Clermont Screen Hub Opens For Business In Rathnew

Clermont Screen Hub, a new facility for content creators located at Wicklow County Campus in Rathnew, was officially opened today by Mr Simon Coveney, TD, Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Screen Hub is part of a strategy by Wicklow County Council to boost job creation in the film, TV and content creation industry in County Wicklow and the surrounding Mid East region. It is already being used by well-known Irish actor, Chris O’Dowd, for a new production.

Clermont Screen Hub offers a mix of private and co-working spaces attractively set around a suite of social spaces, a conference centre, podcast studio, and screening facilities, along with access to a range of meeting spaces and training facilities on the larger Wicklow County Campus.

The Content Creation Hub was built with support from the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment‘s Regional Enterprise Development Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland, along with match funding provided by Wicklow County Council.

Speaking at the opening, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment Simon Coveney said: “Clermont Screen Hub is a testament to the Government’s ongoing commitment to nurturing and growing the Irish film industry and all the fantastic companies and talented individuals that are part of it.

“This project, which stands as a beacon of opportunity for the Mid-East region, is supported by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment through Enterprise Ireland under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. We are delighted to support this key piece of infrastructure for this global sector and welcome the invaluable partnership between government, Wicklow County Council and the industry which have made this initiative possible.”

The Hub aims to become the home for content creators throughout the Mid East region and realises an important part of the objectives in the Mid East Regional Plan to develop the region as a hub for content creation.

It is also the latest step in the ongoing development of Wicklow County Campus as a centre of excellence in Third Level education, innovation and job creation.

Stakeholders in the screen industry as well as development agencies and training providers were widely consulted in the development of this project which aims to boost job creation in the film and content creation industry, particularly focusing on productions in County Wicklow.

The Hub has become a hive of activity since it’s soft opening in July and, with plenty of early interest from the industry, it is currently at full capacity already with the Chris O’Dowd production for Sky, ‘Small Town, Big Stories,’ taking up most of the office space.

The new Hub is adjacent to the offices of Screen Wicklow, a division of Wicklow County Council and a single point of contact for all filming inquiries. Screen Wicklow is dedicated to making film, television or commercial photography shoots run as smoothly as possible when on location in the Garden of Ireland.

Amongst the tenants in the hub is the Film and TV Crew Academy East, one of the five National Talent Academies, funded by Screen Ireland and tasked with upskilling new and existing crew.