• Sadiq visits completed £6m renovation of 3 Mills Studios, creating over 10,000 sq.ft of new creative workspaces and supporting more than 1,000 jobs in east London.
• £3m investment by City Hall is part of Sadiq’s wider work to support the capital’s multi-billion film and TV industry and support the country's economic recovery.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today hailed the potential of the capital’s multi-billion pound TV and film industry to support the UK’s economy as he visited the newly renovated 3 Mills Studios in east London.

The Mayor unveiled the completed £6m development of the studios that has seen upgrades to several of the site’s historic buildings, the creation of more than 10,000sqft of creative workspace and boosting the environmental sustainability, climate resilience and the economic viability of these important heritage assets.

3 Mills Studios has provided a stage for numerous world-class TV series and films including Emmy award-winning US production The Great and acclaimed film Never Let Me Go. The transformation will enable the studios to expand its offering to film, TV productions and theatre thanks to £6 million funding from the Mayor and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

The cultural and creative industries have been hit hard by the impact of the pandemic and spiralling cost of operating, but film and TV productions made in and around London over the last five years have generated more than £10bn or the UK’s economy. The industry will play a key role in helping to drive the country’s economy forward over the next few years, and the Mayor committed to doing all he can to support it after the capital historically had to turn away multimillion dollar US film and TV productions due to lack of studio space.

London is now experiencing an increase in the development of new and upgraded studio spaces, with £3m, secured by the Mayor,  for this major upgrade to 3 Mills Studios and £5m to open London’s largest new studio for 25 years in Dagenham, Eastbrook Studios. The Mayor's funding for 3 Mills and Dagenham’s Eastbrook Studios is part of his £22.1m allocation from the Government’s £900m Getting Building Fund. Together these projects are helping to create more than 1,000 jobs, from marketing and design to animators and camera crew. 

The works at 3 Mills Studios have been made possible by funding from the Government’s Getting Building Fund via a £3m grant allocated by the Mayor of London, and a further £1.9m funding has been provided through the LLDC’s Community Infrastructure Fund.

The studios are part of growing cultural investment across east London, including through East Bank – the new £1.1bn powerhouse for culture and education on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – and the Thames Estuary Production Corridor - a creative partnership across east London, the North Kent Coast and South Essex with the potential to create 21,000 jobs and generate £3.7bn for the UK economy.

London is the driving force of the film and TV industry in the UK, with 34 film and TV crews shooting on the streets of the capital on any one day. The Mayor has made huge strides to unlock the potential of the film industry, investing more than £19m million over the last five years to support young people and expand studio space. He continues to champion the industry by supporting a range of projects to unlock creative jobs for Londoners from underrepresented communities. This includes a partnership with NBCUniversal giving young Londoners the chance to work behind-the-camera on TV and film productions. His Creative Skills Academy, a partnership with Film London and Capital City College Group, is connecting people who have traditionally been underrepresented in the industry with opportunities for employment and freelance work. Film London’s Equal Access Network, which he funds, is working with high profile employers such as ITV, Sony and Studio Canal to help them diversify their workforce, and the Mayor has secured nearly £10 million in funding to build new film studios that will create 1,200 jobs.

In May the Mayor partnered with industry leaders in film, music, design, publishing, architecture and theatre to encourage young Londoners from all backgrounds to consider a future in the capital’s world-beating creative industries. The Unpacking the Credits programme shows young people aged 11-15 how this wide variety of roles and skills are involved in creating the final product seen on stage and screen, opening up these careers to young people who may not have traditionally considered this kind of job.

Today, Sadiq visited 3 Mills to see the completed work and ongoing rehearsals taking place for the stage show Matilda the Musical, which is on at the London Cambridge Theatre.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is a global hub for film and television and 3 Mills has been pivotal in the success of the industry. The restoration of these historic buildings not only offers much needed space for more industry production to take place in the capital, but also supports over a thousand jobs in the heart of east London. It will enable the studios to play a major role as the capital’s film and TV industries support our economy and we build a better London for everyone.”

Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, said: “East London is fast becoming a major creative powerhouse. 3 Mills is a much loved studio and this wonderful renovation will bring to life even more captivating film, TV and theatre. A stone’s throw away, East Bank, the largest new culture and education district in 150 years is almost complete, with Abba Voyage wowing audiences from across the globe and Hackney Wick home to the largest community of artists in Europe. Together they are boosting the creative economy, bringing jobs and opportunities for young and emerging creative talent and keeping London at the top of its game as a world creative capital.”

Mark Camley, Executive Director of Park Operations and Venues at LLDC, said: “3 Mills Studio is an amazing success story for London’s creative industries. The £6m investment not only restores wonderful historic buildings but creates more than 10,000 sqft of creative workspace. The studios can now build on the success of its portfolio of high profile TV, film and theatre productions and help cement London’s reputation as a global centre for film and creativity.”

Paul de Carvalho, General Manager and Head of Studios at 3 Mills Studios, said: “The 3 Mills Studios campus has always been a charming place for film, television and theatre creatives to work. These major works have allowed us to increase the utilisation of our historic spaces and upgrade London’s oldest continuously running industrial site to ensure it continues to provide the facilities required by the international screen production industry in the 21st Century.”

ENDS 

Notes to editors:

The Mayor's funding for 3mills and Dagenham Studios is part of his £22.1m allocation from the Government’s £900m Getting Building Fund.

The works at 3 Mills Studios have been made possible by funding from the Government’s Getting Building Fund via a £3m grant allocated by the Mayor of London, and a further £1.9m funding has been provided through the LLDC’s Community Infrastructure Fund.

In combination these two investments will deliver a boost to local economies, support the growth of the UK’s world-leading screen industries sector, and create thousands of jobs.

The film industry is estimated to be worth over £7bn by 2024/25 and expected to need to fill more than 21,000 jobs in the next few years - BFI official 2022 statistics - https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/official-2022-statistics.

The Mayor supports the London film industry through:

Film London - the strategic agency for film in the capital. Film London works to sustain, promote and develop London as a global content production hub, support the development of the city's new and emerging filmmaking talent, helping people get job in the industry, and invest in a diverse and rich film culture. This year the Mayor’s investment of £1.5m will generate £600m of new investment in film, TV and animation.

Building new Film Studios – the Mayor commissioned the business case for a new studio in Dagenham, which resulted in the new Eastbrook Studios. It will generate £35m a year and 1,200 jobs. He also secured £3m from Government for 3 Mills Studios. LLDC leveraged a further £1.9m. Film London helped secure investment in Netflix at Shepperton Studios, Walt Disney Studios at Pinewood and Sky at Elstree, for example.

Improving Diversity – the Mayor funds Film London’s Equal Access Network which works with high profile employers such as ITV, Sony and Studio Canal to help them diversify their workforce. It now has over 4.6k members and has placed 740 people into work. 

Creative Skills Academy Hubs - the industry needs to fill 50,000 jobs in the next few years to meet a boom in demand and opening of studio space - including London’s biggest studio for 25 years in Dagenham. The Mayor’s Creative Academy hubs are helping to plug this gap.

Creative Job Centre Programme - is a ground-breaking partnership brokered by the Mayor, bringing together Film London, trade union BECTU and Department for Work and Pensions to create new training and recruitment pipelines between Jobcentres and the creative industries.

Unpacking the Credits - The Mayor has partnered with industry leaders from theatre, visual effects, art and design, music, publishing and architecture. Together they have produced six short films with education and web resources tailored for young people. Encouraging young Londoners to consider a career in the sector. The films young people, aged 11-15, and their parents, carers, guardians, teachers, careers advisers, and youth workers.

About LLDC

Spread across 560 acres of stunning parklands, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is home to beautifully landscaped gardens, historic waterways, famous sporting venues, a vibrant arts and events programme and the ArcelorMittal Orbit visitor attraction.

As the new heart of east London, the Park is still transforming, providing homes, jobs and an unrivalled education and cultural district housing Sadler’s Wells, BBC, V&A East, UAL’s London College of Fashion and UCL East.

The London Legacy Development Corporation promotes and delivers physical, social, economic and environmental regeneration in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding area by maximising the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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