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Screen Australia refreshes guidelines for its Enterprise Program

'Doodles' from Ludo Studios, who received Enterprise Industry funding in 2015.

Screen Australia has launched a redesigned Enterprise Program, which it argues will offer broader range of opportunities for practitioners and companies.

The rejigged program consists of two strands; a new strand in Enterprise Ideas, while Enterprise People continues in a broadened form. 

Enterprise Ideas seeks “exceptional” business proposals, and replaces and expands on what was formerly Enterprise Industry. It will offer funding to initiatives costing between $100,000 and $400,000 over a maximum of two years.

While Screen Australia has said the strand is deliberately non-prescriptive, it has a number of objectives for the program and proposals that match will be prioritised. 

These include expanding a company’s international profile, exploring an emerging field of screen production like VR, or creating new avenues for distribution and release. (See the full list of objectives on Screen Australia’s website.)

“The Enterprise program has continually evolved over the past eight years to ensure it is best placed to support the changing needs of the Australian screen sector,” said Screen Australia’s head of business and audience Richard Harris. 

“With this new iteration we have deliberately broadened the scope of Enterprise Industry and renamed it to reflect our intention to support cutting-edge business ideas that will enable the sector to adapt to change and harness emerging opportunities.”

The Enterprise People strand will now allow for both professional development of individuals and business capacity-building. 

Enterprise People will provide up to $70,000 a year for a maximum of two years for:

  • Mid-career creative talent to work with experienced practitioners within an established company to secure a credit as producer, director or writer.
  • A bespoke high-level career development plan, which could include international or domestic placements.
  • A full-time position designed to strategically build the capacity of a company e.g. a business development manager. 
  • High level industry attachments and placements, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis in exceptional circumstances outside of the Enterprise People funding round. This may include attachment or placements previously offered through the Talent+ program.

The new guidelines are in place from July 1.