Members of the Sargent-Disc and Cast & Crew teams were delighted to be in Belfast last week to meet the members of the Production Guild of Great Britain’s (PGGB) Northern Ireland (NI) committee, Northern Ireland Screen and others working in the vibrant NI production industry.
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It was our absolute pleasure for Sargent-Disc (a Cast & Crew company) to be Headline Sponsor of the 2022 Edinburgh TV Awards, which took place on Thursday 25 August at a glittering ceremony hosted by writer and comedian Sophie Ducker.
A total of 20 awards were presented on the night including the prestigious Channel of the Year title, which went to Channel 4 whose Director of Content Ian Katz was on hand to receive the Award from Jury president Sue Vertue. Other winners in the most sought-after categories included Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s company Merman (Motherland, This Way Up) which was named Production Company of the Year, whilst Firecrest Films (Michael Palin’s Travel of a Lifetime, Life: Behind Bars) received the Small Indie of the Year Award.
Sargent-Disc’s Sarah McKenzie, Business Development had the honour of presenting the Best Drama award to the team behind hit drama The Responder starring Michael Freeman, made by Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC One. Best International drama went to Pachinko, representing the first win at the awards for Apple TV+. Netflix’s Sex Education took home the Best Comedy Series award whilst the TV Moment of the Year Award went to See Saw Films / Netflix’s Heartstopper for Charlie and Nick’s First Kiss.
We were particularly delighted to celebrate the first ever recipient of Edinburgh’s new Climate Impact Award. The prize went to Channel 4 documentary Joe Lycett Vs the Oil Giant, by Rumpus Media, and it was a fantastic moment to see this important new category introduced at the first Edinburgh TV Awards following the critical signing of the Climate Content Pledge at Cop26 last year.
The awards topped off an exceptionally well-attended Festival, where the return to an in-person, live event for the first time since 2019 was resoundingly welcomed by industry. The atmosphere buzzed throughout three days of packed-out events.
Ahead of the festival, Sargent-Disc Director Laurence Sargent reflected in this Broadcast article on Edinburgh’s significance in the UK TV industry calendar, celebrating its reputation for “providing a platform for challenging issues to be explored and important conversations to be had.”
This year was no exception, with broadcaster Emily Maitlis’ McTaggart Memorial Lecture, ‘Boiling Frog: Why We Have to Stop Normalising the Absurd’, provoking powerful discussion around news and impartiality. In it, Maitlis warned against the rise of populism and highlighted the role that reporters and broadcasters should play “to hold power to account without fear or favour.”
Elsewhere, Rose Ayling-Ellis’ powerful Alternative MacTaggart Lecture saw the deaf actress, BSL campaigner and Strictly Come Dancing winner urge the TV world to “be braver and have the courage to make changes”, such as bringing deaf consultants in to work with writing teams. Stressing the important difference between representation and access, she urged the industry to think about both in her impactful speech, which provided valuable insight into the stark realities of life as a Deaf person working in television.
For more information about the 2022 Edinburgh TV Awards sponsored by Sargent Disc (a Cast & Crew Company), click here.
Best Comedy Series – Sex Education, Eleven Film for Netflix
Best Documentary – The Return: Life After ISIS, Alba Sotorra Productions and MetFilm for Sky Documentaries
Best Drama – The Responder, Dancing Ledge Productions for BBC1
Best Entertainment Series – The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan, Expectation and MoMo G for Channel 4
Best International Drama – Pachinko, Media Res / Blue Marble Pictures in association with Apple for Apple TV+
Best On Demand Service – BBC iPlayer
Best Popular Factual Series – Uprising, Rogan Productions, Lammas Park and Turbine Studios for BBC1
Best TV Actor – Comedy – Daisy Haggard in Back To Life
Best TV Actor – Drama – Jodie Comer in Help
Best TV Presenter – AJ Odudu & Mo Gilligan for The Big Breakfast
Breakthrough Talent – Actor – Danielle Macdonald
Breakthrough Talent – Presenter – Munya Chawawa
Channel of the Year – Channel 4
Climate Impact Award – Joe Lycett Vs the Oil Giant, Rumpus Media for Channel 4
Production Company of the Year – Merman Television
Small Indie of the Year – Firecrest Films
Global Success Award – ITV Studios
Variety Outstanding Achievement Award – Diane Morgan
TV Moment of the Year – Heartstopper: Charlie and Nick’s First Kiss, See Saw Films for Netflix
Ones to Watch / Random Acts Live Pitch – Alex Rodrigues, Thanks Boss.
After two years of COVID disruption, it was a welcome return to normality at this years’ 75th Festival De Cannes (17-28 May). Sargent-Disc and parent company Cast & Crew were delighted to have a strong combined representation at the festival, and to produce and sponsor a number of industry events that brought international delegates together.
Attending from the UK were Laurence and Lara Sargent, Co-Heads International at Cast & Crew and Sargent-Disc Directors, were accompanied by Sargent-Disc executives Sarah McKenzie (Business Development) and Emma Hicks (Marketing Manager); from Cast & Crew in the US were Andrew Jablonski (Vice President – East Coast and International Sales), David Benavente (VP Head of Independent Sales and Services), Diedre Owen (Incentive Financing Vice President, Production).
Sargent-Disc and Cast & Crew’s Cannes Festival Lounge at the Grand Hotel on Boulevard de la Croisette, welcomed the steady flow of festival delegates dropping in for meetings, refreshments – and access to those all-important device charging points!
On the Festival’s opening weekend, Cast & Crew with Sargent-Disc co-hosted the seventh International Producers Reception. Taking place at the Members Club, Long Beach on Saturday 21 May, the return of this event after a two-year hiatus gave producers and financiers from across the globe the valuable opportunity to gather in person, strengthening existing relationships and building new connections. We extend our thanks the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), The Production Guild of Great Britain (PGGB), Screen Producers Ireland, the British Film Commission and New Zealand Film Commission, for their support for the event.
Sargent-Disc was also delighted to sponsor the 2022 Screen International Cannes UK Reception on 23 May alongside headline sponsor British Film Commission. Welcoming guests to the always popular event, which this year took place on the beach at Le Gray d’Albion, were Matt Muller (Editor, Screen International), Laurence Sargent (Co-Head International Cast & Crew and Director Sargent-Disc) and Adrian Wootton OBE (CEO, British Film Commission & Film London). View photos from the Reception here.
Away from the buzz of parties and receptions, it was a strong year for UK film at Cannes, with five UK features and seven shorts in selection, and the coveted Palme d’Or going to Ruben Östlund for black comedy satire Triangle of Sadness, a Swedish/UK/German/French co-production starring Woody Harrelson, produced by the UK’s Mike Goodridge.
“It was wonderful to be able to meet colleagues face to face again at the world’s biggest film festival, leaving behind the virtual settings of video calls that have dominated throughout the pandemic,” says Laurence Sargent, Sargent-Disc Director and Co-Head International at Cast & Crew. “The production industry has stayed strong throughout the challenges of COVID-19 but the return of Cannes is a real reminder of how worthwhile it is to be able to reconnect again in person.”
“We were particularly proud to see two films supported by Sargent-Disc going on to shine at Cannes. Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells’ debut Aftersun, which we provided Payroll, CrewStart, PSL+ and Digital Purchase Order services to, received the French Touch Prize of the Jury in Critics’ Week, and Alex Garland’s latest feature Men starring Jessie Buckley, which we provided Digital Purchase Order support to, had its World Premiere in Directors Fortnight. Congratulations to everyone involved in those films!”
For more information about Sargent-Disc’s Digital Production Office suite of applications, click here.
Reducing the carbon footprint of financial processes that help deliver high-profile international shows has been an increasing priority for film and high-end TV productions in past years, and the global pandemic has only accelerated the uptake of paperless procedures.
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Dr. Laurence Sargent attended the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow last week to support Sargent-Disc’s official partner, BAFTA albert, and the events they hosted in an effort to promote the sustainable production of film and television content.
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In the third instalment of our ‘Tell Me More About’ series, we’re exploring envelope tagging within CrewStart™, Sargent-Disc’s onboarding application.
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In the second instalment of our ‘Tell Me More About’ series, we’re exploring permanently stored signatures within CrewStart™, Sargent-Disc’s onboarding application.
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The Digital Payroll Workflow Masterclass is for Financial Controllers, Production Accountants, Payroll Accountants, Line Producers, Production Managers, along with the finance and production office teams working with them on production.
Sargent Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow is designed to provide a digital production payroll service – specifically for the entertainment industries in the UK and Ireland.
Before COVID-19, efficiency and sustainability were the predominant reasons for productions going paperless. As expected, the pandemic has accelerated the demand for reliable online systems, with productions needing to reduce the handling of physical documentation to ensure a safer working environment for crew, artists, and other employees.
Covering every step of the payroll process, Sargent-Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow is a safe, efficient, and comprehensive solution for production accountants wherever they find themselves working. Easy to use, the solution can be tailored to meet the needs of each production—regardless of type or size. It consists of three elements powered by the CrewStart™, Payroll, and Payslips applications within Sargent Disc’s Digital Production Office®.
The Masterclass will take you through the process from start to finish – including:
• Start forms and contracting
• Time and attendance
• Hot costs
• Calculation and approval of timesheets
• Creation of secure payroll worksheets
• Payroll reports
• Online payslips
• Secure auto enrolment notices
Speakers include:
Dr. Laurence Sargent – Co-Head of International at Cast & Crew and Director Sargent-Disc
Laurence is Co-Head of International, Cast & Crew and a Director of Sargent-Disc. Founded in 1986, Sargent-Disc is now a Cast & Crew company and is the UK’s leading supplier of integrated payroll, residual, accounting and software services for the film and television production industries.
Jade Riley – Product Trainer, Sargent-Disc
Jade has worked across Sargent-Disc departments, recently moving from her role within the Production Accounting team to become Sargent-Disc’s Product Trainer. She is familiar with the range of the Sargent-Disc’s Digital Production Office® software applications and helps productions and their personnel to use them with confidence.
To register your Masterclass place on either Wednesday 26 January or Wednesday 16 February please email marketing@sargent-disc.com specifying the date most convenient for you.
For more information about Sargent-Disc’s Digital Payroll Workflow download our brochure
Welcome to Sargent Disc’s End-to-End Digital Payroll Workflow, the first complete digital production payroll service available in the UK and Ireland entertainment industry.
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Developed in response to COVID-19 limiting the ability to distribute physical documentation, we’re delighted to launch the new Invoice Approval feature for Sargent-Disc’s Digital Purchase Order (DPO) web application.
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