IPF Commits to Canadian Web Series Funding until 2014

In the last few weeks, many web series producers in Canada have been keeping one eye out open to see if the IPF would renew it's commitment to fund web series for another year. Not only did they just announce committing for the new year, they have committed to web series until 2014! Competition will be fierce though as the press release goes on to mention that in the last two previous years there were 330 applications of which only 26 series were funded.

Read the full press release below. And if you are Canadian with a new web series in mind then be sure to check out our two part interview with past recipients of IPF funding.


For immediate release
December 13, 2011

Independent Production Fund commits to funding web series until 2014.

Celebrating two decades of funding traditional Canadian television drama series, the Independent Production Fund Board (IPF) has made a formal commitment to lead the industry in new directions for the future. The web series funding program that has been undertaken on an experimental basis for the past two years, will now become the focus of IPF funding support for the next three years.

In 2010 the IPF launched a pilot program to support linear drama series created for new platforms. As a result, web series production took off in Canada. In the past two years, 330 proposals were submitted to the IPF for web series funding. Twenty-six of these were approved for funding and can be seen on web portals around the world. The range of creativity and entrepreneurial skills has ensured that quality Canadian drama and outstanding new talents have the opportunity to be encouraged and to be made available to audiences internationally. This new sector of the industry is still seeking successful marketing, distribution and business models and the IPF provides training and educational support and mentorship as well as the essential financing to make these innovative projects possible.

The IPF, along with several provincial funding partners* , invest over $1.5 M a year in web series. They have been created for every demographic from pre-schoolers to adults representing nearly 2000 minutes of drama in addition to associated interactive activities and social media. They can be accessed via the IPF’s web series dashboard at www.ipf.ca/webseries.

The Independent Production Fund has also entered into an agreement with the Cogeco Program Development Fund which has accepted to broaden its mandate for the next three years to include funding of television drama series, as well as the MOW’s and mini-series that it has traditionally supported. Drama for television remains essential to Canadian broadcasters and audiences, and the IPF salutes the Cogeco Fund’s vision that will now ensure ongoing financing for all formats of these traditional productions.

The 2012 deadline for applications to the Web Series Program is March 1, 2012.

In the past 20 years, the IPF has invested $54 M in the production of television and web drama as well as professional development activities. It is a private, charitable Foundation with an endowment valued at $34 M. It uses the interest generated by this endowment as well as recoupment from successful projects, for its industry investments. An independent Board of Directors representing various aspects of the industry is responsible for all funding decisions.

www.ipf.ca

Andra Sheffer
416-977-8966
[email protected]

Claire Dion
514-845-4334
[email protected]

* Film Nova Scotia, SaskFilm, Manitoba Film & Music, OMDC and Innovation PEI