For immediate release

March 27, 2012 – The Chair of the Board of Directors of the Independent Production Fund (IPF), Charles Ohayon, is pleased to welcome Jeremy Butteriss, Director, Strategic Partnerships Google Canada to the Board. Jeremy’s extensive experience in the world of online video and YouTube will provide invaluable perspectives to the IPF’s Web Drama Series funding program. Previously Jeremy led the Broadband Entertainment division at Rogers Communications, launching and managing Rogers On Demand Online. He also helped to launch two internet ventures and has consulted in media, ecommerce and venture development.

The IPF recently announced that an experimental web drama series funding program undertaken for the past two years would become the focus of IPF funding support for the next three years. This decision redirects the activities of the IPF which have been to fund and support traditional television drama series.

The IPF received 155 applications for funding for new web series at its deadline on March 1. These applications have all undergone an evaluation and review process by a team of 25 evaluators from across the country. As a result, 31 have been pre-selected to continue to the final application stage with complete production applications. The Board will make final funding decisions at its next meeting in June.

Web series that have been successfully supported by the IPF in the past two years can be accessed at the IPF’s Wip portal.

In the past 20 years, the IPF has invested $54 M in the production of television and web drama as well as professional development activities. It is a private, charitable Foundation with an endowment valued at $34 M. It uses the interest generated by this endowment as well as recoupment from successful projects, for its industry investments. An independent Board of Directors representing various aspects of the industry is responsible for all funding decisions.