From Playback today:
Producers looking to get television dramas pitch-ready for broadcasters may be eligible for cash from a new funding stream recently created by the Cogeco Program Development Fund.
The fund is making money available for dramatic series, miniseries and MOWs in the pre-development stage -- for up to $10,000 per production per year -- with the stipulation that the projects have not yet secured a broadcaster.
Cogeco Fund executive director Andra Sheffer says until now there wasn't a fund in Canada for the "high-risk" early stages of development when all the producer has is a great concept.
"We identified this as an area of need. A lot of producers don't have the cash flow between projects to hire a good writer to develop a concept," Sheffer tells Playback Daily, adding, "We're giving them the opportunity to take some time, so that when they go to a broadcaster with a proposal, it's ready."
The Cogeco Fund did not pump any additional cash into the new initiative, which falls under the same $250,000 funding bracket for development.
What I can't figure out is, so long as it's "high risk" and "early stages," can someone tell me why, for instance, the fund can't be accessed by a Writer to hire a Producer to work through those "high risk early stages?"
Just saying.
3 comments:
Because 'Writers' don't know how to properly fill out the 'forms', whereas 'Producers'...THAT'S what they do oh so very well.
Otherwise, the 'Writers' might be able to take the dough and develop the great project and then pitch it to the broadcaster and get it greenlit, and then just hire a 'Producer' to 'produce' it for them. And we all know that's not how it's supposed to work.
Geez McGrath, do have to have everything explained to you?
Maybe it's just 'me', but there's a 'tone' within all this...
I'm just asking...Denis, is there not some other 'funding stream' created just for 'insider mafia-types' who know how 'things are done' to get at a 'sweet' $10,000? Maybe this stream is just what it proposes...meant to support concepts not generated from a 'Writer'. Sounds fertile; fostering are own showrunners?
Oh, Denis. Because Canadian writers already have so many support systems in place. It's really those producers with "great concepts" that need help.
Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go and find a producer to give me a great concept to develop. I'm frickin' bone-dry here.
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