NZ On Air, Screen Australia And TikTok Announce The Return Of Every Voice Initiative

NZ On Air, Screen Australia and TikTok are excited to announce that the Every Voice initiative is returning in 2022, with applications now open. Now in its second year, Every Voice is an initiative to support creatives with diverse and distinct voices to develop episodic Scripted or Factual content exclusively for TikTok.

Every Voice aims to help a new generation of online storytellers expand their vision and ambition, and cultivate original New Zealand and Australian content that will resonate with global audiences. The initiative is for TikTok creators, or creators who want to expand to working on TikTok. Following the first Every Voice, the successful teams from Australia and New Zealand received up to $50,000 in funding to cover development and production costs for their project. This included the Australian TransAthletica 15 part-documentary series, which explores the barriers trans athletes face in sports, from the creators of Rainbow History Class.

“Funding high-quality local content that appeals to and connects with audiences where they are is a core focus for NZ On Air,” said NZ On Air Head of Funding Amie Mills. “We’re thrilled that our ongoing partnership with Screen Australia and TikTok will ensure that New Zealand and Australian audiences continue to see their unique experiences reflected on a global stage, and that emerging creatives will have the opportunity to hone their storytelling skills in a dynamic and highly-receptive environment.”

Screen Australia’s Head of Online, Lee Naimo said, “In the last 12 months since the Every Voice initiative was launched, TikTok has become the destination for a whole new generation of short-form content creators looking for new ways to tell their authentic stories. In partnership with NZ On Air and TikTok we are ecstatic to once again be supporting Australian and New Zealand creators to share their content with the vast, highly-engaged global community on TikTok.”

Director of Content Partnerships and Community at TikTok Australia and New Zealand Felicity McVay said, “We're excited to be taking part in this initiative for another year with Screen Australia and NZ On Air for Every Voice. We're passionate about providing a platform for emerging and diverse voices who can express themselves authentically and give fresh perspectives on the cultural diversity of Australia and New Zealand and the world beyond. Investing in helping creators find new audiences on TikTok is a key initiative to help us support and nurture talented Aussie and Kiwi creatives".

New Zealand and Australian applicants will be eligible to apply for approximately NZD $83,000 / AUD $75,000 per project, with up to 10 successful projects set to receive funding. Projects must comprise of episodic content designed to be told in 6 to 15 episodes of no more than one minute each, aimed at audiences aged between 16 and 35. Projects can be of any genre of Scripted or Factual content. Successful teams must also be available to attend an in-person workshop in Sydney from 5th – 7th December, 2022. Travel and accommodation costs associated with this workshop will be covered.

To participate in the initiative this year, applicants must first submit a short one minute pitch video and post the video on their public TikTok account, between 27 June and 21 July, including the hashtag #everyvoice, as well as providing their contact details via an online entry form. Full eligibility and assessment criteria for New Zealand applicants is available in the guidelines here.

Teams must consist of between two to five members, with the roles of writer, director and producer filled across these team members. Applicants’ projects with genuine collaborations between a TikTok content creator(s) and established producers, production companies and/or entertainment properties are encouraged and may strengthen an application. Collaborations between New Zealand and Australian creators are also encouraged.

This partnership supports a range of screen projects from New Zealand and Australia, and is intended for creators from under-represented backgrounds including First Nations, Māori, Pacific Peoples, Pan-Asian, LGBTQIA+, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), female or trans/gender diverse, people with disabilities and creators based in regional and remote areas. Screen Australia will manage applications for Australian projects, while NZ On Air will manage applications for New Zealand projects.

Creators can apply for Every Voice here. Applications close at 7pm NZT Thursday, 21 July 2022.

Full eligibility and assessment criteria for applicants is available in the guidelines here.

About Every Voice

In 2021, three teams were selected from Australia and four teams from New Zealand, with each team receiving up to AUD $50,000 funding to cover development and production costs for their projects. Teams also participated in virtual workshops to develop story skills and best practice for creating for TikTok.

The first Australian series to be released through the Every Voice initiative was Sextistics. Currently releasing on TikTok, the series has already more than 3 million views.

TransAthletica then launched on TikTok on June 10. The TikTok account for the series has more than 10,000 followers and more than 1 million views to date.

Coach Dayum, the third Australian project funded through Every Voice, recently completed filming and will launch later in 2022.

The first New Zealand series to be released through the Every Voice initiative is Te Pae Tata, which premiered June 27 on TikTok.

The three remaining New Zealand projects - Long x Xia, n00b, and The Tongan Rogue General and the 13 Chambers of South Auckland – are all currently in production and will be released later this year.

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