Calendar – Past Event

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) has a long and proud tradition of supporting timely and compelling work from independent producers for public television broadcast. With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CAAM is launching the 2012 Innovation Fund, a new initiative to fund and license short, online content to be streamed on the CAAMedia.org website and PBS affiliate sites.

The new initiative recognizes the increasingly vital role that online content plays in transforming the public media landscape as well as its potential reach a new and talented community of Asian American media makers and producers who have proven to be incredibly prolific and resourceful, churning out creative and imaginative work on shoestring budgets. They have also demonstrated success at reaching and sustaining a large audience; Asian Americans can count themselves among the top 25 most subscribed YouTube channels. Many of these producers have connected with their audience based on a commonality of interest: music, pop culture, political satire, and comedy. The Innovation Fund will encourage work from the community that also addresses contemporary social issues from a unique perspective.

This year the CAAM Innovation Fund will offer funding of up to $20,000 to license short web series (3-5 pieces each) by independent producers that address arts, music, culture, politics in unique and creative ways. Work should have a strong visual component. The focus of the fund may differ from year to year, ranging from online, mobile applications, or audience engagement tools. The work renews as well as revitalizes CAAM’s commitment to public media for both audiences and media producers. The review process takes approximately 4 months.

To apply, visit http://caam.slideroom.com/.