Veteran UK film and television financier Jim Reeve has ramped up his financing outfit Visionview with the appointment of Steve Robbins.

Robbins joins Reeve's outfit from Berliner Bank where he has spent the last seven years, most recently as the bank's head of media finance.

The duo will work side by side at Visionview to arrange financing structures for film and television production including sale and lease-back deals for producers and sourcing potential film investment.

Visionview's recent financing credits include low-budget gangster thriller Lava, shot in London's Notting Hill, and the $11m Shiner, starring Oscar-nominated Michael Caine, Martin Landau and Matthew Marsden and directed by John Irvin.

While at Berliner Bank, Robbins and his team helped put together financing for several high-profile titles spanning Cliffhanger, The Crying Game and Stargate.

'Given the increased levels of funding available today, I am delighted we have managed to attract someone of Steve's calibre and experience to ensure we take full advantage of these opportunities,' said Reeve.

Upcoming titles which have already secured equity financing through Visionview include the projects Deadly Reflection and Michael Dibdin's A Long Finish.

In addition to Visionview, Reeve is also chief executive of the Television Production Company, an Enterprise Initiative Scheme (EIS) company sponsored by merchant banking giant Close Brothers. The EIS raised £5.5m in co-production funding for a variety of UK television dramas and the feature Breathtaking for Sky Pictures.