Yes Jim - There is a Funding Source.

Jim Henshaw touches a raw nerve again with this post regarding the financing of "culture" and entertainment in Canada. Of note:

In the 1990's, I had the opportunity of shooting a couple of films in Hungary, shortly after the fall of the Communist system. There had been a strong, state-funded Arts system there and we had a number of very talented local artists working on the films. But working with them wasn't that easy. A system that had looked after all their needs had also robbed them of all initiative and accountability. Many sleep-walked through their tasks, their artistic flame smothered by living too long in a welfare state.

And you can see the same thing happening in this country. The more Government has subsidized (and thereby controlled) our ventures, the less we produce in terms of both final production numbers and work that inspires our audience. Our television drama is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago and our feature film industry has gone from one of the busiest in the world to one of the least productive.

Yes, Jim...I can't agree more. When creative people aren't given an incentive to create they stagnate. They become the old lion in the zoo that patiently waits for its next meal while its teeth fall out. Lions are best, most productive in the wild hunting for their prey and having to kill it in order to survive.

And thankfully, there is plenty of prey available for the creative community. They just have to sharpen their claws.

From 1 Tim Street regarding Seth McFarlane's deal with Burger King:

This is a really big deal.

Why?

Because in the past if you were going to launch a new show you had to build an audience before you could find an advertiser who would be willing to spend money sponsoring your show but now the rules have changed.

Now I can find a sponsor who like the idea of my new show (that hasn't launched yet) and I can guarantee them ad impressions with my new show.

So yes, Jim - there is a funding source or two out there...Just like the good old days where producers not networks found the money and then made the show. It was a simple system that worked and didn't destroy the ecosystem of television. Now this system has moved to the web, and just like the good old days you'll have to be faster, better (more entertaining) and yes, cheaper than the other guy who's also stalking that fat, slow advertiser that's drinking at the riverbank of the web.

Sharpen your claws. It's a jungle out there.
(Thank Gawd!)