Skip Ahead again with Screen Australia and YouTube

Following the success of the first Skip Ahead program, which reached over 5.5 million views, Screen Australia and YouTube will team up once again to run a second round of the initiative. Google Australia and Screen Australia will each give $200,000 directly to Australian online talent to create original narrative web series to build their global audiences to new heights.

Successful recipients will also receive the opportunity to travel to the Los Angeles YouTube Space. The YouTube Space is renowned for its state-of-the-art production studios and post-production facilities made available for free to the top YouTube creators.

The last program delivered a dynamic collection of online series that engaged people from all over the world and instigated the opportunity for the talent and stories to further connect through mainstream channels. Following a successful MIPTV showcase, Screen Australia wants to back the next group of talented Australian YouTubers to generate more Australian content with the potential for more of our local stories to reach the big audience numbers that live on the online platform, said Screen Australia's Chief Operating Officer, Fiona Cameron.

Australian talent continue to be world leaders on YouTube, successfully using it to export our content. For every view of an Australian video on YouTube, there are on average a further nine views from overseas. Australia now has more than 100 channels with more than 200,000 subscribers, placing these channels in the top 2 per cent of YouTube channels globally. Eighteen of those channels have over 1 million subscribers.

Last year's Skip Ahead program produced Axis of Awesome's Axis All Areas, Mighty Car Mods' Lend Us a Ride, Sexual Lobster's Fernando's Legitimate Business Enterprise and a Louna Maroun collaboration with FremantleMedia Australia on Neighbours vs Zombies. These brand new series available to date via the creators' YouTube channels have reached a combined global audience of 5.5 million people.

Watch the full series made through the 2014 Skip Ahead program here.

Besides averaging half a million viewers per episode for their Lend Us a Ride series on YouTube, Mighty Car Mods' entire series now features in the Qantas inflight entertainment program (domestic and international services). The team behind the world number one online DIY auto show were also recently invited to Los Angeles to film a Mighty Car Mods special episode for the launch of Fast & Furious 7.

Skip Ahead fosters the next generation of Australian storytellers by providing funding, education and support for the production of new online content. The first round winners created fantastic online series and we think that this second wave of funding will help even more Australian voices reach global audiences, said Maile Carnegie, Managing Director of Google Australia and New Zealand.

Australian artists who have built a following on YouTube, with a minimum subscriber base of 50,000 for a single channel or a combined total of 70,000 for two channels, and are consistently creating new original content, will be eligible to apply. We will also be accepting wildcard entries' from creators with a video with more than 1 million views and at least 10,000 subscribers.

Funding guidelines and an application form are available on the Screen Australia website.

Application deadline is 6 July 2015.

LINK:	http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/news_and_events/2015/mr_150513_skipa...
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