Spotlite launches new claims support for entertainment sector

Spotlite Claims has launched employers’ and public liability claims support due to increasing demand from brokers and insurers supporting the global film and TV industries.

The firm, which is the specialist loss adjusting arm of Woodgate and Clark, said the move complemented its existing range of claims handling services for the entertainment sector.

In turn, it felt it was now able to offer a “one stop shop” of claims handling expertise.

Marion Jones, head of international film and TV at Spotlite, said: “This is a great example of the cross-pollination of skills within the Woodgate and Clark group, meaning our broker and insurer relationships can now benefit from EL/PL expertise that would previously be outside of our remit.”

Appointment

The business also announced it had recruited Sarah Coulsten to boost the team as claims volumes recover following the writers strike in 2023.

The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached a three-year deal last year that saw one of the longest strikes in the entertainment industry’s history come to an end.

Jones told Insurance Times that as the volume of filming resurges in the UK post-strike, an “enormous fight” is on the cards over talent and “fairly limited studio space”, which will “undoubtedly” create “some work and pressures” for the insurance industry.

However, to help reduce pressures in the sector, the UK Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) was announced in the 2024 Spring Budget.

Under IFTC, eligible films will be able to opt-in to claim enhanced audio-visual expenditure credit (AVEC) at a rate of 53% on their qualifying expenditure.

“The expansion of our services along with the appointment of Sarah Coulsten could not come at a better time given news of the IFTC, bringing a welcome boost to the sector and to independent film in particular,” Jones said.