“It’s offered a mirror to check how we’re doing,” Caspian Films on Investment Readiness and giving female auteurs a voice
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Having the freedom to focus on your business rather than pouring all of your creative energy on its day-to-day upkeep is a crucial but often maligned aspect of being a successful entrepreneur. Peanut & Crumb co-founder Jane Gerber knows this all too well – and thanks to her time working with our various Creative Enterprise offerings, she’s been able to refine the way she works as a business founder and see the results roll in.
“Every programme has helped us to think bigger, shape our growth journey and explore opportunities that we hadn’t thought of before,” says Gerber on what keeps her coming back to Creative UK. “[Creative Enterprise Manager] Kate Sanders says ‘once you’re in the family, you’re in the family’ – and it’s really like that. Their team genuinely wants to help you on your journey and will go out of their way to introduce you to people or suggest new programmes that might help,” she continues. “Creative UK has been a game changer – not just for our business but also in terms of my own professional development.”
Specialising in multiplatform content and communications, Gerber founded Peanut & Crumb in 2015 with her creative partner and broadcasting expert Katie Derham. After graduating from Female Founders, our mentor-led scheme designed to help female owners of screen-based businesses level up their leadership abilities, Gerber enrolled in 2023’s Enterprise Evolve cohort, also through Creative Enterprise.
Since then, Peanut & Crumb has continued to break exciting new ground in the world of content creation. They’ve further developed their already-award-winning nature podcast Get Birding and invested in new intellectual properties in the television, mobile gaming and VR sectors. According to Gerber, her time spent working with Creative UK has catalyzed these goals.
“Every day, you have to focus on the granular detail of running a business – whether that’s HR, cashflow or sorting the office coffee machine – and sometimes it’s hard to step out of that to look at the bigger picture,” says Gerber, explaining how Enterprise Evolve, a programme that helps screen-based business become investment ready, rewired the way she works. “Having access to expertise and perspective is invaluable,” she adds. “Since Evolve, we’ve won an Innovate UK grant for the development of our new mobile game. We’re also looking at alternative investment support so there’s real momentum behind the company right now. It’s an exciting moment.”
Both Female Founders and Evolve paired Gerber with industry mentors. Each imparted advice that was not only applicable to her company’s growth but made a difference in the way she leads. “They’ve all been incredible,” says Gerber of her mentors. “They all care, give 100% and are always there if you have a question. It’s such an incredible element of all of Creative UK’s programmes and something we didn’t have beforehand.”
Perhaps more important than the business advice was the psychological guidance offered by Gerber’s mentors. “They’ve all contributed to making me more confident as a leader in how I approach problems, clients and my team” admits Gerber. “During Female Founders, we spoke a lot about imposter syndrome. Creative UK has really helped me grow in confidence as a female leader” she says, pointing to how her public speaking abilities have improved as a result. “It was something I found quite scary, but it’s part of my job. The programmes have made me feel more confident speaking to people in the industry, investors and other business leaders. There are so many ways that it’s helped me personally.”
The schemes have also allowed Gerber to gain some much-needed clarity regarding Peanut & Crumb’s creative vision. “They helped us define our USP – both as a business and also as leaders – which is really hard to do when you’re busy telling other people’s stories,” she explains. “It sounds like a basic thing to do, but it’s not. It’s actually quite hard.” Plus, the community element of both the Female Founders and Evolve cohorts has helped to open some unexpected doors: “We’re part of a network of incredible people that spans mentors, advisors and fellow business owners,” says Gerber. “It’s helped make things happen and get to the right people more quickly.”
Looking ahead, Gerber feels better equipped to take Peanut & Crumb to exciting new places. “We’re developing our mobile game prototype with a BAFTA-winning game developer and we’ve got our first scripted project in development, which is new for us and very exciting,” she smiles. “We’re also growing our Get Birding IP and looking for investment – so there’s lots happening. It feels like it’s going to be a great year.”
Find out more about Female Founders and Investment Readiness programmes.
Words and interview by Simon Bland
