CGP Spotlight
Distribution

Distribute on CGP Spotlight

What we accept

We accept short films, feature films, documentaries, series, verticals, storytelling podcasts, talk shows, comedy specials, and audiobooks.

We do not accept any submissions that use generative AI.AI-assisted tools like captioning, noise reduction and colour correction are fine. Generative AI that creates images, video, voices, music or script content is not.

Submission FAQ ↓

Choose your submission form

Movie / Short Film

Use this form for standalone projects. Upload one video file. A trailer is optional.

Submit a Film →

Series

Use this form for episodic video projects. Start with your pilot episode. A trailer is optional.

Submit a Series →

Storytelling Podcast / Audiobook

Start with your first episode or chapter. Upload a finished video, or upload your audio and cover art and we’ll make the video for you. A teaser is optional.

Submit a Podcast or Audiobook →
Important notes before submitting. Original, human-made work only, finished and properly formatted. Read what we can't accept
Filmmaker Jordan Belliveau hugging his television with AcreFall showing on CGP Spotlight
“Okayyyyy streaming service!!! Acrefall is yours on CGP Spotlight”

Jordan Belliveau · 515 likes · 72 comments

Watch AcreFall →See the post

The process

From sign-up to going live

  1. 01

    Create a free account

    Free, no subscription. It just keeps your submission tied to you.

  2. 02

    Upload your project & materials

    Choose the form for your project and follow its upload checklist.

  3. 03

    We review your submission

    You hear back within 2 to 3 weeks. If we pass, we tell you why and you can fix it and resubmit.

  4. 04

    Sign the agreement & go live

    If approved, we send the producer/rightsholder a distribution licence agreement. Both sides sign, then your project publishes automatically across web, mobile and TV.

The deal

How it works

The full detail is in the agreement you sign if your project is accepted. Here is the short version.

Non-exclusive

You keep your work and can release it anywhere else, at any time

Three years

From the day you sign, then renews a year at a time. Either side can end it with 30 days’ notice

25%

Of subscriber revenue goes into the creator pool, shared by qualifying watch time

$100

CAD combined payout minimum for pool earnings and referral commissions. Smaller balances carry forward

How your share is worked out

  1. 1

    The pool is filled

    25% of the subscriber revenue CGP Spotlight receives each quarter, including gift card sales, goes into that quarter's creator pool. It is worked out after payment processing fees, app store commissions, refunds and sales tax, and before any other platform costs.

  2. 2

    It is divided by qualifying watch time

    A qualifying view is three or more minutes of active playback in a single session, or 90% of a film shorter than three minutes. It gets your title into the pool. Qualifying watch time is all the time watched in those views, including the first three minutes. Trailers, teasers and promotional clips don’t count. Every creator on the platform shares the same pool.

  3. 3

    You receive your share

    Your project earns the same percentage of the quarterly pool as its share of qualifying watch time across CGP Spotlight. Watch time on CGP Spotlight’s own titles counts toward that total, and their share stays with CGP Spotlight. Your creator portal shows a statement each quarter with your views, watch time and earnings.

Example quarterly earnings

Imagine the creator pool for one quarter is $1,000 CAD.

Share of platform qualifying watch timeExample earnings (CAD)
0.5%$5
1%$10
2%$20
5%$50
10%$100

These examples are for illustration only and do not guarantee earnings. Your actual earnings depend on the size of the quarterly creator pool and your project’s share of qualifying watch time across CGP Spotlight. A larger pool or a larger share of qualifying watch time can increase what you earn.

When you get paid

How creator-pool earnings and referral commissions are paid.

  • ✓CGP Spotlight operates strictly on a revenue-share model. We do not pay upfront licensing fees or advances. Creators earn a share based on their qualifying watch time. Referral commissions are separate earnings. Both are paid quarterly, within 45 days after each quarter ends, once your combined unpaid balance reaches $100 CAD. Smaller balances carry forward. Earnings are not guaranteed.
  • ✓Creator-pool earnings are based on qualifying watch time. Referral commissions come from qualifying subscriptions through your referral link.

What you get

Where your work ends up

Your own page, your artwork, your trailer, on every screen your audience already owns.

cgpspotlight.com
AcreFall on the CGP Spotlight web player, with its own hero artwork, synopsis, rating and Watch Now button
A film playing in the CGP Spotlight mobile app, showing the poster, rating, Watch Now and Continue Watching

Every title gets its own page, artwork and rating, on the web player and in the app. The page includes a trailer when provided.

Before you go

Important notes: what we do and don't accept

  • Original or properly licensed IP only. No unauthorized fan films, fan series, adaptations, or projects using third-party characters, worlds, brands, footage, music, or other protected material.

  • No generative AI. We do not accept any submissions that use generative AI. AI-assisted tools like captioning, noise reduction and colour correction are fine. Generative AI that creates images, video, voices, music or script content is not.

  • No gameplay-based productions. We do not accept projects created primarily through Roblox, video game gameplay, machinima, or similar game-based footage.

  • Proper film/series formatting required. Your submission must include a title/opening identification and end credits, and must be delivered as a finished movie or episode rather than a rough or incomplete video.

  • Open worldwide. Submit from anywhere. We stream wherever we are permitted to.
  • No guarantee. Submitting does not guarantee acceptance or an offer.
  • Rights. You must own or control the distribution rights.
  • Privacy. We review in house and never sell your materials.
  • Similarity. Similarity with an independently developed project creates no claim.
Submission Terms·support@cgpspotlight.com

Checklist

Before you submit, have these ready

Film / Short

  • ✓Video fileMP4 or MOV, clearly labelled (e.g. MyFilm_FINAL.mp4), with a stereo (2.0) audio mix
  • ✓Film captionsEnglish captions generate automatically after upload. Review names and spelling and confirm them before submitting. You can also upload your own SRT; use that option for other languages.
  • ✓Trailer videoOptional for standalone films.
  • ✓Trailer captionsIf you upload a trailer, review and confirm its automatic English captions or upload your own SRT.
  • ✓PosterPortrait orientation, minimum 1000×1500px
  • ✓ThumbnailLandscape, minimum 1280×720px
  • ✓Logo / title treatmentTransparent PNG preferred
  • ✓Gallery / promo photosOptional, up to 8 images
  • ✓Logline1 or 2 sentences
  • ✓SynopsisA few paragraphs describing your film
  • ✓Director(s) and castFull names
  • ✓Content rating and descriptorse.g. TV-14, Violence, Coarse Language. Descriptors are optional
  • ✓Mailing addressRequired for the distribution agreement
  • ✓Music detailsWhether your music is original, licensed for streaming, or public domain, and where it came from
  • ✓Payout emailFor creator-pool payments. PayPal, or your best contact email if PayPal is not available where you live

Series

Prepare the artwork and project details listed for films above, plus the episode items below. You only need your pilot to start. A series trailer is optional.

  • ✓Episode video fileClearly labelled by season and episode (e.g. S01E01_Title.mp4), with a stereo (2.0) audio mix
  • ✓Episode captionsEnglish captions are generated automatically after video upload. Review names and spelling and confirm them before submitting, or upload your own SRT. For other languages, upload an SRT.
  • ✓Trailer captionsIf you upload a trailer, review and confirm its automatic English captions or upload your own SRT.
  • ✓Episode thumbnailLandscape, minimum 1280×720px
  • ✓Episode title, season, and episode number
  • ✓RuntimePer episode
  • ✓Episode summaryShort description shown to viewers

Series-level assets (poster, thumbnail, logo, gallery, trailer) are the same as for a film and apply to the series as a whole.

Storytelling Podcast / Audiobook

Start with your first episode or chapter. You can add the rest after approval and signing.

  • First episode or chapterUpload a video or an MP3, M4A, or WAV recording. Choose cover art and Spotlight will turn the recording into a widescreen video.
  • Optional trailer or audio teaserIf you have a finished trailer or a short audio excerpt, you can upload it here. Choose cover art for audio uploads.
  • CaptionsReview and confirm the automatic English captions for each upload, including any trailer or teaser, or provide a separate SRT file for each. Use SRT files for other languages.
  • Episode or chapter detailsHave the title, runtime, short summary, and a widescreen thumbnail ready. For an audiobook, use Season 1 and enter the chapter number in the Episode # field.
  • Project artworkA portrait poster (2:3, at least 600×900px), a widescreen project thumbnail (at least 1280×720px), and a transparent PNG or SVG logo or title treatment.
  • Project details and creditsTitle, year, logline, synopsis, creator and cast names, at least one genre, and a content rating.
  • Agreement and payout detailsThe rights holder’s legal name, mailing address, and payout email. Have the signer’s name and email ready if someone else will sign.

Audiobooks & Storytelling Podcasts

Start with your first chapter or episode. Upload a finished video, or send us your MP3, M4A, or WAV recording with your cover art. Spotlight will turn your recording and artwork into a widescreen video.

Sample listing

This example shows how an audiobook can appear on Spotlight.

Keeping Up with Jen book cover

Audiobook

Keeping Up with Jen

Written by Jen Scott

For anyone with twenty-seven brain trains running at once. With humour, honesty, and a few wildly unnecessary side quests, Jen Scott shares what it takes to keep creating when life gets messy and the next step is anybody’s guess.

Personal storiesHumour

About the author

Jen Scott is a filmmaker, actor, and producer who turned a collection of funny, messy stories from her life into Keeping Up with Jen.

Chapters

Illustrative chapter titles · Preview only

  1. 01

    The Raccoon That Started It All

    How one determined backyard visitor helped turn Jen into an author.

  2. 02

    Twenty-Seven Brain Trains

    On ambition, detours, and making something while life is still happening.

Submit a Podcast or Audiobook

Submission FAQ

How do I submit a storytelling podcast or audiobook?

Start with your first episode or chapter in the Podcast or Audiobook form.

  • Have a video podcast? Upload the finished video for your first episode.
  • Have an audio recording? Upload an MP3, M4A, or WAV file and choose cover art. Spotlight turns your recording and artwork into a widescreen video.

A trailer or short audio teaser is optional. Review and confirm captions for each file you upload. After approval and signing, you can add the remaining episodes or chapters from My Submissions.

Do you accept short films, including animated shorts?

Yes. Use the Film form for a completed short, including an animated short that meets the submission rules. Projects that use generative AI are ineligible.

Do you accept vertical projects, including microdramas?

Yes. Use the Film form for a standalone vertical project or the Series form for an episodic vertical project.

Can I submit a film from outside Canada?

Yes. We accept submissions from filmmakers worldwide, including Sri Lanka. You must own or control the distribution rights.

How do I submit, and how is my project reviewed?

Create a free account and use the Film or Series form on this page. We review completed submissions in house against our submission rules and typically respond within 2 to 3 weeks.

Is there a fee to submit?

Submitting is free. You need a free account to upload your project.

Do I need to upload my whole season?

Start with your pilot. After approval and signing, you can add the remaining episodes for review from My Submissions.

Can I distribute my project elsewhere too?

Yes. The distribution agreement is non-exclusive, so you can release your work elsewhere at any time.

Ready to submit?

Create a free account and upload your project. It takes a few minutes, and there is no subscription to start.

Submit a Film →Submit a Series →Submit a Podcast or Audiobook →

Looking for funding instead? Apply to Catchlight Capital

Distribute Your Film or Series on CGP Spotlight