The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), with the support of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), is launching a new national program, DOC Business Leap.

DOC Business Leap is designed to help six selected prodcos “leap” to the next level by providing them with a year year of tailored production accounting, legal advice, mentorship and therapy to support sustainable, long-term growth and prepare them to produce greater volume. The year-long program culminates with participants attending IDFA in Amsterdam, the world’s largest documentary market.

DOC’s inaugural Business Leap producers and companies are David Baeta of Moi & Dave (pictured, top left); Jessica Brown of Ujarak Media (top centre); Tamara Dawit of Gobez Media (top right); Heather Hatch of Della and Goliath Productions (lower left); Rosie Johnnie-Mills of Likinskw Productions Inc. (lower centre); and Sahar Yousefi of Nava Projects (lower right).

“In 2022-2023, DOCʼs Business Concierge program provided over 100 filmmakers with one-on-one consultations with veteran producers. We received feedback that DOC members also want help in growing their companies, beyond one-off project support,” said DOC executive director Sarah Spring in a statement.

DOC Business Leap is part of the Documentary Organization of Canada’s ongoing commitment to push the doc sector towards a more equitable, accessible and sustainable ecosystem for production. All of the participants identify as one or more intersections of Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, living with a disability, Francophone outside Quebec or living in a rural or remote region of Canada.

This story originally appeared in Realscreen