Indigenous producers: develop yourself and your project with NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition

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Rachel-Young

Rachel Young

Outreach and Engagement Lead

Are you an emerging to mid-career Indigenous producer eager to grow yourself and your business? Apply now to get business management, negotiation and leadership training plus customized mentorship to develop a current project.

The National Screen Institute, in association with founding and presenting sponsor the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), is seeking applicants for the new edition of NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition.

This 10-week, part-time online training and mentorship program is designed to help Indigenous screen content creators develop essential business management skills while creating a project plan for a feature film or web series currently in production.

Applicants must apply with a feature film or web series which has at least one source of confirmed funding. Eligible projects can be fiction, non-fiction or documentary in all genres and formats.

An independent jury will select up to eight emerging to mid-career Indigenous creative entrepreneurs looking to expand their business management skills for this program.

“The ISO is excited to be a presenting partner for the NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition program,” says ISO Sector Development program manager, Isabelle Ruiz. “The ISO is committed to supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis film and television creators. Through offerings like Art of Business Management, supported through our newly developed Sector Development Partnership Grant, we can continue to lift their voices. The ISO is thrilled to do this work alongside the National Screen Institute.”

This year, the National Screen Institute has introduced a new plan to expand the networks of participants. NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition will run alongside the Indigenous documentary film program, NSI IndigiDocs. Students from both programs will have an opportunity to meet and get to know each other through several joint sessions.

“NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition is designed to develop the business and leadership skills of Indigenous creatives across Canada,” says program manager, Cheyenne Bruneau. “Together with the ISO, we are proud to amplify these storytellers and help lead them as they further their careers in the industry.”


Applications are now open. Deadline to apply is March 11, 2022


NSI Art of Business Management is divided into two phases:

In phase one, participants will attend weekly online sessions for six weeks. These include interactive group discussions, round tables, peer reviews, presentations and masterclasses. Sessions begin with a wellness check-in followed by training with an industry expert.

Session topics will cover business affairs/contracts; labour and employment law; fundamentals of running a workplace; principles of human resources and effective people management skills; financial planning and modelling; production finance and distribution (understanding tax credits, finance structures and cash flows); negotiation as well as case studies.

Phase two consists of a four-week mentorship where participants are matched with an industry mentor to coach them through the development of their project plan. Mentors will assess participants’ skills and help them cultivate a successful career in producing. They’ll get advice on long-term goal setting and how to establish and maintain industry connections.

Program faculty includes Jason Brennan as program advisor, Lori Lozinski as faculty consultant and workshop co-host and Cheyenne Bruneau as program manager.

On-Screen Protocols and Pathways: A Media Production Guide to Working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit Communities, Cultures, Concepts and Stories will be used to guide all decisions and actions. The document is mandatory reading for all participants, faculty, subject experts, presenters and mentors.

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NSI Art of Business Management – Indigenous Edition 2021 was funded by Founding and Presenting Sponsor the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO); Indigenous Training Programs Partner Directors Guild of Canada; Strategic Sponsor Telefilm Canada; Supporting Sponsors Super Channel, Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage; Industry Partner Entertainment Partners; Industry Scholarship Sponsor Documentary Organization of Canada; NSI Core Funders are Manitoba Sport, Culture & Heritage and the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council. We gratefully acknowledge the private donors whose gifts also support this program.

About the Indigenous Screen Office

The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) is an independent national advocacy and funding organization serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis creators of screen content in Canada. The ISO’s mandate is to foster and support narrative sovereignty: Indigenous stories told on screens by Indigenous storytellers.

Launched in 2017, the creation of the ISO is the result of decades of advocacy from Indigenous industry professionals and creators who identified that an organization supporting Indigenous storytellers was a crucial component to a healthy and robust media landscape in Canada.

ISO currently funds a number of programs and initiatives for Indigenous screen creators and professionals with a focus on the key areas of training and mentorship, project development, production support and market development. ISO also hosts regular training and workshops around the document On-Screen Protocols and Pathways: A Media Production Guide to Working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit Communities, Cultures, Concepts and Stories.

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About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)

We partner with a visionary network of donors, businesses, and private and public organizations to provide industry-informed training in screen-based media, equipping creators across Canada with the skills to tell unforgettable stories.

By prioritizing storytellers from equity-deserving communities – including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC), women, LGBTQ2S+, people with disabilities, and those in regional and remote areas – we help build a more sustainable industry and a workforce ready to meet evolving market demands.

Our students and alumni find their voices and places on the global stage, strengthening the creative economy and shaping a better world.

Media enquiries

abiola.agbayewa@nsi-canada.ca


The National Screen Institute is supported by: Core Funders: Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage, the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council; Benefactors: TELUS, Telefilm Canada, Canada Media Fund (CMF), Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE); Patrons: CBC, Paramount+, Creative Saskatchewan; Builders: APTN, TikTok Canada, Indigenous Screen Office (ISO), The Winnipeg Foundation; Strategic Sponsors: Manitoba Film & Music, Bell Media, RBC Emerging Artists, documentary Channel, CBC Gem, Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD), Alberta Film Commission, Creative BC, Manitoba Arts Council; Industry Partner: National Film Board of Canada; Friends: Ontario Creates, Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), Bell FundWilliam F. White International, Company 3.