Leon Forde
Managing Director
Leon is SPI’s Managing Director, leading and delivering high-level strategic advice, insight and business planning for SPI’s global client base.
Current and recent projects include a full update and expansion of Best Practice in Screen Sector Production for the Association of Film Commissioners International, an economic impact study of Spain’s incentive for international productions, for the Spain Film Commission in collaboration with PROFILM, a study on the potential impacts of a national audiovisual incentive in Brazil, a capacity assessment of North Carolina’s film and television sector, a study on the potential for an audiovisual production incentive for Mexico, and economic impact studies of production incentives in the US state of Georgia and in Iceland.
Leon is also involved in the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded CoSTAR network in the UK, and has delivered the Creative Industries Tax Evaluation for HM Revenue and Customs (with Ipsos and London Economics), Screen Business for the British Film Institute, The Cultural Dividend Generated by Ireland’s Section 481 Film and Television Incentive, a ground-breaking study for Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, the Economic Impact of the New Mexico Film Production Tax Credit for the New Mexico Film Office, the Economic Evaluation of the Utah Motion Picture Incentive Program for the Motion Picture Association of Utah, with support from the Utah Film Commission, and a White Paper on Global Film Production Incentives for the Motion Picture Association.
With extensive knowledge of production strategy and incentives, Leon has overseen the creation and development of sectoral policy and funding mechanisms in a wide range of markets globally.
Leon has spoken about the screen sector at international events, including the Marché du Film – Festival De Cannes, the Berlin Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival, the San Sebastián International Film Festival, FOCUS, Screen International’s Finance Forum, AFCI’s Cineposium and AFCI Week, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, Durban FilmMart, and the Reykjavik International Film Festival. Leon is also a judging chair for Screen International’s Global Production Awards.
Prior to joining SPI in 2013, Leon was a film business journalist and editor for 15 years. He is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).