CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais on Friday told Canadian producers that the regulator will be more of a promoter, and less of a protector, as they take their wares to the world to survive and thrive in a fast-changing digital age.

Blais told delegates to the Prime Time conference that producers needed to be more entrepreneurial in an increasingly borderless world where public subsidies back home could no longer be assured.

The CRTC chair asked producers whether they were laying the groundwork to connect with new audiences and advertisers.

“To succeed in a broadband world, the production community needs to move beyond individual projects. We need well-financed global champions, producing content for the world stage,” Blais argued.

Setting out the challenges that face indie producers, Blais said they needed to brand themselves in the international marketplace as they cashed in on new and emerging digital distribution platforms.

The CRTC chair said the days when the TV regulator could help bring up the draw-bridge to protect Canadian players from foreign competitors were over.

He pointed to initiatives like the CMF and Telefilm Canada working to brand Canadian film and TV content, and to promote it at home and abroad.

“We want to build on the success of programs like Flashpoint, Heartland and Bomb Girls, which are widely distributed around the world,” Blais said.

But the CRTC chair also recounted a recent trip to California where he saw first-hand how search engines are being used to identify and hone in on digital audiences. “These search engines are reshaping the media world,” Blais warned.

And he revealed a new focus group that the CRTC is using to gauge new audience trends.

During his keynote address, Blais ran a video that had him seated around a table of 5 to 10 year-olds.

“If you were able to make a television show, what would it be?” he asked the young kids.

One said it “would be a show about my life.”

“Me too,” chimed in another child.

And still a third said her show would be about arts and crafts. “We would show how to make art,” she said.

Blais told the Prime Time conference delegates that his focus group was “terribly cute.”

But he added they also held the key to understanding where their future in an increasingly borderless world would look like and how it could be reached.

“This, ladies and gentleman, is your future,” Blais said, “They want to learn, they want to see themselves reflected. They want to be surprised. They want to be wowed,” he said of the young kids he had spoken to.

Blais then asked whether the indie producers and broadcasters gathered in Ottawa  were ready to reach that new and emerging audience.

“Are you asking the right questions? Are you doing the right things to secure your future?” he asked.

Blais said the industry was at a fork in the road, and needed ready capital and expertise to take risks and embrace the future.

“The CRTC will be there promoting your success,” he said.

At the same time, Blais said it was up to the industry to put its best foot forward to succeed. “So think big, give us wow, and help us discover what we want to watch,” he concluded.