Renee Manners Came Up With the SmARTest Way to Inspire the Next Generation of Artists
Posted on August 28, 2026
Is there anything else quite as magical as a shiny new pack of crayons, a vibrant set of paint and an empty canvas full of possibilities? No matter our age, art has a way of helping us process our feelings, discover who we are and let us feel a bit of wonder and whimsy in a sometimes messy world.
Renee Manners is bottling up this whimsy and giving the children of Fort McMurray, Alberta a chance to learn meaningful life lessons—with plenty of silliness and paint involved. Her TELUS STORYHIVE Voices series, SmART Kids, is an interactive art series filmed in Fort McMurray that brings together a live studio audience and hands-on creativity to inspire young imaginations.
We connected with Renee to learn more about what inspired her series, how art can transform young lives and what legacy she hopes to create with her wonderful series.
STORYHIVE: Tell us about yourself and what you do!
Renee Manners: My name is Renee, and I kind of stumbled upon the job of art teacher! I'm also a comedian, a mom and an entrepreneur.
STORYHIVE: How did SmART Kids come to be?
Renee Manners: It's a little bit of a long story. I come from a family of addicts. When I was a little girl, my mom was very young, and I was often left to figure life out on my own. I was also super creative; shows like Mr. Dressup and Art Attack really raised me and nurtured my creativity.
As I got older, I learned how much my mom had struggled, and she eventually died because of her addiction. I just wish somebody had taught her early in life that there could be other ways to cope. That made me think about my own son and how I was raising him to understand and process his feelings.
I started thinking, "There's got to be a way to instill these important life lessons in people right from the beginning." I thought about what I would have liked as a little kid, and SmART Kids became an idea.
I want every person to have the tools they need to manage their emotions from the very beginning, but I want to hide those lessons in something fun, silly and playful, so they don't realize they're learning about heavier things.
STORYHIVE: What is it about art that you think is so important for kids?
Renee Manners: I think it's because they're in a meditative state when they make art. I call it "the zone." Everything could be blowing up around you, and you have no idea because you're in the zone.
You're allowing your thoughts to swirl, letting your imagination flow and getting into this groove that's so important, especially for kids now because there's so much consumption—media, phones, technology—and not enough going out.
When kids are in that state, you can educate them a lot easier because their minds are open to information. When I'm painting or creating, I experience that same feeling. There's this incredible sense of pride and excitement.
I think some kids' brains are just built for creativity. They need to be in that state as often as possible.
STORYHIVE: Why did you choose a live-audience format for SmART Kids?
Renee Manners: Kids use phones and iPads to watch things, and I wanted them to have a connection with how that stuff was made. The hook is that it's a YouTube channel because that's what kids are into, but I wanted to use that as a hallway to being face-to-face and being in real life.
While we're filming, there are no devices. It's just the kids and me. As a comedian, it's my nature to joke around and be playful! I wanted to be an adult that I would have thought was awesome when I was a kid. That's where Miss Farty came from. I wanted to be cheeky and get the parents involved in making fart noises.
Then I thought, "How do we contain them?" That's where Mr. Manners came in—a more serious principal character to keep the peace.
The first season was really about seeing what worked and connecting with kids in real time. A lot of the time, I didn't even know what I was going to film. I'd bring my art supplies and figure it out in the moment.
STORYHIVE: Was it difficult getting the kids comfortable enough to go on stage?
Renee Manners: I just tried to make it a safe space for them to take the jump. One student, Parker, really stands out. I met him after his art teacher tragically passed away. I went in to replace him for a short period of time, and Parker was one of the kids I got to know.
He's incredibly bright, funny and quirky, and I could tell he was a natural artist. I spent about a year working with him and thought, "This kid needs to be on my show, because kids like him need to know that it's okay to be themselves."
I wanted to celebrate who he was and show other kids that it's cool to be an artist. I gave him a little pep talk before he went on stage and told him this was his chance to show other kids that they could be creative.
I was just trying to be the adult that I would have needed as a kid, to make them feel brave and proud.
STORYHIVE: Have parents or kids ever responded in a way that made you realize the show was having an impact?
Renee Manners: Absolutely! Parents are constantly emailing me pictures of what their kids have created. Kids recognize me when I'm wearing my Miss Farty uniform at work and get so excited. That's what makes me push through the 16-and 18-hour days of building sets and doing everything myself. It’s all been worth it!
STORYHIVE: You were recognized as Fort McMurray Magazine's Top 50 Under 50 in 2025! What did that recognition mean to you?
Renee Manners: I find it kind of weird because I'm just being myself. It can feel like imposter syndrome!
But I'm also very grateful to be recognized for being myself, because so much of my childhood was about "Don't say that. Don't do that." I didn't learn like normal kids.
Fort McMurray is such a cool place to live because it's a little bit of everybody from everywhere. We've created this kind of bubble where, if you're good to your community, your community honours you.
STORYHIVE: What did you learn from the first two seasons, and how has the show evolved?
Renee Manners: Season Two was still about figuring out what works. I want to weed everything out so that when we eventually invest in a bigger stage and a bigger budget, we've learned what works and what doesn't.
We experimented with having adult guests, which was actually trickier than working with kids because the adults were more nervous. We also had less of an audience, which meant more Miss Farty and the camera.
I also learned a lot about production and editing. I work best on the fly, so pre-planning can drain me, but I'm learning why things like standing in the same place or syncing everything properly matter. If editing is faster and smoother, we can use the budget elsewhere. We're going back to a full audience for Season Three!
STORYHIVE: What was your STORYHIVE experience?
Renee Manners: It was awesome. I've really struggled with the idea of grants because there's so much paperwork, and you have to have all these examples and materials.
I saw the STORYHIVE grant on Facebook with only a couple of days left, and I was at work. I just put my camera up and said, "Hey guys, I'm Renee. This is what I want to do. Let's just wing it."
It was very easy to fill out and wasn't intimidating at all. Once we got the grant, there were definitely things that intimidated me, especially the technology and training. I'm a VCR girl!
But the good thing is that it forces you to learn. Nobody's holding your hand, but they're giving you an opportunity to figure things out yourself. You're proud of what you've learned because you've discovered it on your own.
And then to receive all this praise and see the STORYHIVE team celebrating what we're creating—I teared up. I thought, "Oh my God, what we're trying to make is really happening."
STORYHIVE: What do you hope for SmART Kids to contribute to the world?
Renee Manners: I want to protect kids' innocence and imaginations. I want their childhoods to last longer so that, in a couple of generations, we have humans who are kind to each other and safe within themselves. I think it's possible!
Kids are so awesome. They're funny, and they need to be nurtured and encouraged, and I want to contribute to that.
STORYHIVE: What advice would you give other people with a creative project who are hesitant to put it out into the world?
Renee Manners: My advice is to be like Nike and just do it! You've got nothing to lose. Even if you do it and it doesn't work out, you're still where you are. You're either going to learn or grow. You're either going to get what you want and move further ahead, or you're going to learn what not to do.
That's what I teach my kids in art, too. Learning what you don't like is just as important as learning what you do like. You're learning yourself. Just be brave and try it. You've got nothing to lose, and you're going to feel proud either way.
And STORYHIVE is so easy to work with. The team is wholesome, comfortable and easy. What are you waiting for?
STORYHIVE: What do you hope audiences take away from watching SmART Kids?
Renee Manners: Just to loosen up a little and realize that life can be great. Focus on what makes you feel good in a healthy way.
I hope it inspires people to explore themselves. Technology is amazing, but it can also stunt us. Reconnect with yourself, reconnect with your kids and challenge yourself in a way that's not scary. Put the phone down, put some music on and draw a picture.
STORYHIVE: What's next for you and SmART Kids?
Renee Manners: I eventually want to go global! I want subscription boxes where kids get all the art supplies they need for a particular medium, along with videos where we do the project together. I want an app that's almost like MasterClass for kids—not just art, but music, cooking and other creative pursuits; a place where kids can consume healthy, happy content that helps them grow.
I also want to bring SmART Kids into schools and eventually sponsor art supplies across Canada. I'd love to create a sponsorship program where families can pay for a second subscription for a child who wouldn't otherwise have access. We could work with teachers to identify kids who would benefit.
Please join us in celebrating Renee’s success! Watch SmART Kids and other kid-friendly content now on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 611, Stream+ and the TELUS STORYHIVE Kids TV YouTube Channel.