Global claims services provider McLarens has announced the formation of an entertainment and contingency team in the UK & Ireland.
The move comes with the addition of four seasoned adjusters to the company, underlining McLarens’ strategy to expand its focus on sector-specific services.
In an emailed release, McLarens said the newly formed team will provide comprehensive commercial claims coverage encompassing property, liability, and business interruption for entities within the film, TV, music production, live events, tours, and festivals sectors.
The company has also tapped Ian McDonald to lead the team. McDonald is stepping out of early retirement to take on the role. He has more than 40 years of experience in the sector, having previously served as director and head of media and entertainment at a global loss adjusting firm. His background includes handling complex claims in film, TV, and live event production, ranging from equipment and time-element claims to contingency and casualty.
Additionally, McDonald had collaborated with the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to help establish the Film and Television Production Restart Scheme, aimed at compensating for uninsured COVID interruptions. He has also served as an expert witness in both civil and criminal court proceedings related to fraud.
Joining McDonald are Frank D. Benke, Tim Adams, and Russell Norris, who each bring their own wealth of expertise from their careers in global adjusting firms.
Benke steps in as director & senior specialist loss adjuster, with nearly four decades of experience managing claims in the property, media, and entertainment markets.
Adams joins as associate director and specialist adjuster. He has been recognized for his work in film & TV technical property losses, as well as ‘time element’ production claims and contingency losses. He was awarded by the Insurance Institute of London in 2021 for his achievements in cargo and goods in transit insurance.
Norris, who is taking on the role of specialist adjuster, has expertise in entertainment industry-related liability and property claims. His background includes a tenure as a claims broker at Lloyd’s.
Commenting on McLaren’s new entertainment and contingency line-up, McDonald spoke of the potential for growth in the UK’s film and TV production industry.
“We have more studio capacity than Hollywood and we’re seeing continued growth in the market,” he said. “We’ve also seen the UK government expand the tax credit system for film and TV in its last Autumn Statement. In short, there’s a huge amount of opportunity for growth.”
McDonald went on to highlight the complexity and costliness of claims within the entertainment sector and expressed confidence in his team’s ability to lead McLarens to the forefront of technical claims services in this domain.
“We’ve long admired McLarens’ approach, so much so that it was a no-brainer for me to come out of early retirement and grasp this amazing opportunity,” he said.
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