The Fred Academy has grown out of the Film Exchange starting in 1999 and from the Notting Hill Film Festival, both founded by Andy Isaac, director of The Fred Academy.

In 2000 The Film Exchange sponsored part of The British Film Pavilion in Cannes and gave a screening area and bar for new filmmakers to present their work. The Film Exchange was designed to help filmmakers, inclusive to all with a professional outlook, the opportunity to network their films. Often the Film Exchange would introduce a DoP to a project or cast and guide the filmmaker to finish their films for screenings. The Film Exchange helped, guided and insured over 100 short films and many features where they became involved.

In 2003 a small outing for the Notting Hill Film Festival was tried where we screened over 30 films and screened in four venues in Notting Hill. In 2004 the festival saw sellout screenings and screened over 65 films from UK based filmmakers. During the festival we had debates and fun talks from Stephen Fry, Roger Spottiswoode, Leslie Philips OBE and many others. The festival then decided to be a touring festival and we screen films in America, Europe and made a presence at major festivals such as Cannes. In 2009 the festival returns to Notting Hill for a major event after once again travelling to Chicago and Cannes. 

In 2007 we held the biggest party in Cannes that the Brits have ever held and from the success of the party it was clear that a unique channel for helping filmmakers not only finish their films, but exhibit as well was made possible. Andy Isaac then decided that a charity should be formed to help fund the different projects and The Fred Academy was born.