Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and imagineNATIVE Web Series Open Call

Press Release

July 06, 2017

Original Linear Web Series in English and / or an Aboriginal Language with English subtitles

Drama or Documentary

Open Call begins: July 6, 2017

Deadline for applications: August 8, 2017 by 5 pm ET

Decisions: August 30, 2017

APTN Maximum Licence Fee: $22,000

Application Form here

Submission specifics * Failure to comply with the conditions set out in this document will result in automatic rejection of your proposal.

July 6, 2017: New this year, imagineNATIVE and APTN invite Indigenous Canadian creatives to learn how to develop and pitch Web Series projects professionally to industry decision makers for production funding!

Through a call for submissions, ABORIGINAL PEOPLES TELEVISION NETWORK And imagineNATIVE Web Series open call will select three creative teams to engage in a virtual Web Series development program. Hosted by APTN and Industry Web Series content developers, the teams will learn how to conceive projects for the medium and how to execute the required components through APTN’s Industry-standard Web Series process.

The program will develop an original Linear Web Series, in English and / or an Aboriginal Language with English subtitles, consisting of three (3) or more webisodes, each of which is no less than two (2) minutes long, with a maximum length of five (5) minutes each.

The project teams will receive a travel + accommodation subsidy to come to Toronto in October, 2017, where each developed pitch will have a 4-hour on-site pre-pitch training session prior to imagineNATIVE. Teams will present projects to an audience and jury of Web Series programmers, aficionados and creators during the 2017 imagineNATIVE Festival in a live, staged event at the Festival’s venue, the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

The winner will receive an APTN Web Series licensing agreement valued at up to $22,000 including additional support from in-kind partnerships.

NOTE: This program is for creative teams committed to completing the training program with a goal to professionally develop skills and adhere to associated program deadlines.

What we’re looking for:

• An original Linear Web Series  in English and / or an Aboriginal Language with English subtitles, consisting of three (3) or more webisodes, each of which is between 2-5 minutes long.
• Series will fall under one of the following artistic genres: Drama or Documentary.
• Series will be formatted to suit web, mobile phone or tablet distributions formats.
• Participants must own or otherwise control all rights to the project, including all rights of copyright and intellectual property, and will ensure that the project does not contain any material that violates the laws of Canada (common and statutory) or the codes of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (including the Equitable Portrayal Code, or the Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television Programs). The project will not contain any material that infringes on copyright, trade mark, title, or any other action arising from an allegation that the Producer does not own or control the underlying rights to the project.
• Project must be planned to be delivered electronically in HD resolution.
• Engaging, commercial, audience-driven stories that feature Aboriginal culture and people in front of and behind the camera;
• Series should be geared for a specific target audience (ages 20-34) and supported by a promotional strategy that effectively targets that audience.

Prizes include:

• Web Series licensing agreement from APTN valued at up to $22,000
• $5,000 in-kind grant from William F. White for production equipment
• $500 gift certificate from Technicolor for postproduction services (valid for one-year)
• A T.O. Web Fest Conference Pass valued at $400
• An imagineNATIVE supported Kickstarter funding webpage

The winning team will be announced at the imagineNATIVE Awards Presentation, Sunday, October 22, 2017.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The participants must be Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, or Inuit) and Canadian residents.
• Pitch teams (max 2 people, director and producer) must be in Toronto for practice sessions on October 17 and the pitch competition October 19, 2017
• Applications must be received via online form no later than August 8, 2017 at 5 pm ET. Please combine the documents into one pdf. Visual support material may also be provided by links.
• You may submit more than one pitch idea.
• You may pitch individually or as a team.

Please note: Travel subsidy will be based on selected teams location. Other expenses such as, but not limited to per diem or printing of materials are not covered by imagineNATIVE.  Lunch during the pitch training and one imagineNATIVE All-Access Delegate Pass will be provided to the selected pitch members.

If you have further questions, please email Daniel Northway-Frank, dnf@imagineNATIVE.org.

The deadline for submissions is August 8, 2017 at 10 am ET. Applicants will be notified by August 30, 2017 on the status of their application.

ILR5