Content London 2025: You are looking for money in the wrong place!

This year at Content London (https://www.contentevents.net/event/1ce5522a-bd35-4ff6-b4c9-5eefa7b34bb6/home), something felt clearer than ever: the UK broadcasters, the platform commissioners and the branding agencies

(ie the MONEY PEOPLE that we so want to get to) and the short film world we inhabit, they rarely talk to each other. Different systems. Different thinking. Different power structures.

And yet — for a few days — many of us shared the same rooms.

That’s the real power of events like this. Not the panels. Not the branding.The collisions. The conversations.

If you want your work to travel, scale, and live beyond borders — this is where the bridges get built. We, short filmmakers, need to learn about these guys, what they want and how they think.

We need each other more than ever.

So, here is a little intro and a few key takeaways.

INTRO: Don’t Let Money Be the Reason You Miss this Kind of Room

If you can afford to make short films, you can afford to plan for one major conference a year. You need to LEARN who these guys are.

• Save from every project.

• Build it into your short-film budgets.

• Treat industry access as a production cost, not a luxury.

Gear depreciates. Relationships compound. Invest in building relationships.

And one more thing: Yes — think feature. But also think of TV drama. And think microdrama now, not later. The whole of London is talking about it. Learn why.

The Conversations That (I think) Mattered Most (for us)

1. Scale Faster Than You Feel Ready

Small is safe. But safety rarely builds empires.

Momentum attracts money, partners, and belief. If your work shows ambition and upward movement, you immediately change how the industry sees you.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR FILM LIFE MAKING SHORT AFTER SHORT. AFTER SHORT.

If you want to make films as a job, you have to treat it like a job that HAS to pay.

Not a hobby.

Time will never be perfect. But the world is full of commissioners eager to find the new big thing. But it has to be a series. a feature. a vertical. Something that has a market beyond the usual second-rate festivals.

2. Programme Makers Are (still!) Desperate for Content

Behind every cautious headline is the same truth: platforms need stories — constantly.

The real shortage isn’t volume. It’s clarity, distinct voice, and workable vision.

3. Audience Is the New Currency

Talent opens doors. Audience keeps them open.

Even a small (ish), loyal following de-risks you instantly in a buyer’s mind and their budgets. If you can build your own audience now, do it. Don’t wait.

There was a class talking about the partnership between BBC3 and TikTok. We should be jumping on this...

4. “Why You, Why Now?” Is the Real Greenlight Question

This wasn’t about whether ideas were good. It was about personal urgency and relevance.

Your lived experience is no longer optional. It’s your positioning.

Think about these two points in every single one of your pitch decks.

5. Brands Aren’t Just Sponsors Anymore

Brands are more than just a wallet. They’re creative partners looking for:

• Cultural relevance

• Audience trust

• Problem-solving through story

The new pitch isn’t just: “Here’s my film. Pay for it”

It’s:“Here’s the problem my story solves for your brand.”

We need to find ways of discovering Brand problems and how our films can solve them.

30-second advertising doesn't work anymore, as no one is watching terrestrial TV. The brands want content that holds consumers' attention with a STORY. Yes, you guessed right. They want short films, but only if they're helping solve their brand problem. Can you do that?

6. Microdrama Is the Wild West (for now) — And That’s Exactly the Point

Right now, nobody truly and fully understands microdramas. Not the formats.Not the business models.Not the long game.

But they will. And the people experimenting now will be the ones writing the rulebook later.

This feels like: Early streaming. Early YouTube. Early vertical video.

Messy. Uncertain.Full of first-mover advantage. Get going, get thinking.

Final Thought

Content London 2025 wasn’t about answers. It was about direction.

Two industries speaking. Old power meeting new behaviour. Gatekeepers meet creators with audiences.

If you’re building a long-term career:

• Get in the room.

• Budget for access.

• Build your audience early.

• Think globally.

• And move before the system fully understands what’s coming.

Because the next wave of storytelling won’t ask for permission. It will be built by the people who showed up early. Is that going to be you?

What do you think?

📲 Feel free to CONTINUE the discussion in our WhatsApp group.

📡 If you are not part of it yet, DM us on our Instagram page @Shorts2features

👩🏻‍🎓 THE NEXT WEEKEND 'HOW TO FINANCE YOUR FILM COURSE' (ONLINE) will be in January - DM us on Instagram for more info