GETTING STARTED IN THE MARITIMES FILM INDUSTRY
The Maritimes Permittee Program (MPP) is an initiative administered by DGC Maritimes to help interested people gain experience in the film industry by way of entry-level job positions represented by the Guild. These jobs are those of Production Assistants (PA) and trainees within the following departments:
- Assistant Director (Set PA)
- Production Office (Office PA)
- Locations (Location PA)
- Art (Art PA)
- Accounting (Trainee Assistant Accountant - TAA)
- Picture Editing (Trainee Assistant Picture Editor)
The Goal of the Maritimes Permittee Program is to actively participate in the development of a skilled film workforce in our region and to create a focused pathway toward membership in the DGC Maritimes Council.
TO JOIN THE MARITIMES PERMITTEE PROGRAM
- You must be 18 years of age or older.
- You must be a Canadian Citizen or have Permanent Resident status, or be an indigenous person with Indian Status under the Canadian Indian Act.
- Your primary residence must be within one of the three Maritimes Provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island.
- You must have a Canadian Social Insurance Number and be legally allowed to work in Canada.
You will be required to provide government-issued documentation as proof of these criteria before you can join the Permittee Program. Acceptable documents for citizenship and age include: a Passport, Birth Certificate, PR Status, or Status Card. For provincial residency, a provincial driver’s license or health card will suffice.
HOW TO JOIN THE MARITIMES PERMITTEE PROGRAM
If you meet the above requirements, you may apply to join the Maritimes Permittee Program by completing these steps:
- You must send proof of your age, Canadian Citizenship, PR status, or Indian Status, and provincial residency to permittee@dgcmaritimes.ca. Once your documents have been vetted, your email will be deleted for your security.
- You must also email an up-to-date one-page professional resume in PDF format with your full name as the file title. Your resume will be saved and shared.
- You must register for the online DGC Maritimes Permittee Program Orientation course. A link to register via Eventbrite will be emailed to you once we receive your other documents. The cost to register is $40.00 and is non-refundable. Completion of this 2-hour course will be mandatory for acceptance in the Permittee Program and will be offered only once per month during the registration period.
WHAT IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE MARITIMES PERMITTEE PROGRAM
Once you have registered for, and completed the DGC Maritimes Permittee Program Orientation course, you will have 3 months to complete the remaining mandatory courses:
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). This is an online course you may take at any time. Be sure to download and save your certification for proof of completion.
- And a minimum of one of DGC Maritimes Production Assistant Fundamentals courses (Set PA, Office PA, Location PA, Art PA, Trainee Assistant Accountant, Trainee Assistant Picture Editor*). Dates for these courses and links to register will be emailed to you. These courses will be offered several times during the registration period and are free to those who have completed the DGC Maritimes Permittee Program Orientation course. You may take as many of these courses as you wish.
*course coming soon
REQUIREMENTS TO BE GRANTED A DGC MARITIMES PERMITTEE PROFILE
Successful participants in the DGC Maritimes Permittee Program will be granted the privilege of having a DGC Permittee profile on the DGC Maritimes website. This profile will be searchable by productions who have been approved to hire non-members as permittees on DGC-signatory productions. To be given a DGC Maritimes Permittee profile, participants will need to:
- Completed the mandatory courses listed above.
- Have been contracted to work on a minimum of one DGC-signatory production under a DGC Maritimes Deal Memo for a minimum of 20 days in a DGC-represented job category. Proof of this engagement will be required by providing a copy of your DGC Deal Memo (Maritimes Schedule 8) or production pay stubs.
- Have a letter of recommendation from a DGC Member for whom you have worked, stating the production, your job category, and the number of days you worked. Be sure the letter (or email) includes the DGC Member’s full name and membership number.
Your DGC Maritimes Permittee profile will identify you as a Permittee Program participant in one PA job category. You will be allowed to upload an approved one-page resume and will be able to set and edit your available days. Once you receive a Permittee profile, you will be highlighted in the Permittee section of our weekly Members’ newsletter.
Obtaining and continuing a Permittee profile is at the discretion of the DGC Maritimes staff and Board of Directors, and will be reviewed regularly.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF JOINING THE MARITIMES PERMITTEE PROGRAM
Joining the DGC Maritimes Permittee Program demonstrates a commitment to pursuing a career as a film worker. Becoming an MPP participant gives you an advantage over other non-DGC members. Benefits include:
- DGC Department Heads are encouraged to hire Permittees from our program when a DGC Member is unavailable to fill a union position Having access to free training, specific to DGC Production Assistant job categories and taught by DGC Maritimes Members.
- Networking opportunities at DGC Maritimes events.
- The opportunity to create a Permittee profile on the DGC Maritimes website (if requirements are met).
- The chance to be highlighted in the Permittee Section of our weekly Members’ newsletter.
- Having free access to Associate membership-mandatory training when ready to join the Guild.
If you have questions regarding the Maritimes Permittee Program, please contact the DGC Maritimes office at permittee@dgcmaritimes.ca
WHAT IF I DON’T MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN THE MPP
If you do not meet the requirements to join the Maritimes Permittee Program, you may still add your name and contact information to our additional labour source List.
