Skip Ahead alumni (clockwise from top left) SketchShe, Aunty Donna, BrainCraft and Superwog.
Screen Australia and Google Australia have opened applications for the fifth instalment of the Skip Ahead initiative, designed to allow YouTube storytellers to expand the vision and scale of their content.
Previous Skip Ahead alumni include Aunty Donna, Mighty Car Mods, The RackaRacka, BrainCraft, SketchShe, and Superwog, whose pilot from the fund’s third instalment led to a six-part series produced by Princess Pictures, due to premiere on the ABC tomorrow evening.
Up to six projects will be funded via this year’s program, from total funding pool of $500,000. A maximum of $100,000 is available per project.
The program will support both scripted narrative and documentary projects, and applicants can propose the format of the project. The project must premiere on the content creator’s YouTube channel by the end of September 2019.
Applications will considered from individual content creators (YouTube channels), teams of content creators (multiple YouTube channels), and/or established YouTube channels teaming up with an external producer or production house.
Screen Australia and Google Australia have stated that they are particularly interested in supporting content creators from diverse backgrounds in terms of culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, people with disability, geographic and/or socio-economic circumstance.
Screen Australia online investment manager Lee Naimo said: “The success of Skip Ahead alumni such as Aunty Donna, BrainCraft and Superwog is testament to how this initiative can help supercharge careers. I’m looking forwarded to reading applications from exciting new scripted narrative and documentary projects and teams.”
YouTube content partnerships manager ANZ Daniel Stephenson said: “Over the last four years, Skip Ahead has provided more than $2 million in funding to support the Australian creative industry, and helped local creators to develop their skills and produce more ambitious, longer form content. As we enter year five, we cannot wait to see what stories we might uncover, especially as we branch out and into new formats of online storytelling.”