For 10 years, content creators from across B.C. and Alberta have been sharing their passions and telling local stories from small towns, underrepresented communities and unique perspectives thanks to support from TELUS STORYHIVE. These stories have sparked conversations, changed narratives and transformed careers of emerging content creators.
“We are incredibly proud of the work STORYHIVE has supported over the past 10 years in Red Deer,” says Shaun Cathcart, Southern Alberta territory manager at STORYHIVE. “Celebrating and amplifying Canadian-created content that is locally reflective and relevant is at the core of TELUS STORYHIVE’s mission. It’s been very rewarding to be able to amplify the voices of the community and champion the development of inspiring content such as In The Jumpseat with Jacqueline and Queer in Alberta.”
Albertan storytellers thrive with support from STORYHIVE
As a queer Filipina-Canadian born and raised in Alberta, Kels Delamarter grew up with certain assumptions about what it means to be queer on the Prairies.
“We hear a lot about themes of scarcity, struggle and hardship, but that didn’t line up with my life. I’m far from the first to collect stories and queer history, but I believe there’s power in asking queer community members to share the positives and negatives of their experience,” says Delamarter.
Delamarter applied to the STORYHIVE Voices program after her self-produced TikTok interview series Queer in Alberta took off.
“There was so much interest, and people wanted to see longer interviews,” says Delamarter.“Being selected for STORYHIVE Voices completely changed my life. It’s connected me with so many queer community members doing profound and amazing work here in Alberta. It’s also given me the opportunity to present at museums and work with organisations like It Gets Better Canada — it’s been so much more than I expected!”
Jacqueline Clements applied to the STORYHIVE Voices program to get back into video production after a few years out of the industry, and created her series In the Jumpseat with Jacqueline to showcase success stories in her hometown of Okotoks, Alberta.
So far, In the Jumpseat with Jacqueline has focused on promoting the resilience and ingenuity of Okotoks entrepreneurs and nonprofits, but Clement says other communities have expressed interest.
“There are so many amazing stories in our small towns, and if someone doesn’t start telling them they’re going to get lost. That’s why it’s so important that STORYHIVE is supporting creators of all backgrounds, to share the stories of their communities.”
Clements has seen incredible success from her work with STORYHIVE, and it’s led to many other projects.
Making an impact in B.C. and Alberta for a decade
STORYHIVE’s impact in the last 10 years includes distributing over $52 million in production funding, supporting 1,100+ screen based projects to be produced, over 10,000 hours of robust training and one-on-one mentorship. STORYHIVE has also supported 270+ communities across BC and Alberta. Through innovative programs they provide production funding, training, mentorship and distribution on TELUS Optik TV and online platforms. STORYHIVE remains committed to supporting and empowering the next generation of Canadian content creators and storytellers.
STORYHIVE couldn’t do this work alone; it takes an entire community of organisations and diverse community voices to help deliver these first rate programs. Many remarkable organisations, partners, team members and individuals have contributed to the growth and development of STORYHIVE programs over the years.
Learn more about the impact STORYHIVE has made in your community at STORYHIVE.com/anniversary.
4 ways to celebrate a decade of local storytelling with STORYHIVE!
- See how STORYHIVE programs have made a difference in your community at STORYHIVE.com/anniversary.
- Watch Local, Support Local. For every view on the new Optik TV Channel 9 from June 1-30, 2023, TELUS will donate $1 (up to a maximum of $10,000 total) to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation.
- Check out the STORYHIVE anniversary video, Dare to Dream, Dare to Create
- Stay up to date on STORYHIVE’s website and social media @STORYHIVE on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to learn about future funding opportunities and the latest local content to watch.
Learn more about the impact that STORYHIVE has made in your community at STORYHIVE.com/anniversary.