2017 IN REVIEW
During the past year, we have seen growth in our participant enrollment, exceeded our targets in fundraising, and achieved a budgetary surplus which has allowed us to hire new staff, add new programs and special projects for 2018. Working closely with community partners, sponsors and donors, we’re very proud to share some highlights:
Fantasia Film Festival 2017
JULY
The Fantasia International Film Festival held a free screening of Spectrum short films under the banner: Spectrumfest: Films from the Autism Spectrum followed by a Q & A with the young filmmakers.
AUGUST
The Spectrum video summer camp experience was successfully launched in Toronto in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for Autism. This represents the first step towards program replication!
NOVEMBER
Over 600 guests attended the Annual Gala and Screening at the Rialto Theatre raising over $55,000 for Spectrum’s programs. Union Boss, a short film by Spectrum participant Mathieu Dutaud, was selected for the Oska Bright Film Festival (UK). The 2nd annual Talking Pictures Festival was held in Toronto in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Autism and agency partner LP/AD, providing summer camp participants the opportunity to showcase their work on the big screen.
45%
of wages to contract were paid to individuals with autism in 2017
157,607
YOUTUBE VIEWS
5,000
Volunteer hours donated to spectrum productions
8
programs offered year-round to participants aged 8 to 35+ years
Program Growth
+ Production Club was launched to meet week-end program demand in filmmaking offering advanced workshops that focus on camera movement, montage techniques, narrative strategies and sound design.
PRODUCTION SERVICES
+ Revenue from production contracts more than doubled from $23,718 in 2016 to over $58,564 in 2017 making Spectrum less reliant on traditional forms of fundraising.
+ Wages paid to contract employees with autism rose to 45% of total contract wages in 2017.
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
+ Two new employees joined the core staff as Development Coordinator and Animation Coordinator thanks to a grant from Emploi Québec.
+ Through the Canada Summer Jobs program, Spectrum was able to hire a record 9 students for the summer camps. Four of those hired were employees with autism.
+ Ready Willing and Able, a federal program aimed at increasing the employment rate of people with ASD’s partnered with Spectrum to provide financial support for 267 hours of job coaching for participants of the Creative Media Lab.
OUTREACH
+ The studio hosted a variety of team-building and community outreach activities for companies such as Samsung, Sunlife and Ubisoft.
+ Liam O’Rourke and Dan Ten Veen were delighted to receive the Jory Groberman Award at the Banff World Media Festival in June 2017, providing an extraordinary opportunity to meet broadcasters and pitch the work of our creative talent pool to the larger media community.
+ Members of the Creative Media Lab participated in a Virtual Reality project in collaboration with Dans le fil - la Fondation pour l’inclusion and l’Agence TOPO. The four projects created during phase one of this project will be presented in 2018.
OUR FINANCIAL FOOTPRINT
The Creative Media Lab (CML) is an innovative model providing meaningful employment as well as creative and social opportunities to individuals on the Autism Spectrum. We have the opportunity to leverage the creative talents and technical expertise of the participants we’re training in the production arm of the organization. Providing hand-on workforce training, participants work alongside Spectrum’s team on public and private sector contracts generated by our studio. The revenue generated from production services flows back into social and creative programming making Spectrum less reliant on traditional forms of funding.
Some notable production contracts delivered by CML participants in 2017 include:
+ McGill University (Azrieli Foundation donor appreciation)
+ MacART (Rethinking Autism - McMaster University)
+ The Senate of Canada (Autism Awareness Campaign)
+The British Council (Walking Cities)
This alternate and potentially long-term revenue stream will allow Spectrum to move closer to financial sustainability. Currently, revenue from production services, program fees, fundraising activities and government funding support our operations and development initiatives. Revenue from production services has already doubled from 2016 to 2017. As this social enterprise grows, the revenue will allow us to replicate and solidify our program model, develop internal scholarships and new initiatives as guided by our community.
Our Annual Gala Screening and Silent Auction is Spectrum’s sole fundraising event. Funds raised enable Spectrum to continue to expand programs that benefit youth on the Autism Spectrum. In 2017, over 600 supporters raised more than $55,000. The commitment and hard work of our volunteers as well as the generosity of our donors and sponsors made all of this possible. An additional $20,000 was also raised from foundations.
T0TAL REVENUE $395,129
T0TAL REVENUE $395,129
TOTAL EXPENSES $360,352
HELP SPECTRUM PRODUCTIONS INCREASE REACH AND OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE AUTISTIC CREATIVES
