CanNor's investment of over $645,000 will support the Screen Production Yukon
Association and Shot in the Dark Productions to build capacity in
the Yukon's screen media
industry
WHITEHORSE, YT, July 3, 2024
/CNW/ - The Yukon's screen media
industry, including film, television and online media, brings
significant benefits to people and communities in the territory,
such as skilled employment, economic growth, cultural enrichment,
and increased visibility on a national and global scale. Businesses
and organizations that bring the territory's stories, cultures and
landscapes to the screen are drivers of the Yukon's economy.
Today, Dr. Brendan Hanley, Member
of Parliament for the Yukon, on
behalf of the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs,
PrairiesCan and CanNor, announced that the Government of
Canada is investing in two
projects, totaling more than $645,000, that will strengthen the Yukon's screen media industry.
More than $620,000 will assist
Screen Production Yukon Association (SPYA) to increase its capacity
and deliver on key priorities in the report Yukon Screen-based
Production Sector: A Roadmap for Growth 2022-2027. This
includes providing industry-specific training, delivering a new
northern screen industry conference, opening a new studio space,
attracting more local productions, along with purchasing gear and
updating its website and branding.
Shot in the Dark Productions received $25,000 to provide professional puppetry training
to help Northerners acquire the skills needed to work on the
company's new made-in-the-Yukon
children's television series called Northern Tails.
In 2023-24 the Government of Yukon increased funding to SPYA in response to
the Roadmap. This amounted to approximately $160,000 last fiscal year to help achieve its key
priorities. The Government of Yukon provided SPYA with $65,000 in 2022 for the creation of the
Roadmap.
The Government of Yukon also
supported Shot in the Dark Productions' project by providing
$22,000 for puppeteering
training.
Through investments like these, the governments of Canada and Yukon are supporting the expansion and
diversification of the Yukon's
screen media industry. Increased local productions will not only
strengthen the Yukon's economy,
but also benefit other businesses and sectors and encourage future
visitation to the territory.
Quotes
"Our government supports the development of a vibrant and
thriving screen media industry in the Yukon. Investing in this industry promotes
cultural expression, technological innovation and community
engagement, contributing to the overall prosperity and wellbeing of
the territory. It offers direct economic benefits for the people
who work on the productions and secondary benefits to many other
industries, such as catering, accommodations and
transportation."
- The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister
of Northern Affairs, PrairiesCan and CanNor
"Investing in the Yukon's
screen media industry supports more than entertainment, it promotes
the territory's cultural identity, sharing our stories with
national and international audiences. Our government is supporting
these projects to strengthen the local industry, by expanding the
number of made-in-the-Yukon
productions and creating more opportunities for Yukoners."
- Dr. Brendan
Hanley, Member of Parliament for the
Yukon
"The Yukon is home to many
talented professionals working in the screen sector. These two
projects, by hard-working and highly-skilled Yukoners, will help
drive innovation in our territory through the art of storytelling
on-screen. Investing in programs like these not only helps us to
develop our workforce through new employment and development
opportunities, it also makes the Yukon an attractive place for national and
international production teams. Our government is proud to support
the diversification of our creative and cultural industries, and
looks forward to the continued advancement of this sector."
- Ranj
Pillai, Premier and Minister of Economic Development,
Government of Yukon
"SPYA is honoured to receive this generous support from CanNor
that will help us create a centralized studio facility,
revitalizing the old event center building. This community hub will
host our rentable grip kit and gear library, offices, and filming
studio, increasing the entire film industry's capacity. We are
excited to open the studio for rentals as early as this fall."
- Brianne
Bremner, Executive Board Member, Screen Production Yukon
Association
"I'm grateful to CanNor and Yukon Media Development for
supporting us to bring up Ali
Eisner, an incredibly talented professional puppeteer, to
help train a team of Yukoners who I could then draw from to cast my
production. We now have a talented team of experienced local
puppeteers who can support ongoing seasons of Northern Tails."
- Kelly
Milner, Owner, Shot in the Dark Productions
Quick facts
- Funding for both projects is provided through the Canadian
Northern Economic Development Agency's Inclusive Diversification
and Economic Advancement in the North (IDEANorth) Program.
IDEANorth makes foundational investments in economic
infrastructure, sector development and capacity building to help
position Northerners in the territories to take advantage of
Canada's innovation economy.
- Screen Production Yukon Association is a non-profit
organization that supports, develops and celebrates the
Yukon's screen media
industry.
- Screen Production Yukon Association is supported by several
Government of Yukon funding
programs, including the Media Development Training Fund, Economic
Development Fund and operational support. The Government of
Yukon has also supported Shot in
the Dark Productions' Northern Tails project through the Economic
Development Fund, as well as their Development and Production
funds.
- Shot in the Dark is a Whitehorse-based film and media company
currently creating Northern Tails, a children's wildlife
educational series about how animals in the Boreal forest interact
with each other, their environment, northern people and the wider
world.
Associated Links
- Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
- Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North
(IDEANorth)
- Government of Yukon media
funds
- Screen Production Yukon Association
- Shot in the Dark
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SOURCE Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
(CanNor)