REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – HERITAGE MINUTES:
Historica Canada’s Heritage Minute collection contains more than 100 one-minute shorts about key moments and
figures in Canadian History. More than 30 years since the first Heritage Minute premiered, these spots have become an
enduring part of popular culture in Canada. Historica Canada has released 25+ new Heritage Minutes since the project
was re-launched in 2012, including: Tom Longboat, The Discovery of Insulin, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Oscar Peterson,
Norman Kwong, and Mary Riter Hamilton.
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
The organization seeks to create 1 new engaging Heritage Minute that resonates with the brand and legacy of the
celebrated collection while offering a fresh vision to capture new audiences.
This new vision might include period dramatizations such as those seen in the established Heritage Minutes, as well as
new visual treatments including blending re-enactment with documentary formats. Fully animated proposals will not be
considered for this project, but CGI/SFX portions may be accepted.
Historica Canada will work with historians and consultants, who will provide consultation on script development and
production. All aspects of the concept, script, casting, creative direction and production, however, will be required to
meet with the final approval of Historica Canada. Historica Canada owns 100% of the copyright for each Heritage Minute.
This is a collaborative process. Historica Canada will be regularly engaged throughout the scriptwriting and production
process. Each team should have a writer with credits, who will develop the script. Please note that ONLY incorporated
Canadian production companies will be considered in this competition.
Although we encourage teams to create their own treatments for submission, the Historica Canada team will provide the
winning production company with a preferred treatment, after they have been selected.
The Minute will be made available in French, English (dubbed), and descriptive video.
TOPIC:
We are asking companies to submit a treatment for the following theme:
We are enthusiastic about the idea of featuring Rock Demers as a subject. However, we are open to teams submitting
their own original subject ideas, provided they align with our mission, detailed in the paragraph below, and
celebrate/illuminate Quebec's History, Arts, and Culture.
As an apolitical educational organization, our focus is on accessible, unifying narratives that highlight creation, heritage,
or community achievements with connections to larger Canadian history or culture. All proposals must adhere to strict
content guidelines: we do not accept subjects or treatments that feature explicit gore, violence, drug use, etc.
Crucially, all submitted teams MUST demonstrate a strong, verifiable connection and exclusive access to the proposed
story or subject for their proposal to be considered.
1PROJECT TIMELINE:
Note: This is an estimated timeline to produce ONE Heritage Minute. Please note that in our experience, the general life
cycle of a Heritage Minute production from start to finish ranges from between 6 months to a year, depending on the
topic and scale of the project.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO FISCAL REQUIREMENTS, FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT WILL BE RELEASED ONLY AFTER APRIL
1, 2026
Oct 20, 2025: Nov 20, 2025: Mid Dec 2025: Early Jan 2026: Mid January 2026: April – July 2026: Aug - Sept 2026: Sept - Nov 2026: RFP opens
RFP closes
Teams selected for interviews will be contacted
Top teams interviewed
Contract awarded
Internal scripting development; consultation with selected teams, historians, and cultural experts
Production Phase – execute shoots for new Minute
Post-production Phase – complete all edits, team to deliver final product
BUDGET:
The maximum budget, before taxes, is $170,000 for the Heritage Minute. Your budget should take into account:
- French and English versions for each Minute (language dubbing is required; subtitles are not sufficient)
- ACTRA fees, as per the Heritage Minute agreement (Session fees as per the current Independent Production
Agreement, plus an additional 60% of each performer’s net fees for broadcast and new media rights in
perpetuity)
- UDA fees, (session fee multiplied by 2.5 to guarantee full broadcast and new media rights in perpetuity.
*Applicable only if the on-screen dialogue is in French.);
- The possibility of high-profile performers who work above scale
- Crew, set design, costuming and props
- Shooting at different locations, including possible crew travel
- Post-production including editing, music, voice over narration and visual effects/CGI
- Final broadcast-ready deliverables in both official languages
- Contingency
Please note, all admin/overhead costs should also be factored into the budget. The total should be $170,000, before
taxes.
2Please submit your budget using the Telefilm Canada top sheet template only, on a
separate page on its own.
PROPOSALS:
If you wish to submit a Heritage Minutes proposal to Historica Canada, please prepare a .pdf document which includes
the following:
- Your creative team (including your planned producers, director, and DOP)
o An executive summary of your company or team
o Full contact information for the applicant, including phone number and email address
o Links to reels of recent work for your company and proposed creative team
o Please include any potential scheduling conflicts and other big projects your team is taking on in the
above timeframe
- A short, one paragraph treatment on how you would approach the proposed topic (treatment can include your
notes on narrative approach, artistic style, theme etc. NO scripts please)
- A mood board on how you would approach the proposed topic
- A draft budget following the aforementioned specifications using the Telefilm Canada Top Sheet
o Production companies are encouraged to provide additional funding they may have access to for this
project (ie: provincial grants), but the 170k budget described here must cover the cost of the Minute
being pitched. If teams are seeking extra funding, they must receive the funding in time to use it during
the production of the Minute and the extra funding can ONLY be used on the production of the Minute.
Please limit your proposal to a maximum of 10 pages including appendices. Proposals over 10 pages will be automatically
rejected.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Selection will be based on the assessment of four aspects of submission:
Treatment Concept: Overall vision and appropriateness for the organization’s needs and brand will be considered;
including any innovative elements in your proposed concept. Demonstrated research into the topic will be considered an
asset.
Work Samples and References: Quality of your portfolio, such as your experience with similar projects including client
work; your flexibility pertaining to potential shifts in project scope or timelines; integrity; and your process for developing
and carrying out the project in a timely manner. Please note that the production team or company should be available
during regular working hours.
Budget: Budget must be submitted through the Telefilm Canada top sheet template and must be appropriate and
reasonable to the project. Budget lines and a best estimate of pro bono work must be clearly defined in the proposal.
3Community Relevance: Demonstrated involvement in the communities on which this series is focused. Historica Canada
is committed to working with the communities depicted in each Heritage Minute. Interested production companies
should ensure that women are represented on the creative team, including a minimum of one key creative. We strongly
encourage Quebecois production companies to apply. Your team must include significant representation from Quebec.
at 5 p.m. ET to productions@historicacanada.ca
Competition is limited to Canadian companies and Canadian citizens only. All team members and performers must be
Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Historica Canada is a charitable organization that offers programs in both official languages that you can use to explore,
learn, reflect on our history, and consider what it means to be Canadian.
Information about the organization and programs may be found at www.historicacanada.ca. All of the Heritage Minutes
may be found here.
DEADLINE:
An electronic copy of the proposal in .pdf format is due Nov 20, 2025, with the subject heading “Heritage Minutes RFP 2024-QuebecHistory-‘YOUR COMPANY NAME’”
.
Questions may be sent to productions@historicacanada.ca. No extensions will be granted. No phone calls please.
We regret that due to the high volume of applicants we are unable to provide detailed feedback to unsuccessful
candidates.
This is an open and competitive process. Proposals will be evaluated immediately thereafter. Historica Canada will select
up to 5 proposals for follow-up interviews in person or by zoom in mid Dec 2025.
Please note that the services performed by the selected production company in regard to the new Heritage Minute shall
be for the exclusive benefit of Historica Canada. All work products generated as well as copyright for the Heritage
Minutes shall belong to Historica Canada.
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