Program encourages film industry to hire locals

A recently introduced program would encourage film and television productions to hire and train Northern Ontario workers.

The program is administered by Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION), a not-for-profit organization focused on creating economic opportunities in Northern Ontario through the region’s cultural, music and film industries.

The program, known as MAPPED (Media Arts Production: Practiced, Employed, Developed), will provide $150,000 in funding over the next three years to film and television productions shooting in Northern Ontario.

After consultation with the film industry, CION developed this program to complement existing regional incentives while meeting a pressing demand for trained workers in Northern Ontario.
The program allows qualified productions to hire early-career and emerging Northern Ontario workers on a production. During their employment, they will undertake a structured training plan while working alongside seasoned professionals.

Over the three-year time frame, CION will be able to create a comprehensive snapshot of the workers’ progress in the context of the greater production industry.

Successful MAPPED applicants will be monitored and supported by the CION Crew and Skills Development Officer during that time.

CION associate managing director Patrick O’Hearn says he expects the collaboration to enhance the existing Northern Ontario crew base with practical, on-the-job training on productions.

“As Northern Ontario’s film and television production industry continues to expand, productions working in Northern Ontario are witnessing first-hand the infrastructure and expertise that our region offers,” he said.

“FedNor’s support of the MAPPED program represents a vital step in encouraging Northern Ontario’s next wave of media art’s practitioners to make their early forays in media arts production, and in so doing, embark upon a career in the industry.”

CION will be administering the MAPPED application process and fund. The application guidelines will soon be available on the organization’s new online film portal, expected to launch later in the fall.

In the meantime, guidelines and application forms can be requested from the CION Crew and Skills Development Officer, Pierre Bonhomme, via email at [email protected].

For further information, contact the CION office at 705-885-9889 or visit www.thinknorth.ca.