Discovering New Online Voices – North Queensland

Screen Queensland, in partnership with Screenworks and with support from Screen Australia has launched an exciting new initiative to upskill North and Far North Queensland screen creatives interested in developing short form online projects. Discovering New Online Voices is a two-stage program to provide mentoring and pitch training for up to four North and Far North Queensland creatives or team, culminating in a pitching opportunity to key online market and funding executives. Selected participants will be paired with mentors closely aligned to their genre or concept, to provide highly tailored support to develop their projects for market. Pitch training for all participants will be facilitated by Abi Tabone of Compton School, with Screen Australia also providing 1:1 sessions to discuss opportunities for their projects. Participants must be available to take part in mentoring, training and the pitch day from June to July 2024.

Applications open on Monday 4 March and close 5:00pm AEST Thursday 4 April.

Discovering New Online Voices is part of Screen Queensland’s North Queensland Regional Program.

Selected Applicants:

Screen Queensland in partnership with Screenworks and with support from Screen Australia, will deliver an exciting new initiative to upskill North Queensland screen creatives interested in developing short form online projects. The Discovering New Online Voices initiative will be a three-stage program including practical workshops, interactive sessions and a pitching opportunity to key online market and funding executives.

The program will be launched in February 2024 with the first stage delivered in March 2024. The second and third stages will take place in June and July 2024.

Stage One – Applications Open (Monday 4th March)

After an EOI/application process, up to four North Queensland creatives or teams will be selected to participate in mentor sessions and pitch training. The pitch training will be facilitated by Abi Tabone of Compton School and the 1-on-1 mentor sessions will be provided to each of the four selected teams/individuals. Mentors will be chosen based on the selected teams content ideas and matched with those that best fit that genre.  This will provide specific input from the industry mentors on their individual projects, including advice on how to develop each project ready to pitch to market.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 5 PM AEST THURSDAY 4TH APRIL 2024

What you will need to apply:

Essential Criteria
• Applicants must be over 18 years of age to apply for Stage Two of this program.
• Applicants must be an Australian citizen or resident, living in North Queensland for a
minimum of the past 6 months.
• Applicants must be Screenworks member/s
Submission materials
Before completing the Stage Two application, you will need to have ready:
• A detailed treatment (up to 10 pages including format, logline, synopsis and character
information)
• Statement (250 words) about the story you want to tell and why.
• Script sample of up to 5 pages (optional)
• Video pitch up to 2mins (Required)

Stage Two – Pitch Day (Early July 2024)

Further to the Mentor sessions/Pitch Training, the four creatives/teams will work on their projects independently for a month, applying what they’ve learnt to further develop them and hone their pitches. (The mentors may be available to give them ongoing advice as they prepare their presentations). The program culminates in an in-person pitch day in Cairns, during which the four creatives/teams present their projects to a panel of four key decision makers which will include representatives from, for example, Tik Tok and YouTube, as well as a Screen Queensland representative and a member of the Screen Australia Online Team. The winning pitcher will receive a grant of up to $10,000 for development or production from Screen Queensland to do further work on their project.  The Screen Australia representative will also be able to offer 1-on-1 sessions with the four finalists after their pitch sessions, to discuss future opportunities for them and their projects and encourage them to apply for development or production funding.

APPLY HERE

Terms and Conditions

By submitting an application to the Discovering New Online Voices initiative, applicants will be bound to the following terms and conditions:
1.  I understand that I need to have been living in North Queensland for more than the past 6 months, and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
2. If selected for Screenworks’ Discovering New Online Voices I understand and agree to be interviewed, photographed or recorded during any part of the program. Any such recording, photograph or interview may be used across any media format for promotional and/or reporting
purposes.
3. I agree that, if successful with this application, I will be available (or will make myself available) to take part in Screenworks’  Discovering New Online Voices – workshop and consultations.
4. I understand that applying to the Screenworks’ Discovering New Online Voices does not guarantee that I will be accepted into the program.
5. I acknowledge that Northern Rivers Screenworks Inc. has the right to withdraw any offer to participate in Screenworks Discovering New Online Voices program if it is discovered that any statement made by me in this application is incorrect, incomplete or misleading, in a way that may have affected the application assessment process.

Please note: Screenworks’ Discovering New Online Voices assessment committee, including Screenworks, Screen Queensland and Screen Australia staff, will assess all eligible applications against a set of guidelines and assessment criteria. The Assessment Committee is under no obligation to read all content provided.
Screenworks and the Assessment Committee will not redress errors in applications. If an application is deemed ineligible, it will not be assessed. Screenworks will make the ultimate decision regarding the successful applicants. This decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.