Sask. film and television industry gets $900K in funding for new training, mentorship program

Saskatchewan is getting an injection of $900,000 in federal funding for the training and mentorship of aspiring media production workers.

The Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association is facilitating the program, which started April 1 and will run for one year. The money is managed by production companies involved in the program, SMPIA said at a Friday news conference.

The new program, which is getting federal funding through Prairies Economic Development Canada, will provide successful applicants with training workshops and on-set mentored positions with media productions in the province, the industry association said. That's expected to create new, well-paying jobs and provide a boost for film and television production in Saskatchewan, said SMPIA.

Ken Alecxe, the association's executive director, said the program aims to help 50 Saskatchewan residents learning the film and television business. 

Saskatchewan Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said some participants began a pilot mentorship program on April 1, and a second pilot program will begin sometime in June.

Officials at the Friday funding announcement in Regina weren't able to provide details on how people applied for the pilot or how those interested in the future can apply. 

"We're still building the templates, but there's going to be a couple of different ways of coming into the program," said Alecxe. 

The program will take in participants not just interested in acting or camera work, but also those interested in set construction and electrical work, he said.

'We have inventories already of people who have already indicated their interest. We pull from those inventories, but people are at liberty anytime they want to … if they hear of a production coming up, approach a Saskatchewan producer, approach that production company, get your name on their list," said Alecxe.

One of those producers is Dawn Bird, who owns four Saskatchewan production companies including B.E. Zee Productions and Iron Door Productions.

She said she is thrilled to hear training money will be available to help grow production companies, and bring on people "who may already be somewhat skilled and just need to develop their skills further ... or those that don't have experience who want to work in this industry."

That will "help grow my businesses substantially, and then I won't exhaust myself doing all the work myself," Bird said. 

The Regina-based business owner, who is co-producer on the new Saskatchewan television series Guardians of the North, does not have a full-time staff member through the program yet, but she said it's on her June wish list. 

She said she's working on eight projects in pre-development.

"If any one or two of those actually come to fruition, this training money will enable me to hire the people that I need to make those productions a reality," said Bird.

Commitment to Indigenous participation

SMPIA said it is working with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies to create ways for their students to join the program and start working on productions. 

Officials said the new training and mentorship program will have 30 per cent Indigenous participation.

"It's incredibly important to have Indigenous visibility … in all of the cultural industries, including film production and television," said Dan Vandal, a Winnipeg member of Parliament and the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, at Friday's announcement.

In Canada, Vancouver and Toronto are known to be the hot spots for film and television production. But Vandal said the federal government is "150 per cent" committed to seeing a strong cultural industry across the country, including the Prairie provinces.

"If there [are] good projects that come up that can promote and strengthen the cultural industries while at the same time creating good jobs for young people, francophones and Indigenous [peoples] … that is something we are looking to support in partnership with other governments and, of course, the private sector," Vandal said.

The Saskatchewan training and mentorship program will be evaluated over the next year, he said.

"We're all about creating good jobs for Canadians. So if there's good results, let's keep on talking."

In the meantime, Ross said there are already some Saskatchewan-made projects to be excited about.

That includes Guardians of the North, a documentary television series that was a recipient of Creative Saskatchewan's feature film and TV production grant. 

Ross also mentioned A Cowboy Christmas, a film funded in part by the same Creative Saskatchewan grant. The holiday flick was filmed in Maple Creek and is slated for a Christmas 2023 release.