Screen Australia and YouTube have opened their shared Skip Ahead 11 funding grant for applications, encouraging online storytellers, documentarians, and content creators to consider applying.
The grant includes production funding of up to $130,000 for online documentaries or scripted narratives, as well as a three-day workshop in Sydney, and ongoing skills and development support.
Screen Australia and YouTube open new funding support – quick links
What to know about Screen Australia and YouTube’s Skip Ahead grant
In each round, the Skip Ahead grant has supported an array of projects to get off the ground, providing funding to elevate production quality, provide backing for a sustainable career, and enhance output overall.
Past Skip Ahead grants have supported RackaRacka: Live (Danny and Michael Philippou), The Rainbow Bop Show (Rainbow Bop), the Small Footprint documentary series (Never Too Small), Life of Kea (Lyanna Kea) and The Worst That Could Happen (Macfarlane Bros).
Skip Ahead 11 is specifically open for applications from documentary and scripted narrative projects from Australian content creators, with at least one of the following criteria required:
- A current YouTube channel with at least 25,000 subscribers.
- A maximum of two current YouTube channels with a combined subscriber base of 40,000.
- A YouTube video that has amassed a minimum of 1 million views with a subscriber base of at least 10,000.
The aim of Screen Australia and YouTube’s Skip Ahead funding
The aim is to support unique, original Australian-made content for online audiences, while also providing a basis for a new generation of storytellers to share their works. Up to five projects will be funded in the latest round of Skip Ahead, with the process likely to be highly competitive.
‘For Australian screen content to effectively deliver cultural and economic benefits it must speak to, and be for, all Australians,’ Screen Australia said of this initiative.
‘A range of ideas and a diverse workforce will enhance the Australian screen industry, making it more relevant to Australian audiences and more competitive internationally.’
Those in a position to apply can now head to the Screen Australia website to learn more, and determine eligibility for entry. All applications for Skip Ahead 11 must be in by 30 April at 5:00 PM AEST.
Also on ScreenHub: Screen Australia is paving the way for future games industry leaders
There is a better future for the Australian games industry, beyond recent layoffs, studio downsizings, publisher absence, and closures. But it’s one that must be actively supported, with organisations like Screen Australia putting in the work to elevate creative projects, and ensure diverse stories are told.
Speaking to ScreenHub, the organisation’s new Head of Games, Joey Egger, spoke enthusiastically about that future, and how Screen Australia’s latest round of games funding highlights the company’s long-term goals to foster new talent and lay the brickwork for a stronger, more stable Australian games industry. Egger has taken the reins from former Head of Online and Games Lee Naimo, with the role expanded to focus solely on games.
‘Our focus is actually in the long term, because what we’re trying to do is help bring up this emerging talent through these funding programs, and hopefully get them into a position where in 5 years time or 10 years time, they’ll be the industry leaders, and the industry talent that everyone’s talking about,’ Egger said.
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