Building Community in Digital Media
Creativity naturally brings people together, but that community doesn’t just sustain itself. It needs people who are willing to show up for each other, and for themselves.
Community happens naturally. Growing it takes effort.
Before I worked in tech or video games, I taught dance. It’s where I learned what community really means. When people move together, you start to see how connection isn’t just about shared interests, It’s about shared emotion. The emotion is what keeps people coming back.
At the time, I organized a year-end showcase that brought dancers from five clubs across three post-secondary institutions together. Each school had its own dance club, ranging from hip-hop to jazz to contemporary. Together, we put on 10 performances. I remember the joy I felt being a part of something like that—bringing together something bigger than dance itself. We all felt like we were part of a shared rhythm, a shared purpose, and a shared emotion.
Years later, when I moved into the tech and video game industry, that same principle helped me to grow an online Discord community of thousands. Passion for games brought people together, but what kept the spark alive was that shared feeling: we belonged to something. That feeling takes intention, structure, and effort.
I’ve carried that lesson through every phase of my career, and now at Edmonton Screen, I’m watching it unfold in the screen industry. Creativity naturally brings people together, but that community doesn’t just sustain itself. It needs people who are willing to show up for each other, and for themselves.
In larger cities, I’ve seen how creative hubs can fracture into silos—each scene doing its own thing. Edmonton is different. The film, TV, gaming, and digital media communities here overlap and feed each other. You can walk into a meetup and immediately feel part of something bigger than your own project. Everyone is moving in the same direction, helping each other make great work, introducing one another to the right folks, and building up one another’s careers.
That openness speeds everything up. The collaboration happening today shapes the future of studios in Edmonton. Designers, developers, and storytellers form bonds out of shared creativity and ambition, laying the foundation for the city’s next generation of creators.
There’s so much artistic energy here. Part of my job is helping it find direction, connecting the creative and commercial sides, and making sure that passion has room to grow. Edmonton Screen exists to make those connections possible and I believe my role is to ensure that passion is nurtured through shared effort with other creatives, all of us choosing to show up for one another.
Something I’m certain of is that community is about more than proximity—it’s about rhythm. The rhythm that keeps creators in sync, moving toward the same goal. The same rhythm I saw years ago when dancers from multiple schools shared a stage for the first time.
My goal is to carry that forward in the screen industry—so every artist, studio, and storyteller feels part of something bigger than themselves.
Something is shifting.
I’ve felt it at film festivals, in conversations with producers, even around the dinner table. Canadians are connecting with their own stories in a way that feels new. There is a growing sense of pride in seeing ourselves reflected on screen.
It reminds me of the “buy local” movement. People want something rooted in place, the same way someone might reach for Canadian whiskey instead of Kentucky bourbon. There is meaning in choosing something homegrown.
For years, Canadian work had to compete with bigger, glossier productions from the south. That is changing. Our films and series now stand confidently beside the best in the world. The Handmaid’s Tale helped open that door and proved that Canadian creative teams could deliver stories that resonate globally. Since then, the work has been speaking for itself, and our voice carries further than we once imagined.
And it is not just Canadians who want our stories. International partners are paying attention too. While some markets are turning inward, Canada continues to remain open. Co-production treaties with countries across Europe, Asia, and Australia give us a unique advantage. We have an industry that knows how to collaborate globally while staying true to what makes our stories distinct.
This openness plays directly to Edmonton’s strengths. We have never focused on chasing glossy spectacle. We excel in smaller, creative, story-driven work. And that is where the industry is heading.
At Edmonton Screen, we are building the foundation for more of that work. We are supporting producers as they develop their own intellectual property, expanding training for emerging talent, and helping local companies grow with stability and confidence. The goal is to create an environment where Edmonton stories can take shape at home and travel anywhere.
It is no surprise that more of us are reaching for the local pour. We are finding that what is being made here is rich, specific, and worth returning to. The stories coming out of Edmonton and Northern Alberta offer a perspective audiences are ready for.
Canadian stories matter. Edmonton stories matter. And the world is making room for both.
