Systemic barriers in Canada’s screen industry have historically limited opportunities for Pan-Asian creators, contributing to stories being excluded or told without authentic lived experience. Yet Asian communities represent more than 20% of Western Canada’s population. The challenge for TELUS STORYHIVE was not simply to launch a new funding opportunity, but to reach aspiring creators who may not have seen traditional filmmaking or funding systems as accessible to them.
In April 2025, STORYHIVE launched its first Pan-Asian Storyteller Edition, offering new and emerging filmmakers across B.C. and Alberta $20,000 in production funding plus training, professional mentorship and distribution, with no prior experience required.
The campaign’s primary objective was to generate 150 applications while ensuring participation extended beyond major urban centres into underserved and underrepresented communities across STORYHIVE’s 22 serving regions. We set out to make the opportunity visible, credible and accessible to creators who may not have traditionally engaged with filmmaking programs or funding opportunities.
With an $89,000 marketing investment, the campaign focused on building awareness within diverse Pan-Asian communities, establishing trust through culturally relevant outreach and partnerships, and converting awareness into meaningful participation. Ultimately, the goal was not simply to meet an application target, but to create a more inclusive entry point into Canada’s screen industry—one that empowers emerging Pan-Asian creators to tell their own stories, on their own terms and ensures those stories reach audiences across the country.
The central insight was that representation alone would not overcome barriers to participation. To reach emerging Pan-Asian storytellers, particularly those outside established film networks, we needed community members to influence how the opportunity was designed, communicated and delivered. Our strategy was therefore to build with the community, not simply market to it.
Before launch, STORYHIVE partnered with Bakau Consulting on anti-Asian racism and inclusive-marketing training and consulted Asian screen organizations to shape program language, eligibility, FAQs and outreach. A Pan-Asian Advisory Committee helped guide program development and marketing strategy, embedding lived experience and community perspectives before the campaign reached market.
Community voices also carried the invitation. Seven Pan-Asian program champions, including actor Andrew Phung and TV personality Elaine Lui, extended the campaign through their platforms. Wesley Chan, co-founder of Wong Fu Productions, joined a live filmmaker conversation, giving aspiring creators access to the experience and practical advice of an established Asian storyteller.
With an $89,000 marketing investment, community credibility had to work harder than paid media. Rather than relying primarily on conventional film-industry channels, we prioritized culturally aligned organizations, publications, community events and trusted voices. This allowed us to reach aspiring creators through networks and spaces where they already connected, including people who may not have seen themselves reflected in traditional industry pathways.
Inclusion continued throughout the participant journey. Pan-Asian moderators, mentors and selection committee members reinforced cultural credibility and created an environment where participants could see themselves represented not only in the opportunity, but also in the people delivering and evaluating it. Outreach intentionally extended beyond major urban centres to underserved communities across B.C. and Alberta, recognizing that geographic access can be as significant a barrier as industry access.
A key challenge was balancing broad reach with meaningful community trust. We overcame this by treating outreach as relationship-building rather than simply promotion: partnering with organizations already trusted by Pan-Asian communities, adapting messaging based on community input, and ensuring lived experience informed decisions throughout the process.
The result was a strategy that shifted the fundamental question from, “How do we attract diverse creators to our system?” to, “How do we build a pathway they can see themselves entering?”
What made the project unique was that diversity was not a creative aesthetic layered onto the campaign. Authentic Pan-Asian voices were the messengers, subjects and collaborators behind it. From consultation and creative development through outreach, mentorship and selection, inclusion was built into the experience—creating a more credible, accessible and culturally responsive pathway for emerging Pan-Asian storytellers.
The campaign generated 3.7 million impressions across digital, print, earned media and community outreach, connecting aspiring creators with established Pan-Asian industry voices.
Most importantly, awareness translated into meaningful participation. Against a target of 150 applications, the program received 319 submissions, 113% above target, more than doubling our goal and demonstrating strong demand for a pathway designed specifically for emerging Pan-Asian storytellers.
Success was measured not only by application volume, but by who applied and the stories they brought forward. The campaign reached its intended audience of new and emerging creators: 53% of applicants had never produced a project, while 94% had fewer than five productions. Only 6% had produced five or more projects, confirming that the campaign successfully engaged first-time and early-career storytellers rather than primarily attracting established filmmakers.
The submissions also reflected the breadth of Pan-Asian experiences in Canada. Stories explored immigration and diaspora (67%), intergenerational family dynamics (58%), cultural identity and belonging (52%), food as cultural connection (31%), and LGBTQ+ identity within traditional families (19%).
These results directly met our objectives: to increase awareness, broaden participation and create an accessible entry point for emerging Pan-Asian creators. We consider the campaign a success because it did more than generate attention, it converted community trust into action and surfaced authentic, diverse stories from creators who have historically faced barriers to industry participation.
