Skip Ahead

Aims to help a new generation of online storytellers to expand their vision and the ambition of the content they create for online audiences, and build sustainable screen careers.

Skip Ahead is a joint initiative of Screen Australia and YouTube Australia. Since 2014, over the course of nine funding rounds, Skip Ahead has supported 47 YouTube content creators and their projects to develop their skills and support them to work towards sustainable careers.

Skip Ahead is open to both documentary and scripted narrative projects from Australian content creators where the producers and creators of the content maintain and retain control of self-distributing the work and taking it to audience on YouTube or YouTube Kids.

Aims to help a new generation of online storytellers to expand their vision and the ambition of the content they create for online audiences, and build sustainable screen careers.

• Skip Ahead aims to:
• - Support a new generation of online storytellers and IP creators to expand their vision and ambition
• - Cultivate original Australian narrative content made specifically for local and global online audiences
• - Ensure the storytellers and stories being told reflect the diversity of people and experiences from around Australia, and promoting their importance - culturally, creatively and economically.

The project that is the subject of the application must:
- Be for a scripted project of any genre or documentary. Educational formats are also eligible
- Be intended to be uploaded to YouTube or YouTube Shorts
- Not be a ‘How to...’ or lifestyle program (including travel and cooking) or reality,
- Not be an advertorial or intended primarily as advertising or marketing material.

Applications are open to:
- A current YouTube channel with at least 25,000 subscribers, OR
- A maximum of two current YouTube channels with a combined subscriber base of 40,000, OR
- A YouTube video which has achieved a minimum of 1 million views on a channel which has a subscriber base of at least 10,000.

In addition, Screen Australia and YouTube Australia will offer funding support to successful applicants to participate in a three-day in person workshop held in Sydney. This workshop will aim to develop participants’ projects and provide industry skills development. Travel and accommodation support will be provided for teams based outside of Sydney to the workshop, for up to three team members per successful project, from within Australia.