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Foundry658 announces successful applicants for Bootcamp

Business development program Foundry658, an initiative from State Library Victoria (SLV) and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), has announced the successful applicants for its inaugural bootcamp sessions.

The first group of creative arts projects selected for the program includes small publisher Brow Books and two new publishing initiatives: Dynasty Bridge, a bilingual self-publishing, distribution and reviewing platform for Chinese-language digital and print books, and Dark Webs, a project to make true crime cold-case investigations a fully immersive interactive experience through books, podcasts, re-enactments and virtual reality walkthroughs

Other creative arts projects that received funding include 2019 Indigenous Comic Con, a festival showcasing Indigenous pop culture; ‘her words’, an online video interview series to share stories and experiences of women; The Big Feels Club, which presents articles, podcasts and Melbourne-based meet-ups focused on lived experience of mental health systems; and Broadwave, a network of podcasts telling community-driven stories and upskilling podcast producers.

Bootcamp is a three-week business development program, consisting of workshops and coaching to help participants learn more about starting or growing a creative business, while working in a group of their peers. Sessions are designed to test and support the development of a chosen project, and participants will have access to the library and ACMI’s expertise and networks, as well as mentorship, training and support.

Two bootcamp sessions with 25 participants in each will be held in November 2018 and February 2019. After each bootcamp, 10 high-potential businesses will be selected to transition to the three-month ‘accelerator’ program, which offers a $20,000 financial investment, along with coaching and access to the coworking communities within SLV and ACMI X.

For more information about Foundry658, visit the website.

 

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Category: Local news