A practical workshop in what matters and what doesn’t
Saturday, February 18th, 12:00 PM
The deadline for the IPF’s Web Series Program is just around the corner — one of the few sources for funding web series projects in Canada. Let veteran web series creators Scott Albert (Tights and Fights: Ashes) and Jill Golick (Ruby Skye P.I.) guide you through the first round application process. Sign up on our Facebook event page or DM us with your contact information.
Over a Saturday afternoon, Jill and Scott will lead an intimate discussion designed introduce to you the elements that will make or break the first round, six page IPF web series application process;
Creative:
What will your web series be about? How many episodes will it be? How long will each episode be? What are some reasons to choose an episodic structure over a serialized one? How do you create characters and compelling stories for the web series format?
Budget and Financing:
How is the IPF likely to contribute? What are some other sources of funding? Most importantly, you’ll get a practical guide to actually creating a budget for your series to include in the application. What kind of production can you expect at that budget level? Can you work with the WGC and ACTRA and what are the advantages? More than just production, how do you budget for a website, maintenance and community management?
Distribution and Interactive:
What are some of the unique challenges in planning the distribution for your web series? What are the pros and cons of YouTube, Daily Motion, Blip.tv and other distribution platforms? Jill and Scott have direct experience with, and contacts at, many of the top portals. What kind of website is the IPF looking for? How can you introduce interactivity and audience involvement directly into the narrative?
Promotion and Business Model:
Quite simply, how will you get people to see your web series and how will you repay the IPF’s investment? (You do know you have to repay it, right?) How can you make money on a web series? We’ll go through an exhaustive list of both promotional and monetization strategies.
Canada is recognized around the world for being at the forefront of web series and Transmedia storytelling. The IPF provides an opportunity for you to tell your story without the say so of traditional gatekeepers. Join Jill and Scott as they share their experiences from both the trenches and the boardrooms and help you craft a first round application that has a stronger chance of getting your project to the short list.
Important Info:
When: 4 hours Saturday February 18, 2012 12:00 — 4:00 PM
Where: Centre for Social Innovation Annex – 2nd Floor Boardroom
720 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON
Cost: $60 per project* ($50 for members of the Toronto Web Series Community and members of the Writers Guild of Canada)
Pay by Cash or Cheque before the workshop.Only those who have reserved a spot will be guaranteed a seat! Book in Advance.
A maximum of 12 projects will be admitted into the session.
*If you are expecting to have more than 2 people representing your project, please let us know in advance.
About the presenters:
Jill Golick is one of Canada’s most experienced interactive storytellers. She has more than 20 years experience in the television industry with over 200 hours of produced television to her credit. As a new media creator she has written and produced four original cutting edge digital series. Her most recently digital project, Ruby Skye P.I., has received IPF funding for two seasons and has won multiple awards, praise from teachers and parents and continues to delight kids around the world.
Jill teaches Advanced Television Writing and Transmedia Storytelling at York University, speaks frequently at conferences and serves as the President of the Writers Guild of Canada.
Scott Albert is an award winning writer, producer, sometime actor, and a pioneer of cutting edge storytelling strategies. With a background in sketch comedy, Scott is a highly sought after freelance animation screenwriter in the field of Children’s Entertainment (notably on the current hit show, Breakthrough Animation’s Jimmy Two Shoes; and as an Executive Story Editor on Best Boy Production’s Mickey). His debut novel, Below the Line, was nominated for a Re-lit Award. He wrote and produced Jake Moxie which won a Golden Sheaf for Best Animation. He is a co-founder of GopherX.net, Canada’s leading creator of short form, multiplatform comedy, including the 12 part series Team Leader (as co-creator, co-producer) and the You Tube hit, Tights and Fights (writer/creator and actor). He graduated from the prestigious Canadian Film Center’s Prime Time Television Program, was a 2002 CTV Banff Fellow, and his hour-long dramatic series Quarantine is currently in development with CTV.
He is the creator and/or executive producer of 7 short-form and web based series. His next upcoming series is Job Review With a Vampire.