Today, RBC and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced 11 grant recipients for the third round of the MVP Project – the highest number of grants awarded in a single round to date. The program, which is a joint initiative between RBCxMusic and the Prism Prize, provides support to emerging Canadian musicians and filmmakers for music video creation and production.
In addition to receiving funding through the MVP Project grants, artists have access to mentorship and networking opportunities with working professionals in the industry. In its inaugural year, the MVP Project hosted numerous events, including a kick-off party, a networking breakfast at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, several workshops and meet-and-greets at the BreakOut West conference in Whitehorse, as well as an MVP Project networking and learning event for unsuccessful candidates to provide guidance around developing music video treatments.
“With the MVP Project now in its second year, we’ve had the opportunity to see awarded music video treatments from the program come to life, and it’s incredibly inspiring and exciting to witness,” said Matt McGlynn, Vice-President, Brand Marketing, RBC. “We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at the Canadian Academy and can’t wait to see how these new creative ideas take form.”
Since the program’s inception in 2018, the MVP Project has received nearly 1000 music video treatment submissions, from artists across Canada. To date, the MVP Project has awarded 28 grants to emerging artists aiding in the creation of 12 music videos, with more to launch later this year.
“Receiving an MVP Project grant opened up an opportunity for us to create something that we had only dreamed of previously,” said MVP Project Round 1 recipient and Vancouver recording artist Jordan Klassen. “One of the difficult things about engaging with a huge creative vision is budget constraints, and MVP Project allowed us the rare opportunity to make the exact video we had envisioned. This program is elevating Canadian artists like me to be able to collaborate with talented filmmakers who otherwise might not have the money to realize the potential of their project.”
Klassen’s music video Virtuous Circle, directed by Farhad Ghaderi and produced by Shelby Manton, recently received international recognition when it was nominated for the 2019 Best Alternative Video – International category at the UK Music Video Awards.
“There have been many creative and compelling applications from across the nation submitted in each round,” said Louis Calabro, Vice President, Programming at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “It’s clear that there is boundless creativity and talent in the Canadian music video community and we are thrilled to help the 11 exceptional teams from the latest round realize their visions.”
The recipients for Round 3 represent a diverse collection of musical genres and filmmaking styles, and were selected by a jury of industry professionals. Recipients include:
· Recording artist Bad Child (Kitchener), Director Clara Milo (Montreal), and Producers Lou Bélanger (Montreal) and Rafael Perez (Quebec)
· Recording artist Begonia (Winnipeg), Director Emma Higgins (Vancouver), and Producer Sebastien Galina (Vancouver)
· Recording artist Moël, Director Steven Cristobal, and Producer Kid. Studio (Toronto)
· Recording artist Nate Husser, Directors Gabrielle Laïla Tittley / Alexandre Pelletier, and Producer, Guillaume Arsenault (Montreal)
· Recording artist Naya Ali (Montreal), Director Xavier Cantin-Lemieux (Montreal), and Producers Lou Bélanger (Montreal) and Rafael Perez (Quebec)
· Recording artist nêhiyawak (Edmonton), Director Casey Koyczan (Winnipeg), and Producer Rob Bakker (Winnipeg)
· Recording artist Prado, Director and Producer Lester Lyons-Hookham (Vancouver)
· Recording artist Prince Josh, Director Adam Beck, and Producer Julian Nieva (Toronto)
· Recording artist Raahiem, Director Vishan Butt, and Producer Meika Wagner (Toronto)
· Recording artist Rich Aucoin, Director Jason Levangie, and Producer Marc Tetreault (Halifax)
· Recording artist TOBi, Director Kit Weyman, and Producer Carina Mak (Toronto)
“I’m unbelievably thrilled to receive funding from the MVP Project. For a year now, I’ve been trying to find a way to turn my vision into a reality,” said Toronto DJ and MVP Project Round 3 recipient Prince Josh. “To be able to showcase a part of my culture that generally gets underrepresented in the media is truly a blessing.”
The MVP Project is part of the RBC Emerging Artists Project, which helps Canadian artists bridge the gap from emerging to established, and supports organizations that provide the best opportunities to advance artists’ careers. Since 2015, over 11,000 artists have been supported through these programs.
The next round of submissions will open on May 15, 2020. For more information, visit www.mvpproject.ca.
