Head Gear Films is establishing a U.S. operation with plans to deploy $120 million into American independent film and television during its first year.

Co-founder and CEO Phil Hunt outlined the investment plan to Deadline, saying the expansion is intended to give the financing company a stronger foothold in a market that already generates more than half of its deal flow.

Samantha Allwinton will lead Head Gear US as Director of Operations. Based in Denver, she will divide her time between there and LA. Allwinton previously served as the London-based COO of Head Gear Films and worked at Ingenious Media before joining the company.

The move brings Head Gear’s financing operation closer to American producers as the company also prepares to expand its work on the production side. Head Gear provides financing for independent film, television and games, covering areas including government incentives, presales, gap financing and bridge funding. Its work also includes executive production and packaging.

Recent films the company has helped finance include The Apprentice, Talk to Me and How to Have Sex.

A U.S. Expansion Timed to Proposed Incentives

The launch comes while a proposed federal tax credit is moving through Congress as part of the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. The federal incentive would operate alongside new and existing state-level programs.

Hunt expects the industry measures to take effect by the end of the year and wants Head Gear positioned in the U.S. before then.

“Over 50% of our deal flow is American movies, so we’ve already laid that down,” Hunt said. “The reason to go to LA is to increase that flow because the federal tax credit’s coming in, which is nice timing. It’s about having more of a foothold in the U.S. and being on their time zone.”

The credit remains proposed, but Hunt sees a potential financing opportunity if it arrives. “U.S. producers will have half their budget covered and still need the rest,” he said. “We’ve closed that gap on close to 600 films. We want to be there before the rush.”

Head Gear will use its existing resources to fund the expansion and intends to offer various forms of finance through the new operation. Hunt said the company has capital available to put to work as businesses with which it is horizontally integrated continue to grow.

Although Head Gear’s team already makes regular trips to the U.S., Hunt described a permanent presence as a goal he had pursued for years. He said he had waited until finding someone who understood the company’s character and working ethos, identifying Allwinton as the right executive to lead the effort.

For Allwinton, the pitch to American filmmakers centers on pairing financing expertise with an understanding of individual projects.

“Independent producers need partners who understand their projects and know how to make the numbers work,” she said. “That’s what we’ve built Head Gear on and it’s what we’re bringing to the U.S. I’m looking forward to sitting across the table from American filmmakers and helping turn their most ambitious ideas into finished films and series.”

A Larger Production Role

The U.S. opening is only one part of Head Gear’s next phase. Hunt also plans to increase the company’s involvement in production, working behind the scenes to support producers who have already developed projects.

That role can include packaging projects, handling business affairs, creating finance plans, getting productions off the ground and continuing to help collect money years later. Hunt characterized the strategy as becoming “the producer’s producer.”

Head Gear currently helps fund about 30 movies each year and serves as a hands-on executive producer on roughly one-third of them. Hunt, who referred to himself as coming from a “failed” producer background, said he is interested in using the company’s data to guide producers through the marketplace.

Hunt co-founded Head Gear in 2002 with Compton Ross. Alongside his film interests, Ross has spent 48 years as a CEO in the international oil and gas industry.

ShowBiz Take

Head Gear’s $120 million first-year plan makes this more than a change of address. The company is pairing a substantial pool of financing with an established pipeline in which American films already account for more than 50% of deal flow.

The timing is also central to the strategy. Head Gear is moving before the proposed federal tax credit has been confirmed, betting that a local presence and its experience closing financing gaps will put it in a useful position if the measure takes effect. At the same time, its production push signals that the company wants to do more than supply capital, offering producers support from packaging and finance planning through long-term collections.

What Happens Next?

Head Gear US is scheduled to attend AFM in November and Sundance in January, giving Allwinton early opportunities to meet American filmmakers and producers. The other major issue to watch is the proposed federal tax credit: Hunt expects the measures by year-end, but they are still moving through Congress.