Attention all prodcos looking to snag a slice of the new Canada Media Fund pie. Not sure how to navigate its newly implemented rules on interactive components? Alan Sawyer wants to lend a hand with Changing Channels, his recently launched ‘matchmaking’ service for prodcos and interactive companies.

‘A lot of producers and some broadcasters don’t have an established relationship with people on the interactive side who they’re comfortable working with,’ notes the Toronto-based digital media consultant. ‘So it’s kind of a daunting situation for some of them, especially since broadcasters tend to push this sort of thing on the producers, so they’re left scrambling and scratching their heads.’

Changing Channels is a service offering of Sawyer’s consulting business Two Solitudes, and he feels well-positioned to bridge the ever-converging gap between the TV, film and interactive worlds. He’s served as a Bell Fund evaluator for the past three years, having also helped develop successful Bell Fund projects, as well as advising the CMF board of directors on good and bad convergent projects.

‘I’ve felt that I had good relationships with people on the interactive side that I could viably recommend to companies,’ he states. ‘Or at least, if it’s not a company I’ve worked with before, then at least I can vet their work and determine whether they look like they’re an appropriate match for something that the producer’s trying to do.’

He hatched the idea when a trio of producers approached him in January for advice on how to find the right interactive company to work with on an upcoming series for Showcase. Though he couldn’t divulge details on the involved companies at press time, Sawyer did say that after reviewing the project, he contacted half a dozen prospective interactive hubs. Through conference calls, they discussed why their companies were the best candidates and outlined their creative vision for the project, and the producers went with the best fit.

That being said, Sawyer believes that some TV projects are better on their own and don’t benefit from anything fancy on the interactive side.

‘To try and force producers, who have a tough time making a living as it is in many cases, to fund development of more complicated web stuff that isn’t appropriate for the target audience, because the target audience perhaps isn’t online anyway, would be wasteful,’ he adds.

Changing Channels is just getting off the ground and Sawyer says he’s gotten quite a bit of interest on the interactive side, but is still waiting for the phone to ring from the TV folk. ‘The supply is there, now I’m just waiting for the demand.’