Thank you for coming to our STORYHIVE + TELUS originals Open House!

After two years of virtual events, our team was thrilled to gather in-person to connect with our Calgary and Vancouver creator communities at our Open House events. 

Through these events, the Local Content team shared the newest programs and upcoming opportunities from STORYHIVE and TELUS originals. In addition, guests heard from industry partners on their program offerings and alumni on their experiences and advice for emerging talent. There was also time to network and mingle with fellow creatives, and of course, enjoy delicious food!

Calgary STORYHIVE + TELUS originals Open House

Wednesday, September 28

In Calgary, our team kicked off the Open House with a presentation about STORYHIVE and TELUS originals programs and opportunities.

We welcomed a panel of creatives to speak about the Power of Local Storytelling, moderated by TELUS original Francheska: Prairie Queen Producer, Laura O’Grady. 

Thank you to the following content creators for taking the time to join us:

• Michelle Wong, TELUS originals, Executive Producer of Francheska: Prairie Queen, 

• Vicki Chau, STORYHIVE Content Creator, Views from Chinatown

• Jill Roberts, STORYHIVE Content Creator, Sensei

“Personal stories are very personal. Some become universal and those are the stories that people most connect to.”

- Michelle Wong, on telling stories that centre on local experiences 

We were also fortunate to be joined by a few special guests.

Lucia Juliao, Partnerships & Donation Manager of the Calgary International Film Festival, took to the stage and spoke about the festival and the incredible talent from Calgary, including a few STORYHIVE and TELUS original spotlights!

Wendy Hyman, Program Manager of the National Screen Institute, shared about her team’s role in mentorship for emerging content creators and the strong partnership with STORYHIVE.

Vancouver STORYHIVE + TELUS originals Open House

Thursday, October 6

In Vancouver, we were fortunate to be joined by a few very special guests! 

Farhan Umedaly of VoVo Productions shared about his groundbreaking STORYHIVE-supported program, The Empowered Filmmaker. STORYHIVE is proud to partner with VoVo Productions to run the Community Stories program to build, empower and shape Indigenous storytellers of all ages with no prior knowledge in filmmaking into self-sufficient, nimble and powerful media content creators.

Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC (and former STORYHIVE team member!), took the stage to share about Creative BC and STORYHIVE’s invaluable partnership.

Last but not least, we were thrilled to have Joan Jenkinson, Executive Director of the Black Screen Office, join us all the way from Toronto. She took the opportunity to share more about the BSO’s work and advocacy, and of course, our partnership in producing the first-ever Black Creators Edition. 

To complete the Program Showcase portion of the event, a panel of creatives took the stage for a conversation about the Power of Local Storytelling, moderated by Munira Mohamud, Senior Program Manager, STORYHIVE Voices. 

Thank you to the following content creators for taking the time out of their busy schedules to join us:

• Joy Haskell, STORYHIVE Content Creator, Hey Cuzzin

• Jessica Hallenbeck, TELUS originals, Producer of The Empress of Vancouver

• Dave Rodden-Shortt, TELUS originals, Director of The Empress of Vancouver

• Nathan Drillot, TELUS originals, Producer of Out There

“It’s hustle. It’s pure hustle, it’s pure heart, it’s having the right people around you. I researched comedy and how I wanted it to be. I went after all the funding that I could. Even when people say no, you have to brush it off and keep going. I wanted to hire local — and I wanted to find Indigenous writers and I wanted to find comedy writers because comedy is its own beast. You just have to keep going. You have to dig deep and you have to keep going. It’s how I got my writer’s room together, I kept pitching it, I kept talking to people… and built relationships with people I admire and want to work with.” 

- Joy Haskell on taking Hey Cuzzin above and beyond STORYHIVE

Thank you to our Calgary and Vancouver communities for attending our Open Houses! It was a pleasure to see your faces and share more about how our Local Content team is supporting content creators in Western Canada.

Stay tuned on STORYHIVE’s channels for more Open Houses coming to a city near you in 2023.