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Enterprise people

The Enterprise Program consists of two parts: Business and People, and two streams within each: Generate and Premium.

This round of the Enterprise People Program will focus support on content creation (above the line roles) by funding $75,000 toward new placement proposals from individual applicants who work in areas of content creation, development, and output.

The Enterprise Program is a Content focused strategy and applications will be accepted from Business or People applicants who work in the following areas of Content:

  • First Nations
  • Online
  • Documentary
  • Scripted

Enterprise People will consist of two funding streams:

  • Generate – for early career individuals in a domestic Australian context; and
  • Premium – for mid and established career individuals in an international context.

Aims

The aims of Enterprise People are to:

  • Support individual practitioners with potential for significant career trajectory to take advantage of a career defining domestic (Generate applicants) or international (Premium applicants) career development opportunity, and build toward a sustainable creative screen career.
  • Share information and experience between industry participants to build connection, capacity and reach and to support and promote the development of screen culture and screen skills.
  • Promote and support the business opportunities and commercial benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Australian screen industry.

What funding/support is available?

Successfully funded applicants will be provided with direct grant funding of:

  • Generate Applicants - $75,000 for one (1) year full-time* domestic career placement (applicant identified and secured);
  • Premium Applicants - $75,000 for up to six (6) months full-time* international career placement (applicant identified and secured);

Although the preference is for a full-time engagement, in some settings, applicants may propose a part-time career placement. This is in order to support people who may be carers, returning to the workforce, require support for participation, or have other responsibilities. The general expectation is that the placement will occur within the twelve (12) or six (6) month timeframe for domestic and international activity respectively.

Please note: If an applicant is applying with a part-time strategy, the $75,000 grant should reflect a pro-rata wage in the budget. The remaining budget can be applied to other areas that align with the applicant’s stated professional development goals or other specific requirements that pertain to effectively executing the proposal. 

Please note: Successful applicants of an international People placement will be responsible for required visa applications and acknowledge that Screen Australia is unable to assist in this process.

In addition to direct funding as listed above, successful applicants will also be provided with:

  • Access to Carer Cost support (to a maximum of $3,000) as required.
  • An individual Creative Mentor and Career Mentor (the costs of each covered by Screen Australia). Screen Australia will consult with the successful applicants on their areas of focus and learning after notification of approval of the funding. Based on these learning areas and the goals of the applicant, Screen Australia will suggest and negotiate an ideal mentor with the applicant.
  • A program of online learning and engagement modules to assist in creative, career and business knowledge and strategy.

The modules and mentorship activity will occur between July 2024 and end of June 2025.

Who can apply?

  • Applicants must be Australian citizens or residents. You will need to read our Terms of Trade to ensure you are eligible for Screen Australia funding.
  • Your primary practice is working in/on scripted or documentary content for domestic and/or international markets and your sector engagement is one or more of the following: Scripted, First Nations, Online (Feature, TV/ Episodic) and Documentary (One-Off/Feature, Online, Episodic). See ‘What We Do’. 
  • Both Generate and Premium applicants must have reportable credits in the genre or platform for which they are seeking support.
  • People from under-represented parts of the community are encouraged to apply. For the purposes of this program, under-represented applicants may include; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; people who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD); people from the Deaf/Disabled and/or Neurodivergent (DDN) communities; women, non-binary or gender diverse; people who identify as LGBTQIA+; people located in regional and remote areas; and, any other under-represented community that is brought to our attention.

Generate Stream

  • Applicants for the Generate stream must have credit/s on lower-budget television, feature or online produced work and at a minimum would have industry experience in above the line roles on commissioned short-form produced work that has achieved some critical or commercial traction. These credits should be for scripted or documentary work that sits within Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, and is produced for the platforms of feature, television, and online. 
  • Generally, the applicant will be in the first five (5) to ten (10) years of their practice in the industry in roles similar to that for which they are seeking support through this program.
  • Screen Australia recognises the barriers that face underrepresented communities in securing professional pathways into the screen sector. The Generate stream (only) will consider applicants from underrepresented communities who do not have formal industry experience or reportable credits as outlined above, but who can evidence the relevant skills, potential and experience in other relevant content creation fields.

Premium Stream

  • Applicants for the Premium stream must have a strong track record or be highly accomplished across multiple long-form produced work (i.e., features or episodic television), some of which may be higher-budget, and have achieved critical and/or commercial success and significant audience reach. Long-form produced work is scripted or documentary work that sits within Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade, and is produced for the platforms of feature, television, and online. 
  • Generally, the applicant will be beyond five (5) to ten (10) years of their practice in the industry in roles similar to which they are seeking support through this program. It is acknowledged that some practitioners have very rapid trajectories and success, therefore this time frame is a guide only. Traction via festivals, awards, and significant audience traction for existing completed work for which the applicant has a key creative role can be a lever here to help determine where you should apply. 

What will be funded?

Enterprise People will support new placement proposals from individual applicants who work in areas of content development, output and creation. Placements can be either full-time or part-time.

How to apply

Applications open Wednesday 8 November 2023, and close 5pm AEST Thursday 9 May, 2024, and are to be made by submitting an application form through the Screen Australia application portal. 

Applicants will self-select on the application form if they are to be assessed as a Generate or Premium applicant.

  1. A Generate domestic career placement (identified and secured by the applicant).
  2. A Premium international career placement (identified and secured by the applicant). Under exceptional circumstances (caring responsibilities, accessibility requirements), a Premium applicant may identify a domestic placement, especially if with an international-facing company or one that aligns with the applicant’s career development plans.

Applicants will self-select their primary content output on the application and if they are to be assessed primarily in one of or in any combination of the following Content areas of: First Nations, Scripted, Documentary, and Online.

The following materials will need to be submitted:

  • a Career Planning document
  • a Goal, Activity, Outcome Plan for up to seven (7) goals
  • a maximum four-minute video pitch (download-enabled)
  • applicant CV with a list of reportable credits and/or equivalent if applying from the non-screen sector (template included in the application form)
  • a letter of support and intent from the host company 

All People placements must be secured by the applicant with a letter of support and intent from the host company(ies) at the time of application. Screen Australia is not in a position to broker, negotiate or secure placements.

Please read the FAQs. 

How will applications be assessed?

All applications will be assessed by a mix of Screen Australia executives.

Recommendations will be made to an internal committee comprised of the Screen Australia CEO, COO and Head of Content. Final decisions will be made through this committee.

Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application in writing by 25 June 2024.

We aim to make the application and assessment processes as transparent as possible, but given the volume of applications we receive, we do not have the resources to provide feedback on each proposal.

If an applicant has access requirements in order to submit their application or in relation to how they would prefer decisions communicated, please email [email protected] and we will make arrangements to assist.

Assessment criteria

  • All applications will be assessed against the aims of the Enterprise People program and the following equally-weighted assessment criteria:

  • Career Advancement. Why is this the right time and why is the applicant at a stage of their career in terms of experience and success to be able to take advantage of the career placement?

  • Viability and Capacity Building. How does the proposal provide a convincing template for career development, experience, growth and:

  • Local Placements: for local placements, potential ongoing employment

  • International Placements: for international placements, potential ongoing capacity and return to Australian career trajectory?

  • Placement Company. Does the placement company demonstrate the kind of culture and capacity that will provide an effective professional development opportunity?

  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. How will the proposal contribute to the business opportunities and commercial benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Australian screen industry more broadly?

Terms of Funding

If you are successful, you will need to enter into a Screen Australia grant agreement with specific non- negotiable core conditions.

Funding will be in the form of a non-recoupable grant.

Drawdowns:

  • For successfully funded People Generate (or Premium domestic placements): 75% on signing (and having evidence of an engagement agreement with the host company); 20% on receipt of an interim report due 6 months from the placement start date; 5% on receipt of final acquittal report due 12 months from the placement start date. Payment is made to the host company, who pays the applicant as part of their payroll. 
  • For successfully funded People Premium (international placements): 90% on signing (and having evidence of the appropriate visa approval and an agreement with the host company); 5% on receipt of final acquittal report due 6 months from the placement start date; 5% on completion of all learning and engagement modules and meetings with Career Mentor and Creative Mentor. Payment is made to the applicant.

Reporting Obligations:

  • For successfully funded people, it will be a requirement of the funding agreement to maintain and report at regular annual intervals for a period of three (3) years after completion of the funded activity.

Any personal information collected in connection with your application or reporting obligations will be handled in accordance with Screen Australia’s Privacy Policy. 

See the FAQs for further information.

If, after reviewing these guidelines, the application form, the FAQs, as well as any other pre-application assets prepared by Screen Australia and made available to inform applicants, you have any questions, please contact Program Operations on 1800 507 901 or via email [email protected]. Please note that we are unable to provide creative advice or suggestions to strengthen your application.

Update Log - 8 November 2023:

  • Removed Screen Australia Brokered International Placements 
  • Removed International ‘Series of Engagement’ option 
  • Removed applicant-identified mentors in the application stage. Screen Australia will discuss best options post-approval with the successful applicants
  • Clarification of part-time placements in relation to time frame and budget
  • Premium applicants can apply (under exceptional circumstances) for domestic placements
  • Refined existing industry experience and credit guidelines for Generate and Premium streams