TELUS STORYHIVE launches first-ever Three-Part Docuseries Edition

SPONSORED CONTENT

Apply for your chance to receive $20,000 in production funding, training, professional mentorship and distribution on TELUS Optik TV and Stream+

f you’re a new and emerging filmmaker in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, or other communities across Alberta and B.C., TELUS STORYHIVE has exciting news: a new docuseries program designed to help you develop your craft and bring your vision to life.

“We’re proud to launch TELUS STORYHIVE’s first-ever Three-Part Docuseries Edition, giving new and emerging filmmakers the opportunity to expand their storytelling, build their skills and create meaningful, multi-episode documentary work,” says Shaun Cathcart, Southern Alberta territory manager for TELUS STORYHIVE.

“We encourage passionate storytellers across Alberta to apply and bring their unique perspectives to life,” he adds. “No prior experience is required.”

Celebrate the power of film and compelling local storytelling with TELUS STORYHIVE by pitching your three-part documentary idea, and you could be selected to receive $20,000 in production funding, training and professional mentorship by the National Screen Institute, plus distribution to over 1 million viewers on TELUS Optik TV and Stream+. 

If your pitch is selected, TELUS STORYHIVE will support you to create a three-episode documentary series that amplifies a story that’s meaningful to you and your local community. 

Heather Trail, a Medicine Hat resident and TELUS STORYHIVE alum knew she had a story worth telling, albeit extremely personal and delicate. A Métis woman, she shared her powerful journey of healing and recovery from PTSD by finding her creative side in her documentary, Wisdom Feather – Despair to Destiny.

“I wanted to share my healing journey with others about how I healed from PTSD,” says Trail. “I found a unique way of using creativity to heal my very deep wounds. PTSD leaves you lonely and feeling weak and angry all the time; my project is a story of recovery and truth.”

More than funding: TELUS STORYHIVE’s creator support system

TELUS STORYHIVE has remained committed to supporting local creators, offering production funding and resources to smaller regions in B.C. and Alberta, like Medicine Hat — proving you don’t need to live in a big city to fulfill your filmmaking dreams. 

Trail’s experience echoes the feelings of many that came before her in previous programs that not only give space to underrepresented voices, but celebrate them, too — always emphasizing community.

“Working with TELUS STORYHIVE was seamless,” she reveals. “From the application process, the acceptance, the support from the beginning, middle, and end was amazing. I felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself. The staff are very helpful as are the other participants. Instructions are very clear, and for a beginner in every sense like I was, that was crucial.”

As a TELUS STORYHIVE docuseries filmmaker, you’ll not only bring your story to life, you’ll increase your content creation capabilities and knowledge, something Trail learned first-hand. “Time commitment and accountability,” she says, were the biggest lessons learned throughout the project.  

Don’t miss your chance to apply

Trail’s successful experience has given her the confidence to dispense her own advice to others and she says,”trust yourself,” if you’re an aspiring creator and are considering applying to TELUS STORYHIVE’s Three-Part Docuseries Edition. 

“If you have an idea, you have a great start. I was so afraid of the responsibility and the expectations; however, STORYHIVE will walk you through the entire process.”

“I am so very thankful that I was chosen for my project and given the opportunity to learn, grow and challenge myself in a way that had the potential to reach so many others who may be touched by PTSD.”

Trail adds, “I am grateful for the patience and understanding I was granted from the STORYHIVE team, my program mentor and especially my cousin Robert Anderson.”

Do you have a story that needs to be shared? If so, TELUS STORYHIVE wants you to apply, and encourages STORYHIVE alumni too. Story ideas they’re looking for include: people and organizations creating meaningful change, technology that is changing people’s lives, work that is protecting and sustaining the environment, health and well-being that is transforming communities, local mysteries and lore, local history and community-driven stories that showcase your local community or are locally reflective. 

Remember, there’s no experience required. Interested to learn more? Register for their online Ask Us Anything on April 7, 2026 from 5-6:30 p.m. PT / 6-7:30 p.m. MT – Live streamed to TELUS STORYHIVE’s YouTube channel and TELUS Optik TV.

Applications open March 31 at 9 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. MT. Apply at STORYHIVE.com/apply by May 14, 2026.

IP Note: When you’re funded through any TELUS STORYHIVE program, you keep 100% ownership of your intellectual property. That means your project is yours to share, grow and monetize — now and in the future. Under our non-exclusive licensing agreement, your project will appear on TELUS STORYHIVE platforms for up to 10 years, ensuring it reaches audiences while you retain all rights.

TELUSSTORYHIVE has helped empower a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta since 2013, distributing over $74.8 million in production funding and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring the projects they care about to life. Content creators retain ownership of their projects and are free to tell their stories their way.

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