Welcome Independent Producers from British Columbia, Canada and the world
Knowledge Network partners with independent producers at all stages of production. Our priorities for pre-licensing and commissioning include documentary features and limited series on arts, culture, history and social issues. All programs must be relevant and appealing to British Columbian audiences on our television and streaming services. We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and welcome projects that bring new perspectives. Partnerships with BC’s independent Indigenous filmmakers is a priority.
Before contacting Knowledge Network we highly recommend that producers familiarize themselves with our programming through our television service, website, and apps. The following Knowledge Originals have met with audience success in British Columbia:
A five-part series that follows the heroic members of Canada's busiest volunteer search and rescue team as they set off by foot and helicopter to rescue people from the rugged wilderness of North Vancouver.
Emergency Room: Life & Death at VGH
This series follows the dedicated medical team as they face the challenges of working in British Columbia’s busiest emergency department.
Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World
Explores the breathtaking beautiful archipelago off BC’s northwest coast – home to a dedicated community uniting to protect land and sea for the next generation.
Follow a Vancouver couple as they decide to eat only rescued food for six months. What they find is shocking; truckloads of perfectly edible food destined for the landfill.
Filmed over a full year at the Hope Centre in North Vancouver, follow the patients and health care providers as they work together on a bold, radically human approach to mental health.
Looking at Edward Curtis in the Pacific Northwest
Metis/Dene filmmaker Marie Clements navigates the cultural complexities stemming from American photographer Edward Curtis’ work “The North American Indian” and “In the Land of the Head Hunters”.
Follow paramedics and dispatchers at British Columbia’s Health Services, from the highly pressurized dispatch control centre to the crews on the street.
Acclaimed spoken word artist Shane Koyczan prepares for his most personal poem yet as he embarks on a journey to reconnect with the father he never knew.
High in the snowy peaks of BC, adventurers, nuns, artists and photographers feel the draw of the mountains so strongly that their lives must revolve around it.
Producers
If you have a proposal for a documentary feature or limited series, please send us a one or two-page outline, demo reel or trailer, and bio to producers@knowledge.ca. We will review the material and get back to you within 4 weeks.
Commissions
British Columbian Producers are welcome to present their proposals for lead broadcaster commissioning and pre-licensing year-round.
Pre-licensing (i.e. “second-windows”)
Canadian Producers are welcome to submit projects for “second window” pre-licensing once development has been completed and a Canadian lead broadcaster confirmed.
Development
British Columbian Producers are welcome to submit proposals for development funding year-round.
International Pre-licensing
We pre-license documentary features and limited series, but only those pitched at international forums attended by Knowledge Network. Markets include but are not limited to: IDFA Co-financing Forum (Amsterdam); DOK Leipzig Co-production Market; CNEX (Taipei); Tokyo Docs; CoPro (Tel Aviv); When East Meets West (Trieste); Hot Docs (Toronto); Sunny Side of the Doc (La Rochelle).
INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS PLEASE NOTE:
Unsolicited proposals for international projects are not eligible for consideration.
Acquisitions
All producers are welcome to submit documentary features and series for consideration as acquisitions once the production is completed and rights are available.
For details please see our Acquisitions page.
General Info
We do not commission or assist with the completion of dramatic series or shorts, student films, corporate videos, gallery installations, sponsored films, or web series, but would like to wish you all the best with your projects.