Skip Ahead alumnae Aunty Donna. Photo credit: James Penlidis.
The third instalment of Screen Australia's program for YouTube creators, Skip Ahead, is now open to entries.
The program will provide project funding of up to $250,000 each for three successful Australian YouTube content creators who have existing YouTube channels with a substantial subscriber base.
The funding is for successful applicants to make a longer narrative-driven film of at least 30 minutes in length, which may be a one-off film, or could act as a pilot for a series or proof of concept for a feature, provided it can be viewed as a standalone piece of entertainment.
The project will be expected to premiere on the filmmakers’ YouTube Channel, but they will be able to explore other releases such as theatrical event screenings and top tier film festivals.
As part of its support for Skip Ahead, Screen Australia in conjunction with Google may also facilitate networking opportunities between creators and Australian production companies interested in skills exchange or creative collaboration.
“This is an extraordinary program for YouTubers to make the leap from short form to longer content", Screen Australia's Mike Cowap said.
"We are constantly blown away by what YouTubers achieve with very little resources. This is a great opportunity for our local content creators to get the extra support they may need to take their work to the next level. ”
Previous recipients of Skip Ahead funding – who include Aunty Donna (103,489 subscribers, 12,202,848 views), SketchShe (763,971 subscribers, 85,634,620 views), Mighty Car Mods (1,816,456 subscribers, 244,207,055 views) and Axis of Awesome (288,469 subscribers, 46,005,519 views) – are eligible to re-apply.
Applications close May 20.
Successful applicants will be announced in June.
More information here.