Screen Australia and YouTube Australia have selected music-focused YouTube channel The Vegetable Plot to receive funding from the 2025 Skip Ahead program, which has selected four projects to share US$311,000 (AUD$480,000) this year.

Inspired by a same-name Australian children’s band, this digital-first franchise plans to use the financing to produce a 2D-animated preschool short series about a group of vagabond veggies traveling around on a tour bus singing original songs that explore feelings. Luke Escombe, one of the band’s performers, is the creator and co-writer behind The Vegetable Plot (pictured, six x two minutes). A two-minute trailer for the project is already up on the brand’s YouTube channel, which has 35,000 subscribers

The Skip Ahead funding represents a big milestone for The Vegetable Plot brand since this first batch of episodes is meant to be a “springboard” toward creating a full-length animated series, says executive producer Nick Lorentzen. 

A joint initiative between YouTube Australia and film development agency Screen Australia, Skip Ahead provides financing to digital creators so they can develop and produce new content for YouTube or YouTube shorts. Each project receives up to US$77,000 (AUD$120,000), and the program also runs a three-day development workshop for up to three members per project. 

Skip Ahead has supported more than 40 creators since launching in 2014, but only a handful—including YouTube channel Rainbow Bop and animation studio Like A Photon Creative—have focused on kids content. 

To be eligible for funding, applicants need to have either a YouTube channel with at least 25,000 subscribers; two YouTube channels with a combined 40,000 subs; or a YouTube video that has hit one million views, hosted on a channel with at least 10,000 subscribers.