The Canada Media Fund is contributing $5.2 million to the development and marketing of 21 digital media projects as part of its first experimental stream funding round in 2013-2014.

A total of $3.3 million in development funding was allocated across 15 companies for projects that include eight games, five online interactive content platforms and two social media platforms. Development funding is put toward project conceptualization, developing its creative and technical elements, and drafting product proposals.

In games, Quebec’s Hibernum Créations received $472,500 for Action Heroes, while Tuque Games received $450,000 for Agro. Frima Studio received $390,439 for Gearbolts, Nova Scotia’s gopokyo received $15,460 for Mindful, Ottawa media lab Habitat Seven received $162,187 for MobiMonsters, and St. Catherines game development studio PixelNauts received $85,538 for Nanite. Also receiving development support are B.C.’s Krarup, Jacob, with $275,000 for Shiny Words, and Quebec’s Jerryco Communications, with $189,832 for Tee-Pee-Toc.

For online interactive content platforms, CineApp received $214,995 for CineApp; Amythos Media received $166,000 for Heaven Must Be Boring; Tele-Quebec received $266,059 for Mon ami Bulle v.2; Iconoclaste Musique received $90,000 for TGiT; and Lusio Films received $100,000 for Vive ma sexualité!

And social media platforms Crowdlinker Push, from Toronto-based CrowdLinker Inc. and Innovation Concierge from CRS Technology received $188,092 and $192,000 respectively.

Six interactive digital media projects received a total of $1.9 million in marketing support from the CMF, for creating national and international marketing campaigns, design costs, market-testing of advertising and online promotion and transactions.

Toronto-based Skyreader Media received the largest investment, at $472,000, for its Skyreader Studio platform, an application which lets content creators create and self-publish fully interactive e-books from original concept storylines and digital asset files.

Quebec’s pplconnect received $400,000 for its ppl connect Virtual Smartphone app, while Toronto-based Flixel Studios received $375,000 for its Flixel social media photography app, which lets users create cinemagraphs.

And B.C.’s Magnify Digital received a $253,657 marketing boost for its Alert-TV+ audience engagement analytics platform (which is also a participant in the current ideaBOOST cohort), while Toronto-based digital creative agency Kolody received $219,299 for its Pangaea360 app, and Quebec’s Catbird Productions received $205,942 for its Burgundy Jazz interactive documentary application.