Experienced Bristol film industry professionals and investors back expansion of Patchway Studios
07 June 2023
SG Capital Partners has signed a consultancy deal with experienced Bristol film industry professionals and announced a planned expansion of its successful Patchway Studios operation in north Bristol.
Patchway Studios opened last year in Patchway, South Gloucestershire, to meet significantly increasing demand for studio space in the South West. The studio offers 100,000 square feet of flexible production space and is perfectly placed to access first-class crew and a diverse location pool, being just minutes from the M4/M5.
The first studio is a dark and quiet converted commercial refrigeration store complete with offices, prop stores and exterior production spaces on a large site. The UK’s powerhouse production company Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry, A Discovery of Witches) has already produced the forthcoming adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s ‘The Winter King’ for ITVX at Patchway Studios.
SG Capital Partners is pleased with the success of Patchway Studios to date, as the first project of an international studio investment strategy with plans to expand to other sites in the UK and Europe. Further investment is planned to quadruple Patchway’s capacity over the next four years with guidance from Bristol film and HETV industry experts Poppy Gordon Clark (Location Manager: Sanditon, Poldark), Monty Till (Location Manager: Outlaws, Bridgerton) and James North (Production Designer: A Discovery of Witches, Sanditon, The Winter King).
Poppy, Monty and James have been appointed to Patchway Studios’ advisory board, bringing a wealth of film and HETV experience as independent consultants to production companies looking for space in the region and on the development of functional and practical studios spaces around the world.
Bristol consistently tops the polls for being one of the UK’s creative cities. The region has a reputation for being the go-to destination for many of the UK’s leading production companies, boasting a strong skills pool of locally based crew and facilities companies, including award-winning freelancers and post-production houses.
Patchway Studios’ vision is to build on this reputation by establishing a creative hub with excellent transport connectivity, developed by film and television industry people for their colleagues. The Patchway Studios team are engaged with the British Film Commission, South Gloucestershire Council, West of England Combined Authority and the Bristol Film Office for their expansion plans.
Says Sam Glover of SG Capital Partners, “Patchway Studios provides a solid base for world-class talent by providing flexible space suitable to house even the most ambitious productions. It’s hugely exciting to be fielding enquiries from a wide range of production projects looking to work in this wonderful part of the UK. Poppy, Monty and James are a welcome addition to the team and we are excited to work with them as we move forward with our international studio investment strategy.”
Poppy Gordon Clark added, “Patchway Studios offers not only a fabulous production base for set builds inside and out but also many diverse opportunities to film on location. With the picturesque Wye Valley a short drive away, the grandeur of nearby historic cities and the many period houses of the Cotswolds, plus dramatic coastlines in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, it’s this perfect location that makes Patchway Studios so attractive to national and international creative teams. We are excited to be part of this studio project and providing industry advice early in its development, which can only benefit productions and crew.”