Are you passionate about expressing yourself online?
Do you dream of a career as a content creator?
The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) has partnered with TikTok Canada to offer the TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators – a new, part-time online training program designed to empower up to 30 Indigenous content creators to grow their TikTok presence and learn the necessary skills for off-platform success.
Through the TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators, presented by the National Screen Institute, participants will learn the key elements of storytelling and essential building blocks for a successful digital career. The program provides customized, skills-based education sessions, hands-on exercises and connections with professional industry experts and peers. The curriculum is designed with traditional and spiritual elements.
“Audiences in Canada and around the world need to hear and better understand the lived experiences of Indigenous storytellers now more than ever,” said National Screen Institute CEO Joy Loewen. “By partnering with TikTok Canada to deliver this accelerator program, we hope to empower Indigenous creators with today’s tools to tell their stories and reach global audiences.”
“We’re committed to supporting and uplifting Indigenous voices each and every day by providing a safe and inclusive platform for creators to tell their stories, launch their careers, and share their cultural heritage,” said Lindsay Lynch, Creator Partnerships & Community Lead, TikTok Canada. “The National Screen Institute has a long history of supporting diverse storytellers through professional training and development. By coming together, we’re hoping to amplify that work as part of TikTok’s continued dedication to celebrating and elevating Indigenous creators and communities.”
Participants will learn how to maximize TikTok to grow their community, while sharing their unique stories in a safe and respectful online space. Taught by industry experts, TikTok creators and members of the TikTok Canada team, participants will learn essential storytelling techniques, create a robust marketing plan and develop a series of videos to set them on the path to success.
Training is part-time: two to three 90-minute online sessions per week spread over six weeks on topics such as:
Navigating TikTok (social presence, usage, audience engagement, trends, analytics and best practices) Technical training (essential filmmaking techniques, content creation, lighting, editing and effects) Media career building (personal branding, collaborations with brands and other creators, discovering your niche, goal setting and motivational coaching) Social responsibility and digital wellness (community management, safety and handling negativity)
There is no fee to apply or to participate in the training program.
Participants will receive a production kit to assist with the creation and delivery of their TikTok content.
To be eligible, an applicant must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada, aged 18 or over; be an Indigenous person: someone who is First Nation, Métis or Inuit; currently be on TikTok, be active on the platform, with a minimum of four public posts in the last 30 days. All eligible Indigenous TikTok creators are welcome to apply, no matter their view count or number of followers.
A jury of screen industry professionals and Indigenous TikTok creators will review all applications and select participants.
The program was developed by the National Screen Institute and TikTok Canada with curriculum guidance from Indigenous content creator Sherry Mckay (@sherry.mckay), and filmmakers Justina Neepin (@justinaneepin) and Roger Boyer.
Sherry Mckay and Justina Neepin will both serve as program advisors, with Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill and Cheyenne Bruneau serving as program co-managers.
Our commitment to underrepresented voices
At the National Screen Institute we serve and help develop the gifts of Indigenous creators.
We are committed to training participants from a diverse community of voices including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres, those from regional and remote areas, and various religious groups.
About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Propelled by a visionary network of donors, private and public organizations, the National Screen Institute supports creators from across Canada to tell unforgettable stories. Through industry-informed training and mentoring in film, television and digital media, students and alumni find their voice and place on the global stage, inspiring us to shape a better world.
The National Screen Institute is committed to training participants from a diverse community of voices including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women-identifying, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres, those from regional and remote areas and various religious groups.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Toronto, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. www.tiktok.com
TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators, presented by the National Screen Institute is made possible by TikTok Canada. NSI’s Core Funders are: Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage, the City of Winnipeg through the Winnipeg Arts Council.
Media enquiries
Liz Hover Communications Director, National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) [email protected]
Miskiki by Benjamin Kicknosway (NSI IndigiDocs) The Dancing Lights by Bhaveek Makan (TELUS STORYHIVE) Freshly Baked by Derek Kwan (TELUS STORYHIVE) Strong Son by Ian Bawa (NSI Totally Television, NSI Business for Producers) Cookies or Crack by Joy Haskell (TELUS STORYHIVE) Warrior Motel by Whitney Horne (NSI IndigiDocs)
E20 is Reelworld’s initiative to connect Canada’s racially diverse emerging talent with film and television executives and professionals.
These emerging filmmakers will prepare their projects for development through industry-focused one-on-one consultations, workshops and the Reelworld Face2Face pitch program. Each participant will receive a three-month mentorship with an industry executive matched to their needs.
Project development begins on September 23 and runs until February 2022. E20 participants are also eligible to apply for Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program.
Gotham Week Project Market is an international forum designed to connect developing projects to key executives interested in identifying projects for development, financing or distribution.
Brother, Man, written and produced by Hedyeh Bozorgzadeh and produced by Christine Falco, follows a 16-year-old war refugee who flees Angola for Canada. He finds a home and a talent as a track runner, but guilt and the threat of deportation are present in the shadows.
Me, My Mom, & Sharmila, produced by Gharrett Patrick Paon, tells the story of a lesbian daughter and traditional Muslim mother against the backdrop of their shared love for a Bollywood heroine. This story is inspired by director Fawzia Mirza’s one-woman play of the same name.
The virtual market runs from September 19 to 24, where creators will form relationships with distributors, financers, production companies and more.
