TORONTO – The Canada Media Fund (CMF) last week announced a new pilot program designed to support the growth of mid-career Canadian digital content creators making short-form video content exclusively for social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
The new Digital Creators Pilot Program is part of the CMF’s Experimental Stream and will have a total budget of $500,000 for its inaugural edition, which will fund content creation as well as business and marketing activities.
“Great content is found on all platforms. As an organization focused on the future of storytelling in all its forms, we are excited to offer support to digital content creators active on social media,” Valerie Creighton, CMF president and CEO, said in a press release.
“This pilot program will provide successful applicants with opportunities to develop creatively, build their skills and further their long-term business objectives so they can create more of the original content their audiences want to see — and acquire new fans along the way. We’re excited to see the impact of this critical pilot program as Canada’s audiovisual industry begins sweeping modernization efforts,” she said.
Applicants will need to provide a business plan and demonstrate they have been active for at least 12 months (averaging one post per month in that time period) on at least one of the eligible social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or YouTube), according to the release. Applicants will also need to show they meet a minimum engagement threshold, which differs according to whether they create content in English or French.
The Digital Creators Pilot Program will open for applications on Nov. 28 and will close on Dec. 14. The full program guidelines are available here.
Funding decisions will be made by a jury comprised of peers in the digital creation ecosystem and CMF program administrator analysts, the release says. Successful applicants will receive up to $20,000 for eligible costs and will have six months to complete their stated activities.
“Funding may be used for identified business and marketing activities such as hiring a marketing consultant, social media manager, legal or accounting services, and more. Recipients will also be required to deliver at least four pieces of new prepared and edited content, which must meet all criteria pertaining to Canadian ownership and be produced in a CMF-supported genre as defined in the program’s guidelines,” the release says.
