Futures Forward Workshops

Ontario Creates Futures Forward provides early-stage screen-based companies with access to the skills that they require to fast-track their knowledge acquisition and enhance the competitiveness of their companies through a series of courses administered by the following partner organizations:

• Afrotropolis Arts Collective
• Hand Eye Society
• Interactive Ontario
• Webseries Canada
• Women in Film and Television – Toronto

The program is intended for companies that do not currently meet the requirements of the Ontario Creates Intellectual Property Fund (IP Fund) programs:

For Interactive – Video Games and VR

• new companies that are led by individuals with less than three years of professional Video Game and/or XR content development experience (i.e., start-up company led by recent graduates)
• existing companies that are transitioning to Video Game and/or XR content creation from other industries (i.e., linear production company exploring interactive content opportunities)
• See Section 2 of the IP Fund Interactive Content Stream Guidelines for more detail on eligibility

For Linear – Feature Films (Drama, Animation, Documentary), Digital Series

• companies where the producer does not have sufficient credit in order to be eligible for the IP Fund and are seeking opportunities to engage Qualifying Executive Producers for their projects
• See Section 2 of the IP Fund Linear Content Stream Guidelines for more detail on eligibility

Companies should have an interest in pursuing opportunities associated with proprietary content creation, and have an IP Fund-eligible project that they would like to create.

At the conclusion of the program they will have:

1. A business and marketing plan for their project
2. An understanding of business operations including budgeting, financing and financial statements
3. The ability to effectively pitch their project to an investor, channel partner or funding agency
4. A solid understanding of the IP Fund program requirements.

Successful workshop participants will:

• be eligible to apply for the Futures Forward Grant for early-stage development support at the end of 2025.
• Interactive participants will be eligible to submit an application for subsequent deadlines of the IP Fund Pre-Production and Production programs for the Interactive Content Stream.
• Linear participants will still be required to demonstrate appropriate producer credit or engage a Qualifying Executive Producer (QEP) in order to be eligible to apply to the IP Fund Development and Production programs for the Linear Content Stream
  • It is expected that through this workshop they will have networking opportunities to facilitate meetings with potential QEPs

For further information, please send an inquiry to ipfund@ontariocreates.ca or contact the appropriate partner organizations:

• Afrotropolis Arts Collective – chinedu@supafrik.com
• Hand Eye Society – info@handeyesociety.com
• Interactive Ontario – programs@interactiveontario.com
• Webseries Canada – katie.uhlmann@webseriescanada.org
• Women in Film and Television – Toronto – ljanuska@wift.com