Persona-ID

If you created a Persona-ID account before April 13, 2023, please review the Terms of Use since some of the terms changed. Here is a summary of the main changes:

• Limited Access to Information (see section 6d): Additional language has been added. “Analytics and other reports based on anonymized and aggregated data may be shared with third parties (e.g., other funders in partnership Programs).”
• Validation (see section 7): This section has been updated. “The CMF and the CMF’s Program Administration (“CMFPA”) staff at Telefilm may contact you to request further information regarding your self-identification. This may include requests for additional explanation or to provide documentation for review and validation.”
• Retention Period (see section 11): A new Retention Period has been added. “PERSONA-ID accounts will be reviewed on an annual basis. All users registered in a given year will receive a notice the June of every seven (7) years following their registration to the PERSONA-ID system to validate their PERSONA-ID account. If an account is not validated, it will be archived/deleted by December. This notice will allow users to validate their account for it to remain active, or to close their account. Accounts that are closed will be treated like Inactive Accounts and all data will be anonymized and retained for statistical purposes only.”
• Termination (see section 14): New language has been added. At the end of the article, it now reads: “Upon deletion of your account, all self-identification data related to your PERSONA-ID account will be erased, and your personal information will be anonymized and retained for use for statistical purposes only.”

Please note that this is only a summary, so we encourage you to thoroughly read the PERSONA-ID Terms of Use.

If you created a Persona-ID account before April 13, 2023, please note that the Questionnaire has been updated to reflect evolving terms and data collection efforts. Here is a summary of the most significant changes:

• Question 11 and 14: Definitions have been added to help users in completing the sections related to Indigenous People to Canada and the Racial and Ethnocultural Identity.
• Question 8: This question has been updated to reflect “Gender Diverse” in place of “Other”.
• Question 10: Terminology has been updated based on feedback and community consultations.
• The CMF has evolved its terminology for to “Disabled person or person with disabilities”.
• Question 18: Terminology has been updated based on feedback and community consultations.
• Question 19: Responses have been updated based on feedback and community consultations.

Please note that this is only a summary, so we encourage you to thoroughly read the questionnaire. Per the Terms of Use, you may elect to change your responses to your PERSONA-ID questionnaire at any time.

After creating a PERSONA-ID account and completing the voluntary PERSONA-ID self-identification questionnaire, you will be given a 6-digit number that will serve to identify you in the PERSONA-ID system. This number allows the CMF to confirm your identity and use the relevant information for the purposes mentioned above.

Starting April 2023, all shareholders and corporate directors of Applicant production companies applying to the CMF will need to submit their PERSONA-ID number with their Application. Some exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

Also, Applicants seeking to benefit from applicable CMF equity and inclusion initiatives or comply with certain eligibility requirements may request individuals to provide PERSONA-ID numbers. The Applicant will not have access to the information itself.

In the Convergent Stream (and the Digital Linear Series Program) this may include the Production and Creative Teams:

• The Production Team is comprised of the paid producer positions on the project. “Producers” shall be defined as either Producer, Executive Producer/Showrunner, Executive Producer, Co-executive Producer, Supervising Producer, Associate Producer, or Creative Producer positions.
• The Creative Team is comprised of the paid Writer and Director positions on the project. “Writer” and “Director” shall be defined in accordance with Guild collective agreements and ascribed the same meaning as commonly understood in the broadcast, television and film industries.

In the Experimental Stream, this may include the following paid Eligible Positions: Producer, Executive Producer, Director (including Technical Director, Creative Director, Art Director, and Interactive Director), Senior Programmer, Designer, and Project Leader.

If for some reason, someone is unwilling to provide a PERSONA-ID number, please advise your CMFPA analyst and explain the reasons why they prefer not to do so. If the reasons are deemed valid, the Applicant may receive an exemption. However, these individuals may not be counted for eligibility to any targeted program or incentive based on self-identification.

CMF encourages all individuals working on a project submitted to the CMF’s Convergent and Experimental Stream Programs to sign up for a PERSONA-ID and to share their number with Applicant company.

Information from these individuals who are not specifically requested for CMF eligibility will be anonymized and used in aggregate for statistical and Program evaluation purposes only.

The CMF will rely on the self-identification information associated with an individual’s PERSONA-ID number in order to confirm the CMF’s Gender Balance Requirement and Diverse Community Production Licenses Factor.

Since PERSONA-ID is a personal access account that may be used to identify you on multiple projects and by different production companies in the future, we encourage you to use your personal and most reliable email account.

Information that you submit will be anonymized and aggregated before it is used in any statistical or analytical document published by the CMF (e.g., the CMF’s Annual Report). While the CMF will not share your individual information with any third parties, the following limited access will be provided:

1. CMF Applicant production companies will only be able to see your name and PERSONA-ID number, but not any of the detailed self-identification information you provide. CMF Applicants may receive aggregated reports regarding the eligibility of their Applications, without detailed information.
2. Canadian Broadcasters will receive aggregated reports regarding the demographic diversity of their Projects, without any of the detailed self-identification information you provide.
3. Designated CMF and CMF Program Administrator staff may access, review and internally share your information if it is relevant to the analysis of an Application.
4. Analytics and other reports based on anonymized and aggregated data may be shared with third parties (e.g., other funders in partnership Programs).
5. In some exceptional cases, the CMF may cross-validate its data with other organizations (e.g., the Indigenous Screen Office) to confirm the presence of individuals in both databases.

You can select multiple racial identities as you may feel apply. For certain targeted Programs or initiatives, CMF will consider those who may have selected the applicable identity(ies), including those who are biracial or multiracial.

You can change your personal information at any time. However, if your PERSONA-ID is already attached to an application currently being processed, the information submitted on the program’s deadline will be considered. To change your name or contact information, you will need to contact Telefilm’s Technical Services at [email protected].

Please note that to change your name, you may need to create a new account and inform the Applicant and the analyst handling any active applications linked to your old name.

No. You can only use PERSONA-ID to self-identify for applications to the Canada Media Fund (CMF).

If you believe someone is using your PERSONA-ID number without your consent, please contact [email protected] and request an inquiry. Applicants should only use a PERSONA-ID number someone who has agreed to participate in their project and who has provided their PERSONA-ID number with consent.

Applicants should inform their analyst of any changes to these roles as soon as they occur. Please note that any such changes may impact the Applicant and/or the Project  eligibility to certain programs and incentives regarding compliance eligibility requirements or scoring.

At the completion of any supported project, Applicants are required to confirm if any of the above roles or eligibility criteria have changed.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is the sole owner of all data collected via PERSONA-ID. The CMF’s Program Administrator at Telefilm Canada acts as a third-party service provider for the CMF with the capacity to store, manage and deliver the data to the CMF.

No, this is not required. The CMF will only evaluate the Canadian company composition and the Canadian personnel to determine a project’s eligibility to any of its Programs, incentives or requirements.

PERSONA-ID has been developed in compliance with Canadian law. Please note that privacy laws vary in other countries. The CMF does not intend to collect personal information from European Union residents. Residents of the EU should not create a PERSONA-ID account.