Educational
CANCOM Comedy Symposium 2022/23
Details
Union:
Union or Non union
Area of media:
Educational
Network:
Online
Paid?:
Yes
Rates:
ACTRA 1x scale for educational as identified in the current IPA. Non Union applicants who are selected will be required to buy a permit. Some financial assistance in doing so is provided by CANCOM.
Deadline:
Sept 18, 2022
Auditions:
Adding more details to your acting CV is advised.
Shooting starts:
Oct 17, 2022 You will appear in only one 90-minute workshop.
Shooting finishes:
Mar 31, 2023 There are six workshops in total, one per month.
Shooting locations:
TBD: Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton.
Cities for response:
Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, St. John's, Sudbury
Comments
These workshops are unscripted, but with clear direction in terms of overall content strategy and desired outcomes. Some may take place in front of a non-paying, in-person audience of industry peers. You are only able to fill one role as a paid comedy worker, but you can apply to multiple roles and are strongly encouraged to attend all workshops, either in-person or online.
Storyline
The CANCOM Comedy Symposium is a series of exciting hybrid events featuring professional development workshops for Canadian live comedy performance workers in artistic and technical occupations. For the first time ever, federal funding will go toward a national comedy program designed, managed, and delivered by comedy artists, for comedy artists. Read that again. The CANCOM Board is grateful for the support we can use to hire and engage Canadian comedy workers.

Between October 2022 and the end of March 2023, there will be six (6), 90-minute in-person workshops in cities across the country that will be livestreamed for an online industry audience.

The objective is to provide long-term career networks and improve skills for comedians and comedy tech workers. This will help them create content, find employment, and access the support necessary while pursuing comedy success on the global market. The Symposium will create ongoing opportunities for economic activity and professional advancement, as well as resources for health improvement for all participants. This unique national event will bring the comedy community together in a fun and rewarding way that has never happened before.

The programming will be made accessible to live comedy performance workers in all geographical regions and equity-deserving populations. CANCOM will ensure all participants and contributors can benefit from having their voices, experiences, and creative innovations included in acquiring business intelligence and training for an improved pathway to pursue and acquire employment, income, skills, training, and health support in their careers.

The paid, on-camera roles at each training workshop include in-person Facilitators and Educators, as well as online Peer Coordinators who will contribute virtually. The sketch, improv, and stand-up comedy artists who fill these roles will collaborate on interactive, comedy-inspired content and creative exercises that will educate and empower comedians to tell inclusive, diverse, hilarious stories. Featuring additional industry expert presenters, each workshop will be recorded, edited and available for archive viewing for professional development by future comedy workers and industry stakeholders.

Live comedy performance workers in technical occupations will be paid for their roles off camera in helping to deliver the online and in-person production elements of each workshop. Stakeholders in the live comedy performance sector, including venues, will get training, experience, and resources relevant to ongoing business success and resiliency.

Registration is free but required for all in-person and online participants and event attendees. All comedy industry stakeholders will benefit from attending each of the six workshops, either in-person or online.
Roles
Role typeRoleGender & Age range
Contract RolePeer CoordinatorAll 19 Years old
Description
You have extensive knowledge about and insight into your comedy community, which includes the region/province of one of the cities in which the CANCOM Comedy Symposium workshops will take place, (Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Moncton). Your local and cultural insight will help ensure the Symposium prioritizes access to your specific workshop by independent, self-employed live comedy performance workers from all genres, backgrounds, career-stages, geographies, and equity-deserving populations in the region.

You have experience in the live sketch, and/or improv, and/or stand-up comedy performance sector as an artist or technical production worker.

You will appear and perform as yourself on camera in your region’s small group, in-person workshop that will be livestreamed for an online audience. The in-person and online audiences will be comedy industry peers. This creative and informative workshop will be recorded, edited, and made available as an archive video for professional development purposes.

Payment for your on-camera appearance will be at ACTRA 1x scale. This will include the other work you do in this role that is necessary to help you prepare for your appearance, which is important for you to consider in making a submission.

Responsibilities of Peer Coordinators:

-Identify the individual comedy workers and venues that will be best suited to satisfy the Symposium curriculum and program strategy in your region.
-Conduct local outreach, assess submissions, and make recommendations to help identify candidates to fill the roles of Facilitator and Educators, as well industry stakeholder presenters.
-Report to the Program Manager and collaborate with the rest of the Program Team, which also consists of all Facilitators, and Educators, in fine tuning the Symposium curriculum for the specific workshop in your region.
-Coordinate with the Online Production and Communications Team.
-Attend all workshops, either in-person or online.
-Read and agree to the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Health, Safety, and Anti-Harassment Policy.
-Follow all identified COVID-19 protocols established by the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Program Team.

You may appear on camera in-person at the workshop venue, or online via remote video connection, TBD. Your appearance will be scripted, but improv is totally appropriate.

This is the first time Heritage Canada has provided federal funding for a national comedy program designed, managed, and delivered by comedy artists, for comedy artists. Your contribution to the success of the CANCOM Comedy Symposium is vital to expanding this kind of funding support to include content creation and ongoing professional advancement for Canadian comedy artists and technical workers.
Role typeRoleGender & Age range
Contract RoleFacilitatorAll 19 Years old
Description
You are an esteemed member of the Canadian comedy community, with a strong network of industry peers and notable expertise, credits, awards and accolades. Your facilitation of a CANCOM Comedy Symposium workshop will be exciting for participants and an enjoyable way for you share intel with other comedy professionals.

You have extensive experience in the live sketch, and/or improv, and/or stand-up comedy performance sector as an artist. You also have some background as an educator, or leading training sessions for adults, with comedy-specific mentorship being an asset.

You will appear and perform as yourself on camera and in-person at one of the small group, in-person workshops that are livestreamed for an online audience. The in-person and online audiences will be comedy industry peers. These creative and informative workshops will be recorded, edited, and made available as archive videos for professional development purposes.

You live in, near, or can travel by ground transportation within eight hours to one of the cities in which the Symposium workshops will take place, (Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, or Moncton). Most, but not all, travel expenses will be paid.

Payment for your on-camera appearance will be at ACTRA 1x scale. This will include the other work you do in this role that will help you prepare for your appearance, which is important for you to consider in making a submission.

Responsibilities of Facilitators:

-Report to the Program Manager and collaborate with the rest of the Program Team, which also consists of Peer Coordinators and Educators, in fine tuning the Symposium curriculum for the specific workshop in your region.
-Prepare for and facilitate a small group of other sketch, improv, or stand-up performers (approx. 7) in collaborative discussions and creative performance exercises.
-Interact with the online workshop hosts and other online presenters who are industry stakeholder experts.
-Read and agree to the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Health, Safety, and Anti-Harassment Policy.
-Follow all identified COVID-19 protocols established by the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Program Team.

Your appearance will follow a pre-determined outline, but be mostly unscripted and improvised with the in-person Educators you’re facilitating and working with, as well as the other workshop contributors who are participating online.

This is the first time Heritage Canada has provided federal funding for a national comedy program designed, managed, and delivered by comedy artists, for comedy artists. Your contribution to the success of the CANCOM Comedy Symposium is vital to expanding this kind of funding support to include content creation and ongoing professional advancement for Canadian comedy artists and technical workers.
Role typeRoleGender & Age range
Contract RoleEducator 19 Years old
Description
You are passionate about the comedy industry and enthusiastic about the opportunity to contribute your talent and skills to a CANCOM Comedy Symposium workshop to help increase employment opportunities, enhance artistic development, improve skills, and boost career resiliency for yourself and your comedy peers.

You have experience in the live sketch, and/or improv, and/or stand-up comedy performance sector as an artist or technical production worker.

You will appear and perform as yourself on camera and in-person at one of the small group, in-person workshops that are livestreamed for an online audience. The in-person and online audiences will be comedy industry peers. These creative and informative workshops will be recorded, edited, and made available as archive videos for professional development purposes.

You live in, near, or can travel by ground transportation within eight hours to one of the cities in which the Symposium workshops will take place, (Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, or Moncton). Most, but not all, travel expenses will be paid.

Payment for your on-camera appearance will be at ACTRA 1x scale.

Responsibilities of Educators:

-Follow the direction and exercises provided by the workshop Facilitator.
-Collaborate with the other Educators you are appearing and working with.
-Interact with the online workshop hosts and other online presenters who are industry stakeholder experts.
-Attend all workshops, either in-person or online.
-Read and agree to the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Health, Safety, and Anti-Harassment Policy.
-Follow all identified COVID-19 protocols established by the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Program Team.

Your appearance will be mostly unscripted and improvised with the other in-person Educators you’re working with, and additional workshop contributors who are participating online.

This is the first time Heritage Canada has provided federal funding for a national comedy program designed, managed, and delivered by comedy artists, for comedy artists. Your contribution to the success of the CANCOM Comedy Symposium is vital to expanding this kind of funding support to include content creation and ongoing professional advancement for Canadian comedy artists and technical workers.
Role typeRoleGender & Age range
Contract RoleProgram Manager 19 Years old
Description
You will be a key member of the Program Team in helping to design, manage, and deliver the CANCOM Comedy Symposium curriculum. You will oversee the administration and execution of the Symposium strategy, design, and content. You’re a passionate and proven leader, creative, and highly organized.

You have experience in the live sketch, and/or improv, and/or stand-up comedy performance sector as an artist or technical production worker. Having some background as an educator, or training adults is also an asset.

You will appear as yourself on camera in one or more of the small group, in-person workshops that are livestreamed for an online audience. The in-person and online audiences will be comedy industry peers. These creative and informative workshops will be recorded, edited, and made available as archive videos for professional development purposes.

Payment for your on-camera appearance will be at ACTRA 1x scale. Your other work in this role will be paid as an independent subcontractor, which, in part, will help you prepare for your appearance, and is important for you to consider in making a submission.

Responsibilities of the Program Manager:

-Report to and liaise with the Program Director and the CANCOM Board of Directors.
-Consult with and lead the rest of the Program Team, which also consists of all Peer Coordinators, Facilitators, and Educators.
-Outreach, booking, and coordination of online industry expert presenters.
-Work with and organize the Online Production Team, which consists of the Executive Producer, Producers, and Venue Field Producers.
-Coordinate the in-person venues, tech producers, and relevant venue staff.
-Work with and coordinate the Communications Team, consisting of the Digital Media Strategist, Website designer, Graphic Designer, and Data Collections and Analysis, to deliver the registration, promo, communications and adverting plan.
-Administration of contracts, shipping, training, data collection and analysis, and insurance.
-Attend all workshops, either in-person or online.
-Read and agree to the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Health, Safety, and Anti-Harassment Policy.
-Follow all identified COVID-19 protocols established by the CANCOM Comedy Symposium Program Team.

You may appear on camera in-person at the workshop venue, or online via remote video connection, TBD. Your appearance will be scripted, but improv is totally appropriate.

This is the first time Heritage Canada has provided federal funding for a national comedy program designed, managed, and delivered by comedy artists, for comedy artists. Your contribution to the success of the CANCOM Comedy Symposium is vital to expanding this kind of funding support to include content creation and ongoing professional advancement for Canadian comedy artists and technical workers.