Public Records and Telus are launching the second round of Telus Optik local grants, offering musicians and filmmakers across B.C. and Alberta up to $7,500 to produce music videos this winter.
Last year, Vernon band Paperboy and videographer Lee Watkins benefitted from the program, receiving a grant to record the video for Paperboy’s song El Scorpiones.
The grants for this year’s music video fund have been raised from $5,000 to $7,500 and will also include Telus-funded educational workshops across B.C. and Alberta.
The final music videos will once again appear on Telus Optik local through Optik’s TV on demand and online at telus.com/optiklocal.
Artists will retain full rights to their content.
“We were blown away by the response to the Summer 2013 Music Video Fund – thousands of artists joined the community, and hundreds more applied for grants,” said Dan Costello, co-founder of Public Records. “Their creativity is inspiring and we can’t wait to see the talent that will emerge through phase two.”
Public Records’ goal is to support and give exposure to emerging Canadian musicians and filmmakers. Public Records and Telus hope to find and champion undiscovered talent in B.C. and Alberta, and help fuel the creation of independent Canadian content.
“The Summer 2013 Music Video Fund was a tremendous success – not only did we find incredible filmmaker/musician combinations, but it also brought together an amazing community,” said Blair Miller, vice-president, Telus content solutions. “These artists are remarkable and they have provided us with excellent feedback on the program. Thanks to the support from Telus customers and their thirst for local programming, we’re excited to launch phase two in partnership with Public Records and increase the grants from $5,000 to $7,500.”
To be eligible for a grant, participants must be musicians (artist or band) or filmmakers (individual or crew). Emerging artists and filmmakers from the following communities are eligible to apply: Metro Vancouver (including Whistler, and now Sechelt & Gibsons), Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince George, Kelowna, Penticton (now also covering Oliver and Osoyoos), Kamloops, Vernon (now also encompassing Salmon Arm and Armstrong), Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie.
Interested candidates can register on www.publicrecords.org. Official grant submissions take place from now to Feb. 7.
