Edmonton Screen’s goal is to help producers progress using various programs. The Elevation Program was developed to be used as a tool when there is a unique opportunity to jump forward. It is designed to support a significant advancement in a producer’s career and to help open doors to larger-scale production in the Edmonton region.

Projects funded through this program must increase economic activity and align with at least one of the following goals:

increase the number of Edmonton producers
increase the skill level, exposure, and experience of producers in Edmonton

In addition, there are two key objectives that must be achieved and will be a substantial part of the assessment process.

Objective 1: Level up
Levelling up could be measured by a change in:

Type: first feature-length film; first web series; first series; first service production
Budget: under $500,000; $500,000 – $1 million; $1 million – $3 million; above $3 million
Format: animation, documentary, scripted
Increase in skill level of the producer, such as use of new technology or effects

It should also feel like the next logical step in their overall career path. Projects that are similar to ones done in a producer’s past, or projects that are too ambitious will not be competitive.

Objective 2: Sustained Local Industry Impact
Applications will be assessed in respect to how the project and the levelling up will ultimately change the Edmonton ecosystem. This may include use of innovation that impacts the skill level of the local crew. The applicant should demonstrate how the project would open future opportunities that would constitute a meaningful, sustained impact to the local ecosystem. Producers should demonstrate how the application project is a key step in building a career that will have significant value to Edmonton, its crewbase, and the industry as a whole.

Program Highlights

Funding of up to 10% of the production budget (up to $100,000)
Program investments can be early-/first-in, last-out to help leverage other funding
Funding will be in the form of a grant (for productions up to $250,000) or an equity investment (for productions of $250,000 or greater)
Equity investments include recoupment and rights of returns
Projects able to recoup within 3 years of execution of the funding agreement may request to reuse the funds to invest in a similar project
Producers will be matched with a mentor that is supported by the ESIO (up to $10,000)

Opening: Intake will begin in February 2025

Check back shortly for further details on eligibility, other key dates, and application information.

Eligibility

Funding is available to:

have been resident in the Edmonton region for the past 6 months or more
be in good standing with the City of Edmonton and the ESIO
be eligible to work in Canada

Successful applicants will be expected to create a single-purpose company.

Production budget must be greater than $100,000 and a substantial portion must be spent directly on business/contractors in the Edmonton region
Principal photography may commence 120 prior to the opening of the program application period and no more than 120 days after the execution of the funding agreement with the ESIO
Projects must be new (repackaging of previously completed projects will not be considered).
Projects that contain propaganda; elements of serious or gratuitous sexual violence or exploitation; obscene, indecent or pornographic content within the meaning of the Criminal Code; or elements which are libelous or in any other way unlawful, are ineligible.

Feature-length film
Game, contest or reality shows
Mini-series (a minimum of two thematically connected episodes)
Movie-of-the-week or one-off
Pilot
Series
Service productions/co-productions
Web series (minimum total duration of 22 minutes)

Expenses must be:

directly related to the production
considered essential to the production
incurred as a normal part of business
incurred and fully paid during the eligibility period (starts on the date that pre-production begins and ends when final deliverables are received by the ESIO)
paid to individuals or companies who directly provide the goods/services to the production

Expenses may not include:

project development
overhead costs in excess of 5% of total budget
producer fees in excess of 30% of total budget

Application Information

Applicants may only submit one project per round of funding. Each producer may submit the same project once per intake, up to three intakes. Each application may only list one producer as the applicant.

Application Requirements
Information required for the application form:

Applicant contact information (company, phone, address, etc.)
Producer information including website, IMDB link, resume and additional information related to past works (see supporting materials below)
Application information
- Career impact (1500 characters max) – impact of the project on the applicant’s career
- Economic and ecosystem Impact (1500 characters max) – impact of the production on the the regional economy and the local ecosystem
Project Information
- Title
- Logline (250 characters max)
- Synopsis (1000 characters max)
- Format
- Type
- Language(s)
- History of the Project (1000 characters max)
- Project Readiness (checkbox)
- Timeline
  - Principal Photography Start Date
  - Timeline/Key Milestones (1000 characters max)
- Budget Range
- Edmonton spend
- IP ownership
- Diversity and inclusion (1000 characters max)

Supporting Material

Required documents:
- The following must be submitted on the mandatory template that will be provided following submission of the application form
  - Previous production details – details (type, budget, format) on the top 10 projects (by budget) that you received a producers credit on within the past 7 years
  - Financing Structure – details on amounts, source, and status of current financing
- The following may be provided in your preferred format (as a PDF only)
  - Production Budget
  - Producer Resume
Optional documents:
- Applicants may submit any additional documents they wish to share; however, optional documents may not be used as part of the assessment
- May include scripts, pitch materials, director’s vision, etc.

This is a competitive process and the following general criteria will be used to assess funding requests:

Alignment with program objectives
- Career advancement of the producer
- Sustained and ongoing economic impact to the region
Alignment to one or more ESIO Objectives
Producer readiness
Project readiness

Other criteria may also be considered.

Process

All applications will be reviewed for eligibility
Eligible applications will then be assessed based on the criteria above
Funding decisions will be made based on the available funding
Provisional approval of funding will be made to selected applications and applicants will be notified of decisions
Those selected to move forward will complete a further due diligence phase to ensure readiness to proceed and a funding agreement will be finalized and executed by all parties

Additional requirements, including reporting requirements, will be communicated to successful applicants as needed throughout the process.

Detailed recognition and reporting requirements can be found on the participant toolkit.
Reporting will be required throughout and will be defined in the funding agreement.

Applicants with overdue final reporting for this program will not be eligible for future ESIO funding until the reporting is submitted.

Winter/Spring 2025