Call For Applications: Futures Forward 2024

The Hand Eye Society is back again at it again for our 7th year annual IDM Fund: Futures Forward program!

In partnership with Ontario Creates, the IDM Fund: Futures Forward provides early-stage screen-based companies with access to the skills that they require to fast-track their knowledge acquisition and enhance the competitiveness of their companies through a series of courses. From budgeting to pitch decks, we’ll be going through the ins and outs of making sure your studio is set up for success. You’ll be speaking with industry professionals to learn about things like tax credits, hiring, running your socials and more.

The program is intended for:

New companies that are led by individuals with less than three years of professional IDM content creation experience (i.e. start-up company led by recent graduates)
Established companies that are transitioning to IDM content creation from other industries (i.e. film company exploring digital-first content opportunities)

Fund Futures might be a good fit for you if:

You have an awesome game prototype with commercial potential -OR- you’ve made game prototypes in the past and have an idea for a game with commercial potential
You have less than 3 years of full-time industry experience
You are able to connect online for sessions
You can commit to 3-6 hours a week for the hands-on assignments
You are an Ontario resident

With some exception, we will be regularly meeting each weekend on Saturday from 1PM-4PM from November 2 to December 14, 2024.

We ask that one or two representatives from your team attend every week to participate. Throughout the program, you’ll be working on getting yourself, your studio, and your game ready to hit the ground running for things like pitching and applying for funding. Every week there will be homework associated with the topic of the upcoming session alongside guest speakers from the industry. Futures Forward is a program the helps you get the mentorship you need to succeed in the Ontario game industry.

Application Closes @ Midnight on October 16, 2024.

You can find information about the Hand Eye Society’s history with Futures Forward on the Initiatives section of our website. For even more information about the Futures Forward program and its other partner organizations, please check out the Ontario Creates website.

There is no cost to apply. However, if selected, you will be required to become a Hand Eye Society member ($15/month) and pay a $100 deposit that will be returned to you on successful completion of the program. The program is competitive as here are only 6 – 10 spots in the program available that will be decided based on the content of applications. We want to ensure that all the spots are filled by participants who are committed to finishing the course.

The participants who complete the program will be eligible to submit an application to the IDM Fund: Concept Definition or Production programs starting in the Spring 2025 deadline. Completing this program will allow you to bypass the 3 years of full time industry experience requirement. Applicants that apply to more than one partner organization in the Futures Forward stream (eg Interactive Ontario) will only be accepted to one program. Applications will only open for a very limited time and will close on October 16 at midnight. Successful applicants will be contacted to confirm their participation in the program and submit their membership and deposit shortly after.

So what will the program look like week to week?

Below is our schedule breakdown:

Pitching and Financing: Funding Sources, Publishers, Tax Credits, Deferrals
Legal: Incorporation, Insurance, and Contracts
Budgeting: Payroll, Cash Flow & Accounting
Production Methodology: Scaling Up, Hiring, Timelines/Schedules
Audience Connection: Community Building, Publicity & Marketing
Strategy: Designing Your Company & Alternate Income Streams
Repitch: Moving Forward With Grant Writing

Every week you’ll be given homework and readings to help you learn more about each section, as well as prepare for the next class. These documents are for you to keep on hand to help you both in the program and beyond. Expect have around 3-6 hours set aside a week for this alongside class time.

On conclusion of the program participants will:

Have a business and marketing plan for their IDM product and studio
Have an understanding of business operations (including corporate financial statements)
Be able to effectively pitch a project to an investor, channel partner or funding agency
Have an understanding of the budget and financing considerations for IDM projects
Be eligible for the Ontario Creates IDM Fund Concept Definition and Production program without the required 3 years of industry experience
Have the opportunity to submit an application to receive one of a limited number of grants to assist with product development

Fund Futures is also offered by the following:

Selections will be made by Hand Eye Society staff in consultation with Ontario Creates, with an eye towards cultural innovation and viability. We may suggest another organization if we believe their program would better fit your application.

The HES is also committed to ensuring a diverse range of participants are considered, so you are strongly encouraged to apply if you or your team are from a traditionally underrepresented background such as women, BIPoC (Black, Indigenous or Person of Colour), LGBTQIA+, etc. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@handeyesociety.com.