Through Clarkson, we learned that the funding exists to support the creation of content for the general public, support intellectual property, and encourage production in all regions, in both official languages.

Keith Clarkson

Clarkson said that Telefilm considers itself "financiers and investors" in the projects it funds.  The bureau has a budget of 230 million, most of which goes to TV and Film, but there are opportunities to get some cash if you’re a game developer.  And fortunately for up and coming developers, the money does not have to be returned until revenue for the game begins coming in.

Looking over some of the previous year’s numbers, it’s clear that very few game projects make it to the funding.  But there are also far fewer submissions than you might think, so if you’ve got something brewing, call up Telefilm Canada.

The possibility of funding is clearly a big deal to game development in Ontario, whether you're just starting up or you've been around awhile--James Schmaltz of Digital Extremes and Denis Dyack of Silicon Knights were amongst the 100 plus people who were in attendance.

You can learn more about Telefilm Canada at their webpage www.telefilm.gc.ca. The information on the New Media Fund can be found here.

A special thanks to our sponsor for this event, Sheridan College.   Click the image to visit their homepage. 

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