Mr. Stuart Switzer:

Good afternoon, Chairman and members. On behalf of SPI, we want to thank the committee for the invitation to discuss with it the impact of Covid-19 on Ireland's dynamic film and television industry.

SPI is the national organisation for independent film, television and animation production companies, representing the entrepreneurs, employers and creative driving force behind Ireland’s content on screen. We represent everybody from first time producers to first-time producers and large-scale productions to smaller one-off productions. Our member companies include some of the most successful and popular factual and entertainment makers on our screens. I refer to shows like "Ear to the Ground", produced by Indie Pics; "The Hunger", produced by Tyrone Productions; "After School Hub" by Macalla Teo; and "Pablo" by Paper Owl Films. These productions have captured the public imagination across all ages. Our film and drama producers have gained well deserved international recognition and awards around the world for productions like "Normal People", produced by Element Pictures, "Black 47", produced by Wild Atlantic Pictures and "The Other Lamb" by my colleague's company, Subotica Films.

At the outset, we would like to recognise the support for our sector that has been provided through increased funding to my colleague in Screen Ireland via the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's sound and vision fund, TG4 and, of course, the range of other supports that have helped sustain our production companies through this difficult time.

Nonetheless, as with all sectors, the independent production sector found itself in an extremely difficult position due to Covid-19 when the first lockdown was announced. A snapshot survey conducted by SPI in April found that 24 productions had to stand down, 59 productions delayed their start dates and 800 workers were laid off. This resulted in €20 million in unpaid wages, while insurance companies put up roadblocks in the context of access to funding.

SPI worked closely with industry stakeholders, including Screen Ireland and Screen Skills Ireland, to develop return-to-production guidelines for all genres of content in order to allow productions to continue under level 5 restrictions. These guidelines operated no matter the size of the cast, crew or budget. From ten-person short films to 700-person TV dramas, the same guidelines were followed regardless of the cost. Cast and crew safety was paramount.

I want to outline my experience as a producer while adhering to Covid-19 protocols. Coco Content has been in business since 1986 and hopes to continue to be for some years yet. We produce award-winning programmes like "Room to Improve", "First Dates Ireland", "Home Rescue", "St. Patrick’s Festival" and "Open for Business". It covers a range of productions for both our public service broadcaster, RTÉ, as well as Virgin Media. We also produce international documentaries. Our latest was "1916: The Irish Rebellion", which has screened in over 60 countries.

Production during Covid takes more time and money. This reduces profit and means that there are less funds available to invest in new ideas. It is a catch-22 situation. The purpose of our recommendations is to bring more productions back, employ more cast and crew in order that we can create more original Irish and international content for audiences to enjoy and help to reboot the economy. While all in society hope that the public health measures required will be short- to medium-term in nature, we are asking the committee to look beyond this to ensure the long-term sustainability of the independent production sector.