Welsh factual producer Wildflame Productions is the latest indie to fall victim to the precarious economic climate and commissioning downturn.
Set up in 2016 as the UK production arm of Australian company Flame Media, Wildflame became 100% independent in 2020 under managing director Paul Islwyn Thomas.
The Cardiff-based company is a long-established employer of local freelancers and employed around eight members of staff.
Its output has included S4C’s Sex, Me and Disability and upcoming BBC1 doc Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me [main picture], as well as Channel 5 series Wonderful Wales with Michael Ball and Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara Ó Briain.
Speaking to Broadcast, Islwyn Thomas said he was “sad to have to throw the towel in, having worked tirelessly to forge a strong nations-based factual indie here in Cardiff”.
He added: “We fought hard to win ambitious projects to help support the economy in Wales and the wonderful freelance sector.
“With commissioning across the board on slow, broadcasters re-evaluating their strategies and the economic climate on a downturn, the sector has faced the perfect storm. We are one of the casualties of this current climate. It’s the toughest I’ve seen in over 40 years in the industry.
“I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. To all our in-house staff, freelancers, talent and valued broadcast partners, we are extremely grateful for your unflinching support since we first opened the doors in 2015. It’s with real sadness that we’re unable to continue.”
Wildflame is the second indie to close in the past week after Peggy Pictures called time after eight years.
