Overview
About the Program
Your Passion, Your Community: STORYHIVE Voices is offering new and emerging digital content creators $10,000 in production funding, training and a community of support to produce a local video series. No experience required!
Pitch + Plan
Submit your idea and plan for your project. Before applying to 2024 STORYHIVE Voices please be sure to read the Submission Rules and FAQs.
Award
A selection committee will select projects to receive production funding and distribution support. Each selected project receives a $10,000 production grant.
Learn + Create
Each successful applicant will produce and deliver a minimum of 150 minutes of video content, which can be delivered in a minimum of 6 episodes and a maximum of 10 episodes. This is open to all content creators in eligible communities, no experience is necessary. Whether you like to shoot on your phone or use a pro camera, we want you to tell your story.
Program Dates
Applications open: Feb 6, 2024
Applications close: Mar 20, 2024 at 11:59pm PT
Recipients announced: Week of May 29, 2024
Production starts: Aug 29, 2024
Production ends: May 28, 2025
Before You Start
You must be over the age of majority in BC and Alberta (19+ in BC or 18+ AB)
Please read all the information before you apply (15 mins)
You'll need an idea for a video series before you apply
The application takes 15 minutes to complete
It costs $0 to apply
Project Requirements
Each Project will consist of a minimum of 150 minutes of nonfiction, episodic locally reflective video content, and can be a minimum 6 episodes and a maximum of 10 episodes. All projects must have synchronized audio and video elements.
Deliverables
During the program you'll have the following deliverables:
STORYHIVE Approval Cut
Final Delivery of 6-10 episodes
Eligibility
To be eligible for our programs, you must meet the following criteria:
Live in one of our eligible communities in British Columbia or Alberta
Are a first time or emerging content creator and have not had access to the Canadian Broadcasting system in the last 5 years
Not be participating in another STORYHIVE program that overlaps with this program
Not be an individual associated with TELUS
Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
Your Idea
Examples of eligible projects, but are not limited to:
A documentary web series
An interview-style series
A series of "how to" videos
A series of lifestyle or fitness videos
The following types of formats are ineligible for the STORYHIVE Voices:
Fictional projects including mockumentaries
Music Videos
Animation
Video Game and other applications
Websites
Non-Canadian content
Slow television, or any programming genre without sound, action, or people (bird cams, yule logs, traffic cameras, silent films, etc.)
Audio-only content
Video-only content
Video podcasts
Promotional or advertorial content
What to Expect
Time commitment
The STORYHIVE Voices program begins in August 2024 and ends in May 2025. Project Leads must be prepared to allocate an appropriate amount of time to the planning, production and delivery to meet all deadlines.
Grant payment dates and amounts
80% of your $10,000 grant will be paid upon signing your contract. The remaining 20% will be paid upon final delivery.
Support
The program is self-guided, and you will be responsible for your own learning. There will be 5 mandatory content creator sessions in August 2024 that will introduce the basics of production. You will receive a link to the Content Creator Kit with resources and tips, and your Program Manager will support you along the way.
Distribution
Completed projects are distributed on platforms including TELUS Optik TV On Demand, Stream+, TELUS websites, STORYHIVE.com and other TELUS branded websites or social media platforms including the STORYHIVE YouTube channel. If you wish to launch your project on your own channels or pursue alternate distribution options prior to the official launch date, please contact your STORYHIVE Project Manager. NOTE: Distribution agreements must not conflict with your obligations to STORYHIVE outlined in your grant agreement.
Copyright
Projects Leads retain the copyright to their projects and are encouraged to submit to festivals and participate in community screenings. The picture lock cut of your project must be reviewed and approved by your STORYHIVE Project Manager prior to any screenings, festival submissions or distribution.
How to Prepare you Application
Information you’ll need to provide:
Logline
A short summary of your story idea.
Synopsis
A more detailed description of you project. Dive into the heart of your project, whether that’s a teaser of what makes your story unique, the question your project will ask or a juicy hook.
60 Second Pitch Video
Create a short pitch video that tells us about you and your project! Enter a public or unlisted YouTube link to your 60 second pitch video.
Inclusion Statement
This is an opportunity to tell us more about how your project is increasing representation in front of and behind the camera/microphone. What choices are you making regarding your team, subject matter, interview subjects, writing, hiring and shooting.
Why you?
Tell us why you want to make this project? Why is this project important to you? Why are you the best person to produce this project? What is your connection to the community involved? For example, if your project will address topics that are culturally specific, what is your connection to the culture being represented?
Draft Treatment
Your treatment should include a story outline for your entire series and brief 1-2 sentence description of each episode of your series.
Treatments that do not include an overview of the minimum number of episodes will be ineligible for consideration.
Draft budget
You will need to complete a draft of your budget including where you intend to spend your grant money. This is only a draft, and can be updated later.