive place to film, opening in time to catch the global post pandemic boom in production**.    

Alongside film and TV development and production, the wide-ranging study analyses the economic contribution of the full screen sector value chain – film and TV development and production, animation, VFX and post-production, film and TV distribution, TV broadcast, film exhibition – and extends into the supply chains that provide services at each stage of the content process, including facilities, equipment, transport, catering and accommodation. 

Beyond that direct supply chain, the study looks at where the screen sector stimulates economic activity elsewhere in the Scottish economy: screen tourism, the education and training sectors and infrastructure.    

In total, the screen sector in Scotland contributed Gross Value Added (GVA) of £627 million to Scotland’s economy in 2021, providing 10,930 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs, up from £568 million and 10,940 FTEs in 2019. GVA is the standard measure used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and other national statistical agencies for measuring the monetary value of economic activity and the economic performance of industries.    

Isabel Davis, Screen Scotland’s Executive Director said: “The growth in all forms of production in Scotland between 2019 and 2021 is a phenomenal result.  It shows us that public investment via Screen Scotland in infrastructure, development, production and skills development, combined with attractive levels of production incentive are the catalyst for a successful industry.  

“Now is the time to build on these newly created jobs and growth with a sustained funding commitment towards skills development, attraction of large-scale productions and a focus on the development of locally originated film and television.  Screen Scotland is committed to delivering further growth, working hand in hand with the commercial production and studio sectors. 

“This will rely upon sustained funding and support in order for Scotland to seize the opportunities ahead of it and see that growth trajectory continue.” 

Authors of the Report, Stephen Bristow, Partner, Saffery Champness LLP and Dustin Chodorowicz, Partner, Nordicity noted further significant Report findings: “The doubling of Scotland’s annual level of inward investment film and high-end TV production between 2019 and 2021, was nearly three times the 39% growth rate experienced by the UK as a whole, according to published BFI statistics.

“In addition, Scotland’s screen sector GVA rose by 9.7% in those two years – well ahead of the 1.2% increase in nominal GVA (i.e. not adjusted for the effects of price inflation) posted by Scotland’s overall economy during that period.” 

Wellbeing Economy Secretary, Neil Gray said: “This report highlights another banner year for Scotland’s screen sector, which is all the more significant for the jobs, investment and economic growth it has delivered. The scale of the return to the Scottish economy from the investment in screen production is remarkable. 

“Beyond film and TV, this report also highlights how our tourism, hospitality and construction sectors have benefitted from this investment through screen tourism, catering contracts, and infrastructure expansion, and the supply chains that support these activities. 

“The efforts of Screen Scotland have been key to this result and we are committed to working with them and the sector to ensure this growth and the wider benefits being delivered can continue.” 

Bob Last, who’s FirstStage Studios in Leith has housed Prime Video’s Anansi Boys and The Rig, and where the second series of The Rig is currently filming, said: “We at FirstStage Studios are excited to have created a facility that helps our customers and their creatives realise ambitious visions for audiences both local and global. 

“We are pleased to have rapidly built relationships with, in particular Amazon Prime Video, enabling us to play a part in anchoring more of this global industry and its varied employment opportunities in Scotland and Leith.

“We thank all those who have chosen to make our facility their creative home and especially the crews whose hard work we witness daily, every one of them is a part of the good news today’s Screen Scotland report outlines.” 

As a highly experienced Scotland-based film and HETV producer, and currently producer on The Rig, Suzanne Reid commented: “As I progressed in my career the higher-level productions I wanted to work on just didn’t exist in Scotland, in part due to a lack of studio facilities – so I had to head to England and Wales for this type of work.

“It has been wonderful to be working back at home and to be able to work alongside our brilliantly talented Scottish crew on such a highly ambitious series. While it may have been a very successful couple of years for the Scottish Film and TV industry, we need to keep pushing for more high-end productions to be based in Scotland so we can continue to grow our talent base and keep them working at home.” 

A summary of the key findings including case studies, can be found here: Case studies | Screen Scotland 

The report can be read in full here : https://www.screen.scot/funding-and-support/research/economic-value-of-the-screen-sector-in-scotland-in-2021/economic-value-of-the-screen-sector-in-scotland-in-2021

Edinburgh set to take part in new Internet of Things trial

Scottish Councils create safer and more sustainable communities through smart tech

The city council is one of six Scottish local authorities – alongside Scotrail, Blackwood Homes and Care and Borders College – set to benefit from a new Internet of Things (IoT) trial which has the potential to transform the experience of people who live within communities across the country.

The ‘IoT Accelerator Packs’ are being supplied by North, the UK’s leading IoT service and solutions provider.

The innovative packs are set to provide access to real time data insights on waste management, air quality, social housing solutions, building health and water monitoring capabilities. Used in the right way, they have the potential to transform the ways in which local communities live and work and can deliver a wide range of societal and economic benefits.

With access to the Scottish Government-backed national Internet of Things network, IoT Scotland, and funded IoT Accelerator Packs, the organisations involved can investigate and evaluate the power of IoT technology. Scotrail, Blackwood Homes and Care and Borders College are taking part in the innovative trial alongside the following:

  • Aberdeen City Council
  • Angus Council
  • East Renfrewshire Council
  • City of Edinburgh Council
  • Fife Council
  • Highland Council

Working closely with each organisation, North determined the services which would most benefit from smart solutions.

Comprising of sensors and the back-end services required to deploy the selected pack, the IoT Accelerator Packs are accompanied with professional services to facilitate the rollout. The North team will then evaluate and capture feedback, with deployment and support fully funded by the provider.

Fife Council has selected intelligent waste management technology. This will help to reduce their carbon footprint and operational costs using data to monitor smart bins, which align waste collection frequency with demand, significantly reducing costs and emissions. 

Scotrail, Edinburgh City, Angus and East Renfrewshire Council will have the ability to measure air quality within train stations, council buildings or across a busy town centre, measuring and reporting on temperature, humidity and pressure, alongside primary air pollutants, enabling environmental teams to access and collate measurements in real-time more easily and frequently than traditional manual processes.

Similarly, Blackwood Homes and Care will be implementing the use of sensors within its social housing to monitor and improve living environments. This will ensure parameters such as moisture control and ventilation are adequate, providing a healthy living environment for tenants whilst also protecting the fabric of the building.

Borders College will use the technology to monitor levels of CO2 within the working environment across its building. With high levels of CO₂ saturation proven to have a detrimental effect on an occupant’s health, affecting productivity, comfort, absence rates and learning retention.

Aberdeen City Council will implement smart sensors to monitor its water, alongside Highland Council, which has already successfully adopted the smart IoT sensor technology across its schools, care homes, leisure centres and council offices to gather a range of data and insights.

The addition of water monitoring is set to help each of the organisations maximise their water safety, by continuously monitoring and measuring water temperature to identify and reduce the risk of legionella and other bacteria.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, Kate Forbes, said: “These innovative accelerator packs have been designed to help organisations explore Internet of Things (IoT) solutions which can deliver sustainable social and economic benefits for local communities.

“Digital technologies like IoT help drive forward our economic recovery while reducing business costs and enabling progress towards net-zero emissions.”

Alasdair Rettie, Group Technical Director at North, said: “IoT technology has the power to truly transform our lives, from revolutionising the ways in which we work, to ensuring that we live in safe and healthy environments. Whilst providing us with the ability to access data which allows us to make informed decisions to improve services across communities.

“We are elated to assist these 10 organisations across Scotland, as they pave the way to use IoT technology to its fullest potential, enhancing their operations and existing systems. From connecting large scale cities to remote communities, the opportunities brought about by the implementation of IoT within our digital connectivity infrastructure are endless, particularly as we work towards Scotland’s social and economic recovery.

“The use of such solutions provides extensive opportunities and a vast number of benefits, and we are pleased to be able to provide these organisations with this opportunity.”

IoT Scotland is the UK’s most advanced IoT network, and it is hoped that through the ‘IoT Accelerator Packs’, local authorities will realise the benefits insightful and actionable IoT data can deliver, driving the adoption of IoT technologies and smart solutions to revolutionise the lives of people throughout Scotland.

Data gathered by these smart solutions will remain the property of the council and all data will be handled in accordance with data protection and GDPR regulations. Councils will have the opportunity to pay to expand and continue the solutions after the initial 12-month period if they so wish.

Councils interested in taking part in the IoT Accelerator Pack programme should get in touch through the following email address: contact@north.tech.

Charity’s child surgery work creates £1bn of economic benefit

A Scottish-based charity that provides dedicated, specialist facilities and equipment for children’s surgery in low-income countries is today celebrating a significant landmark.

Since its inception in 2018, the work of Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) has given more than 43,000 children access to life-changing or life-saving surgery. Today, KidsOR has announced that the economic benefit of these operations has broken the £1 BILLION mark!

Through independent research, the charity has calculated that a child undergoing an operation in one of its Operating Rooms in Africa or Latin America is projected to go on to contribute an average of £26,000 in additional GDP in the years to come.

David Cunningham, CEO of KidsOR, said: “When a child has a lifesaving operation, or an operation that cures a simple condition like incontinence, that allows the child to stay in school and grow up to contribute to their nation’s economy, we can calculate what the economic benefit to that country was of the child surviving or being able to go to school.

“A core part of our mission is to produce the evidence desperately needed to show that providing surgical care is one of the most impactful investments you can make in global health.

“At KidsOR, we rely on academic partners to conduct independent research to evaluate the impact of our work. For every operation performed in one of our partner hospitals, a local data collector records key data about the operation and its outcomes, as well as its impact on the child and their family.

David Cunningham added: “With all of that in mind, we are delighted to have reached the incredible landmark of £1 billion in economic benefit generated for our partner nations. But our work will not stop here, and we are already working to create many more Operating Rooms and to train many more local surgeons in countries where they are needed the most.”

KidsOR is a Scottish global health charity with bases in Edinburgh, Dundee and Nairobi. It works directly with local surgeons and their teams across Africa and South America to transform hospital spaces into dedicated Operating Rooms for children’s surgery, creating child-friendly surroundings and providing surgeons with the specialist equipment and training they need to care for their nation’s children.

Since 2018, the charity has created the capacity for more than 41,000 operations to be carried out.

A single operation taking place in a KidsOR Operating Room is estimated to prevent an average of 17.1 years of life lost due to disability or premature death. This is the key metric used by the World Health Organisation to assess the global burden of disease.