Winnipeg: A new source of marketing assistance for Canadian producers has opened up with the announcement of the NSI Global Marketing Program.

The program, to be administered by the National Screen Institute in Winnipeg, distributes a $1.25-million bequest from CanWest Global over five years to train Canadian producers in the marketing of their product. Funded from the $84-million benefits package CanWest put together as part of the WIC deal, the program offers training specifically skewed toward teaching producers how to make the most of attendance at events such as MIP-TV and MIPCOM.

In making the announcement at the Local Heroes Canadian Film Festival in Winnipeg earlier this month, Gail Asper, president of the CanWest Global Foundation, said she ‘wanted the program to make sure the product of Canadian artists gets the exposure it deserves.’

Asper said the program is based on ‘what producers have told us over the years – that there isn’t the [marketing] experience out there. Canadians don’t know how to market themselves.’

Asper says the NSI was chosen to oversee the program on the basis of its reputation in industry training.

The first round of training in Stream I – intended for producers who are ready to market their projects at Canadian festivals and markets – will take place in Banff in June, just before the Banff Television Festival. Stream II is for producers with an international focus. Training includes such components as pre-market training, market intelligence, and post-market evaluation.

Producers have until April 30 to apply for inclusion in the program. *

-www.nsi-canada.ca/global