TELUS STORYHIVE Voices 2.0 is seeking local creators to tell unique stories

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Submit your project idea for a chance to receive a $10,000 grant, training, peer-mentorship and distribution on TELUS Optik TV

Calling all Lethbridge beginner and emerging creators! TELUS STORYHIVE is now accepting applications for the Voices 2.0 program, which is open to creators from all experience levels and from a diverse range of backgrounds. Previous Voices applicants are encouraged to re-engage and apply before July 28. Beginner content creators are especially encouraged to apply.

Now is the time to step out of your comfort zone for an opportunity to jumpstart your content creation journey and to tell a story that you’re passionate about, share your experience and your culture and use your unique voice to build up your community. STORYHIVE is funding up to 100 selected creators with a $10,000 production grant, peer-mentorship, training and distribution on TELUS Optik TV, with an audience reach of more than one million subscribers.

The second TELUS STORYHIVE Voices program will provide content creators in B.C. and Alberta with a series of training workshops and a community of support to help them grow their skills and broaden the audience for their project.

“We’re excited to see unique and inspiring stories from across B.C. and Alberta, including Lethbridge,” says Shaun Cathcart, STORYHIVE Southern Alberta Territory Manager. “It’s amazing how we can continue to connect with and support people from all sizes of communities, not just those in metropolitan areas. Despite the ever-changing mediums, storytelling and community impact is at the heart of what STORYHIVE Voices 2.0 offers emerging creators. We really want to hear your stories and lived experiences in an exciting way. If you have an idea to pitch, we encourage you to apply and share your story.”

Eligible story content is wide-ranging, with nearly any type of non-fiction content from a local perspective being accepted, including: episodic, docuseries, visual podcasts, digital shorts, cooking shows, trivia and gaming shows, talk shows, variety shows, craft/DIY, cityscapes, city-specific exploration and local travel, vlogs and lifestyle shows. The program format must be a minimum of 150 minutes, divided anywhere between six to 10 episodes.

Jordon Hon is an Edmonton-born, Hong-Kong Chinese-Canadian photographer. As a recipient of the first Voices program, he focused his passion on sharing local perspectives and what’s happening in Edmonton’s Chinatown, all while paying close attention to the history of the area and its people.

His six-part docuseries, A Portrait of Chinatown, centres on a neighbourhood suffering from neglect, as he says, and the issues that face the community, which have instigated social disorder, crime, safety concerns and streetscaping disregard, to name a few.

“A lot of core businesses have been affected because of these things, business closures and the like, so, I took a thoughtful yet thorough approach and looked deep into the roots of Chinatown to see how we got where we are today,” says Hon.

Hon says that what is really important for those interested in applying is your idea. It is truly your idea and your passion that STORYHIVE wants to help bring to life. He says that beginner and emerging creators should step outside of their comfort zone and just apply.

“The most important thing is your idea and the stories you want to tell. That and the positive impact you want to have with your community. Think about how you can achieve that with your idea and concept.”

Hon adds, “If you’re doubting your technical and interviewing skills, don’t worry. There are workshops for that. You just need to focus on your idea. What I love about STORYHIVE is that they truly value the diversity and specificity of the stories these filmmakers are telling.”

If you’re an emerging Lethbridge Herald artist with an important and unique story to tell, send your application before July 28, 2022 at 12 a.m. (midnight) Pacific Time to storyhive.com/voices.

Since 2013, TELUS STORYHIVE has been able to support a community of more than 18,000 local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta, providing over $15 million in funding and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring the projects they care about to life.

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