The London-based production company, Hartswood Films has had a hand in some of the most successful domestic television programmes in recent memory, including BBC’s Sherlock. We sat down with Debbie Vertue, Director of Operations at Hartswood to discuss the upcoming FOCUS event which is about to enter its third iteration.

Having attended both editions of FOCUS in 2015 and 2016, what do you enjoy most about the event that keeps you coming back every year?

The FOCUS show is constantly striving to evolve year on year. FOCUS interacts with producers and production supervisors during the year to see how the show can meet our needs and be a true support in putting projects together, whatever the genre. The seminars are very informative and it’s a great place to network and meet representatives from around the world whether it be for locations, finance, co-producers, etc.

If I remember correctly, last year you were at FOCUS to do location research for a new project which needed a military building in the snow. How did you get on?

Great, I couldn’t believe. I was on the Film Commission Poland stand and asked vaguely about vacant military buildings and snow and suddenly I was presented with a catalogue of Polish military film locations!

Did you attend FOCUS sessions last year and if so, which ones?

I did, the sessions were great! I attended ‘training in the industry’ and ‘filming in France’.

How would you describe FOCUS to a production professional who has not attended yet and why they might like to come to FOCUS 2017?

FOCUS is the only show in the UK that gets to the heart of production needs and opportunities in the UK and overseas, rather than being an equipment and facilities show.

Will you be attending FOCUS 2017?

It’s already in the diary!

Thank you Debbie, I look forward to seeing you and the Hartswood production team at FOCUS 2017 – the meeting place for international production.

About Hartswood Films

A quick glance at some of Hartswood’s credits reveals the company’s remarkable versatility. Star-studded dramas include four series and a Christmas special of Sherlock; a new adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover for BBC One’s classic 20th-century literature season; plus the six-part series Jekyll and ITV dramas The Guilty, After Thomas and A Woman’s Guide to Adultery amongst others. Outstanding light entertainment including six series and several specials of Simon Nye’s multi-award-winning Men Behaving Badly, four series of Steven Moffat’s Coupling for BBC Two and two series of Supernova, also for BBC Two.