The Queensland Goverment has partnered YouTube in a new $900,000 program to help local content creators succeed on the video-sharing website.
The program is supported by QUT and Griffith University and will be funded by a $750,000 contribution over three years from the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative and a $150,000 funding commitment from Screen Queensland.
Deputy premier, Jackie Trad, said it was an exciting partnership between the Queensland Government and YouTube that would boost the size of Queensland’s digital workforce by helping creators produce globally engaging video content.
“Queensland already has a dynamic and rapidly expanding digital community including some of Australia’s top YouTube creators such as My Cupcake Addiction, Charli’s Crafty Kitchen and Halfbrick Studios," she said.
"These four Australian YouTube channels have amassed an incredible audience with more than 3.2 million subscribers.”
Trad met senior YouTube officials at their regional headquarters in Singapore as part of her trade mission in June and said the partnership would be a boost for Queensland’s digital economy.
“The Queensland Creative Entrepreneurship Program will grow Queensland’s digital economy, benefit both the screen and creative industries, and boost the state’s small-to-medium business sector,” she said.
“Companies like Brisbane-based, Halfbrick, who recently landed a deal to provide family-friendly content for the YouTube Kids app, reflect the calibre and creativity of Queensland’s technology companies and it is exciting that YouTube is taking notice of the tremendous talent in our state.”
Science and Innovation minister, Leeanne Enoch, said the program would help develop Queensland’s promising creative entrepreneurs and propel them onto the world stage and into global markets.
“Queensland has an abundance of creative and innovative talent that will be able to tap into new global audiences and commercial opportunities through this program and YouTube’s support,” she said.
“The $750,000 of funding being contributed from Advance Queensland is another example of this important initiative actively encouraging and fostering collaboration between entrepreneurs, industry, universities and government to turn great ideas into investable products and create jobs now and into the future.”
YouTube will contribute by arranging for top global creators to visit Queensland to collaborate with local stars at the Creator Days, and organising co-funded trips for Queensland's top creators to visit the YouTube Space in Los Angeles.
Sanoop Luke, YouTube partnerships manager, Asia Pacific said the new program would help even more Australian voices reach global audiences.
“Queensland is home to some of the world’s leading YouTube creators,” he said.
“This initiative with the Queensland Government will help supercharge these creative entrepreneurs by providing funding, education and support for the production of new online content.”
The program will include Creator Original Awards to provide annual grants to established and emerging creators and Creator Days, to be hosted by Griffith University and QUT, to bring together YouTube experts, entrepreneurs, producers, content creators, and industry partners.
There will also be YouTube Top Creator Visits to bring globally successful digital content creators to Queensland to share their knowledge as well as an initiative to match mainstream screen producers with top local YouTube creator supported by Screen Queensland.
The Queensland Creative Entrepreneurship program opens early 2016.