As Burton’s Star Shines in Hollywood the Future Looks Bright for Wales’ Creative Industries

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1 will mark the third time that the famously tumultuous couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor will be united. As one of Wales’ creative geniuses, Burton will be honored on St. David’s Day—the national day of Wales—with a posthumous star next to Taylor’s on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“The Wales Screen Commission provides information on locations, crew and costs that are approximately 20 percent less than in London.”

“Richard Burton is part of a proud history of the Welsh in Hollywood,” said Edwina Hart, Business Minister for the Welsh Government. “He has inspired a new generation of actors, performers and filmmakers from Wales, who are now benefiting from our world-class infrastructure and government support.”

Following the unveiling of Burton’s star, the Welsh Government and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama—a key academic feeder for talent in the Welsh creative industries sector—will host a reception at the Roosevelt Hotel to promote the country’s potential as a prime location for high-end television and drama production.

The event coincides with the rollout of a new U.K. Government tax break for high-end television production that will be effective on April 1, 2013. The new incentive will offer 25 percent of qualifying U.K. expenditure, capped at 80 percent of the total production budget (a net value of 20 percent). The new reliefs are based on a similar model to the existing Film Tax Relief, which, since its introduction in January 2007, has supported $8.31 billion of investment into 825 British films which have received approximately $1.2 billion in relief. It is estimated that the new U.K. tax relief could result in approximately $529 million per year of additional investment in U.K. television drama production, boosting the U.K. economy by around $1.5 billion.

“The Welsh Government can also offer flexible funding support for television production and property development” added Hart. “The Wales Screen Commission provides information on locations, crew and costs that are approximately 20 percent less than in London.”

Just two hours from London, Europe’s largest creative and media hub, in recent years Wales’ creative industries sector has experienced rapid growth, attracting major productions including The Dark Knight Rises, Snow White and the Huntsman, Captain America, Clash of the Titans and Robin Hood. A renaissance of TV drama has been led by BBC producer Julie Gardner, who has delivered shows including Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sherlock. Being Human was also produced in Wales for Channel 4. In addition to the stunning variety of natural landscapes for filming, former industrial spaces that abound in South Wales have been converted to create advanced production facilities including Porth Teigr in Cardiff Bay, home to the BBC’s Roath Lock Studios, the only drama village of its kind in the U.K., and more than one million square feet of commercial development space targeted at digital and creative media businesses.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Industry media are invited to attend the reception; please RSVP in advance by contacting Kat English at [e-mail] or [phone]. Advance phone and/or day-of-event interviews with Welsh Government Business Minister Edwina Hart may also be arranged.