Creative Opportunity Program

Signed into law after the 2021 legislative session, the Creative Opportunity Program dedicates 2% of the Oregon Production Investment Fund (OPIF) to community supporting programs like grants, workforce development, training, regional development, and strategic partnership programs. Each year more than $350,000 is committed to a broad range of programming that supports Oregon’s creative community.

Find out about the programs currently being undertaken as part of the newly created Creative Opportunity Program by following these links:

2022-23 Creative Opportunity Program Final Report

2023-24 Creative Opportunity Program Current Projects

Please check out this video from FujiFilm about “Tell Your Story” Grant winner Karina Lomelin Ripper’s short film “Chispa” –

Some of the highlights of the 2022-2023 COP include:

Pathways Placement Program (with Oregon Made Creative Foundation)

Description

Paid job placement program for entry-level or experience seeking employees from priority populations.

Outcomes

Funding to support 28 placements into paid positions on sets and in studios or projects working in Oregon.

Pathways PA Training (with Outside the Frame)

Description

Implement two Production Assistant training sessions, training 30 people. Feeds into Pathways (above).

Outcomes

Funding for partner to host PA training programs to train people from priority populations and then to placed in paid positions on sets and studios on Oregon projects.

From Outside the Frame

The most beneficial outcomes of our project has been providing our participants with tangible opportunities for them to learn about the film industry on set, as well as providing them with the connections and resources to continue on their path. Participants now have a wide range of entry points into the film industry through our programming, which we will continue expanding, with your continued support.

Tell Your Story Grants (x2) (with Oregon Made Creative Foundation)

Description

Non-project specific grants to filmmakers seeking support to move their career forward in the film, media and entertainment fields. Focused on priority populations.

Outcomes

Funding for x2 filmmakers supported for a 6-12 month period. Office space at Desert Island Studios for the residency period.

From a Previous TYS Grant Winner

[My film] would have never happened if I hadn’t received the Tell Your Story grant. An entire world of filmmaking has opened up to me since then, and I am eternally grateful.

Writing for Games (with Soma Games)

Description

Create a program to train interested students at writing for interactive games.

Outcomes

Funding for a 2 day class for 35 people with free scholarship placements for 9 students.

From Soma Games

35 participants came from far and wide to expand their portfolios and get introduced to a new market for writing. Participants learned about tools, techniques, and market opportunities from 5 professional game writers over 10 sessions. With 22 completed satisfaction surveys completed the most popular sessions were the most tactical. Specific exploration of software, team techniques, and world building were the most highly rated.

Indigenous Filmmaker Fellowships (with Confluence)

Description

The Confluence Filmmaker Fellows are a group of emerging movie-makers and multimedia artist from Indigenous communities who are who are using their craft to share their cultures and perspectives. With support from Oregon Film, Confluence will offer grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to support projects that align with our mission to connect people with the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. Winning projects will be featured in the Confluence Digital Library of interviews and documentary shorts and can be used in classrooms and public events. They will also be showcased in a Confluence Story Gathering, which are public events designed to elevate Indigenous voices in our collective understanding of the Columbia River system. Submissions will be judged on their alignment with the Confluence mission and quality of the production.

Outcomes

Throughout the year, Confluence staff and four filmmaking mentors from our Judging Committee are meeting with seven Fellows to provide mentorship opportunities, culminating in a film screening and celebration to showcase their work in June 2024. We offered prizes to support projects that align with our mission to connect people with the history, living cultures, and ecology of our region through Indigenous voices. Three Indigenous video artists received cash prizes to support a film developing project: one for $5,000 and two for $2,500. One filmmaker received our Spotlight Award for $1,000. Three other Emerging Indigenous Filmmakers received full camera kits (or alternative equipment) worth $800.

From Confluence

Winning projects will be featured in the Confluence Digital Library of interviews and documentary shorts and can be used in classrooms and public events. They will also be showcased at public screening event designed to elevate Indigenous voices in our collective understanding of our region. 

Southern Oregon PA Training Program (with Southern Oregon University)

Description

PA Training program focused on training and placement in Southern Oregon

Outcomes

9 trainees benefitted from the training, while 6 of those benefitted from the professional employment. Two different production companies and their crews benefitted across multiple shoots from the subsidized labor. 

From Southern Oregon University

9 trainees…were placed on shoots [and] had an amazing experience and the producers evaluated them highly. Several were asked back on future jobs where they were paid by the producer. The trainees were well prepared to be on a professional shoot and knew what to expect. They were able to handle many of the tasks experienced PAs are expected to complete without any additional instruction on set. All the placed PAs now have positive professional references and several have already been rehired by the producers they worked with.

Black Filmmakers Short Anthology Series (with Lion Speaks)

Description

This project will be used to help develop writers and directors here in town. We’ll be providing them with information, training, and mentorship to prepare them to not only be successful in this endeavor, but also to help prepared them for the studio system and the requirements to be successful at the next level in their respective careers.

Outcomes

“Dark Arts Bazaar” will have a total of 8 directors, with over half of them being people of color and women. The film will be budgeted at just under 300k for everything so that we’ll be on the SAG ultra low budget agreement . This funding would be used to identify the film makers. To have an agreement/contract (legal) drawn up with them to pay them for their ideas/creative pitch decks. To pair them with an industry veteran for development advice and guidance.

To put together a complete deck with all the anthology ideas to use in getting the full project funded.

From Lion Speaks

10 [people were helped or impacted]. Those who were chosen to participate were given access to information and transparency in the process which was powerful. Even those who were ultimately not chosen were able to have discussions about the reasons why, and they were still invited to participate with the project in other ways. [Benefits of the grant included:] Giving participants feedback on their projects and explaining the contract to them [and providing] clarity of the process for all participants. Also the participants are working on a project that they know if actually going to get made. 

Eastern Oregon Filmmakers Residency (with Eastern Oregon Film Fest)

Description

A month-long program for writers/directors to get designated time and space to work on feature-length screenplays.

Outcomes

The goal of this 4-week program is for artists to walk away with a draft that has the potential to be produced in Oregon in the coming years, and for attendees to learn about resources and opportunities available to them for filmmaking in this region.

From EOFF

[We] really see the COP program as a fantastic chance to back fresh and exciting projects that keep fueling our efforts to build and attract filmmakers to our regions. I’m thankful for this fund and the awesome work that Oregon Film is putting in. It’s been wonderful to see how truly inspiring this experience was for the filmmakers involved – this fund is truly making a difference in creative’s lives and those they connect with.