November 22, 2022
The IPF announces funding for nine scripted short form series.
The IPF Board of Directors has approved 2022 production financing for nine (9) scripted short form series. These are series which have been created for exploitation primarily on digital platforms and channels. Five (5) of the approved series are in English and four (4) are in French. The IPF makes equity investments in these series totaling over $1.7M as well as providing consultation, training and advisory services.
Border2Border Entertainment's series Settle Down was among the 9 series selected for an equity investment by the Independent Production Fund.
The IPF/CMF Development Packaging Program and the IPF Short Form Series Production Program exist to stimulate Canadian creative and business expertise in the digital story-telling world and encourage and support new voices in our industry. Successfully marketing and distributing the original linear digital content and the talents behind it, to Canadian and international audiences, is an important measure of success for the program.
129 projects were submitted to the IPF from across Canada in March. A 30+ member evaluation committee selected 20 projects to receive development financing. Seventeen (17) out of those twenty projects completed their development phase and were eligible to apply to the Short Form Series Production Program on October 5th.
Production funding applications were analyzed and rated by a select jury of evaluators, as well as the IPF Board of Directors, providing a wide range of perspectives. Evaluators reviewed the creative materials, producer and writer team leads, production schedule, budget and financing, business and distribution strategies, audience engagement planning, as well as recoupment potential as well as financing and distribution partners.
A wide range of genres are represented, including comedy, drama, mystery, thriller, musical and animation. The creators are both new talents and experienced digital production companies. IPF Chair Emilia King commented: “Thank you so much to our jury, the IPF staff and the board for their dedication and hard work in selecting these phenomenal projects! We are beyond excited to see these projects move from concept to reality. We can’t wait to see these new perspectives, ideas and voices come to life through these incredible stories. It’s a privilege to be able to play a role in these talented creators’ journeys."