World Class Media Cluster
Simplified industry grant schemes
In September 2011, MDA streamlined its 46 funding schemes to just five grant schemes to cater to the changing needs of the media industry.
Five new schemes – Development Assistance, Production Assistance, Marketing Assistance, Talent Assistance and Enterprise Assistance – now support the different stages of a project across all media sectors. Media companies are encouraged to create engaging and compelling content and to develop and own their intellectual property.
By the end of March 2012, MDA had funded 300 projects, cutting across broadcast, animation, film, music, interactive media, games and publishing. The industry benefited from some $6.6 million in funding.
Development Assistance
MDA enabled 44 projects with funding of more than $2.8 million to help companies develop an idea into a script, game design, manuscript or storyboard.
Among the recipients were local companies developing learning content for smart TVs. One of them, Oak 3 Films, developed an app Yummy Science that teaches science via a series of cooking tasks.
The grant scheme also enabled the TV reality show The Biggest Loser Asia to be developed into a Facebook game. Built by Chorus Games, the game lets a player take on the role of a trainer.
Rob the Robot by One Animation.
Production Assistance
For companies already working on a media project, Production Assistance helps accelerate its development into commercial fruition. As at March 2012, MDA provided grants of more than $1.8 million under Production Assistance.
Two projects to have benefited are Rob the Robot Season Two by One Animation, and a brand new Singapore film My Dog Dou Dou.
A game made possible by this grant is Mechwarrior: Tactical Command, Personae Studio’s AAA console-quality real-time strategy game for iPhone and iPad users, using the world-renowned Mechwarrior license as the backdrop.
Traditional publishers also benefited from MDA’s Production Assistance grant scheme. One such recipient is Epigram Books, which is publishing five graphic novels, each to be written and illustrated by a different local graphic novelist.
Marketing Assistance
To help Singapore companies market their media products overseas, MDA helps defray travel costs to participate in international industry events. By March 2012, MDA had disbursed more than $1.2 million through the Marketing Assistance grant scheme.
In the past year, MDA supported more than 100 companies to take part in international film, animation, TV and music markets such as the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market, MIPTV, MIPCOM and MIDEM in France, and the China International Film and TV Programs Exhibition. Marketing Assistance was also extended to more than 40 Singapore game developers and interactive digital media companies.
MDA also supported local publishers to promote their titles at key markets for books, media, rights and licences such as the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2011 and the China-Singapore Publishing Symposium in Beijing in April 2012.
Talent Assistance
MDA understands that at the core of the media industry
are talented individuals who are passionate and driven to help create the next big thing in animation, film, TV, games and more.
MDA awarded 21 scholarships to students and industry professionals, assisted 158 individuals in work attachments and supported another 346 through training programmes over the past year. All in, MDA disbursed more than $647,000 in talent assistance by the end of March 2012.
One recipient of the Media Education Scheme (MES) Scholarship is Yap She Fong. The scholarship helped kick-start her career in Lucasfilm Singapore. She is currently working with the company’s Industrial Light & Magic division, assisting with production of Hollywood movies such as Battleship.
Linus Koh, Media Education Scheme scholar.
Another beneficiary is Linus Koh, who was awarded the MES Scholarship in 2010. While pursuing a degree in film and television in Australia, he wrote, directed and produced the award-winning short film Hath No Man. It was selected as the Best Foreign Short Film at the 21st Arizona Film Festival in April 2012.
With the streamlining of the grant schemes, MDA also incorporated company matching in its revised scholarship scheme. This ensured job placements for scholarship recipients, while meeting the industry’s demand for specific skill sets.
To boost media sector productivity, Talent Assistance was enhanced with an additional $15 million in funding, from 1 July 2012. This boost is provided with the support of the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council (NPCEC).
The $15 million covered two productivity measures – ‘Training Allowance’ and ‘Enhanced Apprenticeship’.
Training Allowance encourages freelancers to upgrade and upskill without having to worry about loss of income when they attend courses to improve themselves.
Enhanced Apprenticeship seeks to raise the capabilities and skills of experienced media practitioners through local and overseas work attachments.
Enterprise Assistance
The Enterprise Assistance grant scheme aims to turn high-potential local media firms into sustainable enterprises. It helps move target companies to the next tier of revenue and profitability.
From 1 July 2012, Enterprise Assistance was enhanced with an additional $5 million in funding, provided with the support of the NPCEC. It will help media companies raise efficiency through process improvements, particularly in content creation, content asset workflow management and automation.