Creative UK, a nonprofit organization supporting the creative industry, outlined the government’s vision for the so-called “freelance champions.”
Leading by Chief Executive Caroline Norbury, Creative UK is part of a working group that helps the Culture, Media and Sports Division (DCMS) develop role shapes and remittances. The UK and Bectu supervision, which are also part of the working group, also provided insight into the vision.
The Champion’s role will be offered as part of a £380 million package aimed at supporting innovation, finances, access to research and development, skills and regional growth as part of the government’s creative industry sector plan. The champion is understood to be appointed by the government this year.
screen I don’t understand that it has not yet been determined whether this is a paid or unpaid role.
“The introduction of this highly campaigned role sends an important message that freelancers are being valued and their rights are taken seriously,” Nobury said.
Evidence generation, policy leadership, and sector involvement are three priority features that Creative UK wants to see the focus of the role of freelance champions. A mission statement was proposed. “By strengthening our voice in government, we defend the interests of freelancers working across cultural and creative industries, ensuring that the conditions for sustainable and comprehensive freelance careers are embedded in evidence-driven policymaking, industry practices and public investment.”
Within 12-18 months, those taking on the role should publish the prestigious freelance Creative Industries Workforce Research Report, Creative UK said.
Freelance champions should also challenge the restrictive definition of employment within the government. Freelance is a broad term and often includes individuals, including individuals working within a mix of small salary (PAYE) contracts and self-employed across multiple employers engagements. Some are only traders and some companies too.
Directors UK’s 2025 Member Survey highlights complexity further. 100% of their members are freelance or self-employed, but within that group, 54.9% are the sole traders, operating 40.8% in a limited number of companies and only 8.7% in Paye Engigents. “This reinforces the fact that traditional employment classifications actually underestimate the size of freelance jobs, especially in films and television where nonlinear project-based work is still the norm.”
Therefore, champions must work with the National Bureau of Statistics to develop new data models to modernize employment classification codes and accurately map freelance employment patterns.
Creative UK is focusing on New York City’s Freelance Not Free Act (2017) as a “pioneering model” for protecting freelance workers. The law created protections for freelance workers in New York, including mandatory written contracts for freelance work. Penalties for delays or non-payment (the UK government will implement it as part of its small business plan). An executive force built into the Consumer and Worker Protection Bureau. (As of 2023, freelancers had recovered more than $1.5 million in unpaid compensation.)
Organizational recommendations are published in the entitled paper Delivered for freelancers. In this, Creative UK described the freelancers as “not structurally supported in government policymaking,” despite the contributions of freelancers to “billions of people in the economy.”
According to Creative UK figures, freelancers make up 70% of the creative workforce. The Screen Industry Voice Report from Leading University points out that around 50% of the film and television industry is made up of freelance workers.
“Nevertheless, freelancers have been part of the worst role in the pandemic support scheme. Without focused leadership, they will continue to be overlooked in economic reforms, undervalued and financially exposed in workforce plans.”
What is a “champion”?
The creative sector has greatly welcomed the government’s proposal to appoint freelance champions. “Bectu has fought hard to ensure a better deal for creative freelancers and is pleased to establish a freelance champion,” said the head of Bectu Philippa Children.
“Freelancers are consistently overlooked and underrated,” added UK CEO Andy Hallower. “They have a precarious presence and are often exposed to risk and inadequate treatment despite being a major power behind the creative industry, which is £125 billion a year.”
However, there were some contradictions between what was initially sought and what the government was offering.
“Along with many members, Creative UK has consistently called for the appointment of freelancer commissioners independently appointed and hosted by the Culture, Media and Sports Division (DCMS) to provide this infrastructure,” Creative UK said in its paper.
The Culture, Media and Sports Committee sought freelance commissioners as part of their investigation into film, high-end television and creator Renumeration reports.
The role proposed by the government is called the freelance champion. This is directly appointed by DCMS, not a freelance commissioner like a small business commissioner, a veterans commissioner, or a senior commissioner in Wales. Commissioners are usually paid positions.
Nobury repeated in an opinion article published in British Theatre Publications stage Today (August 19): ”For a freelance champion to have a real impact, it must be an appointed independent appointment to collect data, speak through the government and assert change. ”
DCMS declined to comment on what the exact difference between “commissioners” and “champions”, but the champions said “we will ensure that their voices are heard in the government to promote further economic growth in the creative industry.”
Further examples of government champions include anti-corruption champions, unpaid positions and AI champions.
In July, UK Minister of Creative Industry Chris Bryant called for a severance from the screen sector freelance model during a session with the CMS Committee examining the Creative Industry Sector Plan.
“I don’t know if a lot of people are freelancers or if it’s really good for the industry in the end,” Barrant said. “In the end, if so many people are freelancers, it doesn’t provide you with continuity, there’s a bit of skill issues there.”
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