Are you an emerging to mid-career Indigenous producer eager to grow yourself and your business? Apply now to get business management, negotiation and leadership training plus customized mentorship to develop a current project.
This 10-week, part-time online training and mentorship program is designed to help Indigenous screen content creators develop essential business management skills while creating a project plan for a feature film or web series currently in production.
Applicants must apply with a feature film or web series which has at least one source of confirmed funding. Eligible projects can be fiction, non-fiction or documentary in all genres and formats.
An independent jury will select up to eight emerging to mid-career Indigenous creative entrepreneurs looking to expand their business management skills for this program.
“The ISO is excited to be a presenting partner for the NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition program,” says ISO Sector Development program manager, Isabelle Ruiz. “The ISO is committed to supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis film and television creators. Through offerings like Art of Business Management, supported through our newly developed Sector Development Partnership Grant, we can continue to lift their voices. The ISO is thrilled to do this work alongside the National Screen Institute.”
This year, the National Screen Institute has introduced a new plan to expand the networks of participants. NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition will run alongside the Indigenous documentary film program, NSI IndigiDocs. Students from both programs will have an opportunity to meet and get to know each other through several joint sessions.
“NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition is designed to develop the business and leadership skills of Indigenous creatives across Canada,” says program manager, Cheyenne Bruneau. “Together with the ISO, we are proud to amplify these storytellers and help lead them as they further their careers in the industry.”
NSI Art of Business Management is divided into two phases:
In phase one, participants will attend weekly online sessions for six weeks. These include interactive group discussions, round tables, peer reviews, presentations and masterclasses. Sessions begin with a wellness check-in followed by training with an industry expert.
Session topics will cover business affairs/contracts; labour and employment law; fundamentals of running a workplace; principles of human resources and effective people management skills; financial planning and modelling; production finance and distribution (understanding tax credits, finance structures and cash flows); negotiation as well as case studies.
Phase two consists of a four-week mentorship where participants are matched with an industry mentor to coach them through the development of their project plan. Mentors will assess participants’ skills and help them cultivate a successful career in producing. They’ll get advice on long-term goal setting and how to establish and maintain industry connections.
Program faculty includes Jason Brennan as program advisor, Lori Lozinski as faculty consultant and workshop co-host and Cheyenne Bruneau as program manager.
The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) is an independent national advocacy and funding organization serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis creators of screen content in Canada. The ISO’s mandate is to foster and support narrative sovereignty: Indigenous stories told on screens by Indigenous storytellers.
Launched in 2017, the creation of the ISO is the result of decades of advocacy from Indigenous industry professionals and creators who identified that an organization supporting Indigenous storytellers was a crucial component to a healthy and robust media landscape in Canada.
ISO currently funds a number of programs and initiatives for Indigenous screen creators and professionals with a focus on the key areas of training and mentorship, project development, production support and market development. ISO also hosts regular training and workshops around the document On-Screen Protocols and Pathways: A Media Production Guide to Working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit Communities, Cultures, Concepts and Stories.
About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Propelled by a visionary network of donors, private and public organizations, board and staff, the National Screen Institute supports creators from across Canada to tell unforgettable stories. Through industry-informed training and mentoring in film, television and digital media, students and alumni find their voice and place on the global stage, inspiring us to shape a better world.
The National Screen Institute is committed to training participants from a diverse community of voices including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres, those from regional and remote areas and various religious groups.
Are you an emerging Indigenous writer/director with a great idea for a short documentary? Get customized training and mentorship to produce a broadcast-ready film for APTN* through the 10th edition of NSI IndigiDocs.
Four Indigenous filmmakers will be selected to participate in this intensive, online training program to develop a short documentary idea into a 10-minute finished film.
Emerging to mid-career filmmakers are invited to apply and will act as both writer and director for their project. Each participant receives a cash award of up to $20K and approximately $10K of in-kind services towards production.
During phase one, participants will engage in online training sessions, complete assignments to evolve their documentary idea and prepare for production. All participants will virtually attend the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and the 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
In phase two, participants will begin to transform their idea into reality as they work alongside an assigned mentor who will provide advice and guidance as they move through each step of production. Participants will collaborate with the National Film Board on post production and finished films will be broadcast on *APTN (world-premiere, one-hour special featuring all four NSI IndigiDocs films), documentary Channel, CBC Gem, NFB’s platform, nsifilms.ca and APTN lumi.
“The NSI IndigiDocs program is a fantastic opportunity for Indigenous storytellers to hone their filmmaking skills and create a film that showcases their unique voices,” says Monika Ille, CEO of APTN. “With the program now celebrating its 10th year, APTN is even more delighted to continue supporting this program and sharing the stories of Indigenous Peoples with all Canadians.”
This year, the National Screen Institute has introduced a new plan to expand the networks of participants. NSI IndigiDocs will run alongside NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition, a program designed to develop the skills of emerging to mid-career producers. Students from both programs will have an opportunity to meet and get to know each other through several joint sessions.
“NSI IndigiDocs has helped amplify the voices of many Indigenous filmmakers, supporting them as they realize their vision and share it with the world,” says program manager, Cheyenne Bruneau. “As we launch this new edition, we hope to expand our program and work to foster a network of Indigenous storytellers who are ready to forge their own paths in the industry.”
Over 30 broadcast-ready documentaries have been produced through the NSI IndigiDocs program. Many of these documentaries have premiered at renowned festivals or received prestigious awards.
All four of the latest NSI IndigiDocs projects made their world premieres at festivals including Vancouver International Film Festival, Yellowknife International Film Festival and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
NSI IndigiDocs documentary êmîcêtôsêt-Many Bloodlines, from creators Theola Ross and Alex Bailey, premiered at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and received the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary. The documentary was later named to the TIFF Top 10 shorts list.
Program faculty includes Sonia Bonspille Boileau as program and story advisor, Lori Lozinski as executive producer and Cheyenne Bruneau as program manager.
APTN launched in 1999 as the world’s first national Indigenous broadcaster, creating a window into the remarkably diverse mosaic of Indigenous Peoples. A respected non-profit and charitable broadcaster, it’s the first of its kind in North America. The network is Sharing Our Stories of authenticity in English, French and a variety of Indigenous languages to nearly 10 million Canadian subscribers. With over 80% Canadian content, APTN connects with its audiences through genuine, inspiring and engaging entertainment on multiple platforms.
About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Propelled by a visionary network of donors, private and public organizations, board and staff, the National Screen Institute supports creators from across Canada to tell unforgettable stories. Through industry-informed training and mentoring in film, television and digital media, students and alumni find their voice and place on the global stage, inspiring us to shape a better world.
The National Screen Institute is committed to training participants from a diverse community of voices including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres, those from regional and remote areas and various religious groups.
