CHQ Accelerate
Your creative future starts here.
Watch our quick training to learn how we work with producers to transform indie production companies into investment-ready creative powerhouses.
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PRODUCING IS HARD WORK, WE GET IT.
Does This Sound Like You?
- I have all the creative knowledge but I lack the business knowledge.
- I'm struggling to win funding or commissions.
- My production company isn't working the way I want.
- I feel overwhelmed and burnt out.
- I'm too reliant on waiting for the phone to ring.
"CreativeHQ is an absolute must-have tool if you run a creative business"
- James Stoneley, Heroic Studios
"There is no one else doing what [CreativeHQ] is doing, it's such an incredible platform for connecting with like minded producers and creatives. "
- Maureen Hascoet, Firewalker Films
"…What sets CreativeHQ apart is its holistic approach, covering everything from financial management to cultivating a growth mindset!"
- Rand Beiruty, Shaghab Film
Build the profit-making company your creative work deserves.
- Build a solid plan for making a profit from your creative work
- Join a community where commercial success and critical acclaim are the norm
- Establish a strong professional profile and brand presence within the industry
- Gain a clear understanding of how to connect with the right financial backers
The right strategy can make all the difference.
CreativeHQ is the place to build that strategy.
THE BRIDGE FROM SCREEN TO SCALE
CHQ Accelerate
CHQ Accelerate is perfect for independent film and TV producers who are running their own production companies.
We have a selection process to ensure all the producers we work with are ready to take on this level of support, and to advance their companies quickly towards attracting financial backing and/or investment. To apply, simply set up a call with us below.
CHQ Accelerate
Everything You Need To Succeed
MASTERCLASSES
A-Z of creative business development.
PRODUCER CLINICS
Weekly clinics to tackle challenges head-on.
LIVE WORKSHOPS
Answer specialist business & legal questions
SYSTEM DOWNLOADS
Document downloads to plug into your business and speed up growth.
MEET-UPS
In-person meet-ups at major international festivals and markets.
PITCH EVENTS
Annual pitch events with our growing investor network.
"Charlotte is extremely diligent, competent and empathetic making our time working together one of the most productive of my career."
- Amartey Golding, Artist and Filmmaker
"I encourage everyone to join CreativeHQ so you can have Charlotte and Sasha in your pocket!"
- Fiona Jones, Producer
"I was in the doldrums with my feature documentary. We now have a CIC, have unlocked funding and have run a rich impact campaign. I don't know where we'd be without this mentorship"
- Siobhan Fahey, Riot Productions
The Masterclass Series
WHAT WE COVER
STAGE 1
Your Creative Vision
Understanding what makes your production company unique is the first hurdle to carving out real success:
- Build a company that supports the career and lifestyle you want
- Grow your emotional resilience to handle the ups and downs
- Understand your niche
- Carve out your position in the market
You’ll finish these sessions with a clear idea of how your company needs to be structured in order to provide you with the life you really want and attract the right kind of financial backing.
STAGE 2
The Leads
Knowing the people that will become partners, clients, collaborators and financial backers is essential to your growth:
- Map your network and see who is missing
- Get to know your clients, collaborators and investors inside out
- Set up your CRM system (template provided)
- Understand your sales funnels and income pipelines
You’ll finish this stage with a clear understanding of who you need to work with to make your company a success.
STAGE 3
Pitch Every Day
Pitching is a numbers game: the more you do it, the most you succeed. In this lesson, you’ll learn:
- How to build strategies that help you pitch every day without burning out or losing focus
- Craft perfect pitches that land every time
- Learn how to change pitches for social media, funding applications, press and private investors
- Set a pitch schedule to stay on track
You’ll finish this stage with a killer pitch and a strategy for deploying it every day.
STAGE 4
Scaling Your Company
Now we're on the up-and-up... In these masterclasses, you’ll learn:
- The fundamentals to creative business growth
- Establishing an investor mindset
- Getting your pricing right
- Managing your time through automations
- Owning your audience
You’ll finish this stage with some clear strategies for focusing your time and energy where it really matters.
STAGE 5
Managing Your Money
Making more money creates lots of good problems.
In these masterclasses, you’ll learn:
- How to budget your company's money and time
- How to forecast future income and growth
- How to get your company ready for investors
You’ll finish this stage with confidence over your finances and a plan for significantly growing your income over time.
STAGE 6
Your Place In The Market
It's time to carve out your place in the market, both as an industry thought leader and a trusted brand. In these masterclasses, you’ll learn:
- Crafting a marketing plan for maximum impact
- Becoming a thought leader
- Your personal pitch
- Posting and publishing
- Public speaking
You’ll finish this stage with a plan for growing your personal profile and brand presence.
STAGE 7
Your Master Plan
Now you have put in the hard work, it's time to get it down on paper. In these masterclasses, you’ll:
- Write a business plan that turns heads
- Write your 3 year forecast for growth
- Start growing your own development fund
You’ll finish this stage with a plan for growing your business in a way that aligns with your creative aspirations.
STAGE 8
Pitch!
We can't hold you back any more... it's time to get out a start pitching! In these masterclasses, you’ll:
- Apply to the CreativeHQ annual pitch event
- Make the business case crystal clear
- Boost your confidence
You’ll finish this stage with a plan for pitching your company at the next CreativeHQ pitch event.
About Us
NICE TO MEET YOU
I'm Charlotte Knowles
I'm a Producer, Executive Producer, and former CEO of the Independent Film Trust. Working with Sasha Damjanovski, I developed CreativeHQ to demystify the process of developing a successful, sustainable media production company. Film and TV is my world: my first job was at the age of 12 as a TV actor, so I grew up on set. In the past 27 years, I have mentored hundreds of creative producers, commissioned and produced multiple award-winning projects, and now I'm on a mission to strengthen the screen sector ecosystem. My aim in building CreativeHQ is to empower independent media producers to become formidable industry leaders and encourage more investment into creative media.
NICE TO MEET YOU
I'm Sasha Damjanovski
I have over 30 years of experience writing, directing and producing film, TV, theatre and short-form commercial projects. In addition to receiving festival awards, my work has been distributed in cinema, on TV and produced for the stage, receiving both critical acclaim and audience appreciation.
As an educator and coach, I work as an Associate Lecturer at Central Saint Martins (UAL), and collaborates regularly with the NFTS and several other UK universities. With many years of experience working in business communications, I now works as a coach and consultant with a variety of UK and international corporate and individual clients.
"I was considering leaving the industry. Then, I joined CreativeHQ. Since joining, I have increased my commercial rates, I have a feature in production and I have created a new consultancy with another CreativeHQ producer."
- Fern Scott, Great Scott Films
"The tools CreativeHQ has given me, the networking and one-to-one support - it has all enabled me to make my production company my full-time job"
- Evelyn Sharples, Half Way Up Films
"[CreativeHQ] took me from no clear plan for the future, to a full working master plan… It is an absolute necessity"
- Mariem Omari, Screenwriter
What makes us unique.
- Real-World Experience: Unlike other programmes, CreativeHQ is made for working producers by working producers.
- Tried & Tested: We only share strategies we have tried ourselves that we know work.
- Community-Focused: The best way to achieve success is to join a community where that success is the norm. This is that community.
- Investment-Driven: We believe that more successful production companies will drive more investment into the entire screen sector. We are being part of that solution by helping others grow.