Okay.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to appear today. I am the director of content for Telus. I am responsible for managing Telus’ community television commitments in British Columbia and Alberta. With me today, as you've met, is Ann Mainville-Neeson. She's our vice-president of broadcasting policy and regulatory affairs.
I am very excited to share with you details about a funding model we have created in support of the creative community in the west. In a manner that is quite unique among community programming services, Telus Optik Local’s funding model engages viewers in the funding decision, which in turn ensures that there is an audience ready and waiting to watch the programming once it is has been created and made available.
Telus operates broadcast distribution undertakings in B.C., Alberta, and Quebec, and as such we have committed to supporting the creation of local content. One of the ways Telus is allocating this funding is through our community programming funding program called Storyhive. Storyhive is a social platform that empowers audiences to move from being passive viewers to becoming active catalysts in creating, building, and supporting content creators in our communities. Storyhive is analogous to crowdfunding platforms such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter, except that instead of asking the community for money, content creators ask for votes to show community support for the content they want and they get funded and produced.
The Kickstarter-inspired model allows all content creators in British Columbia and Alberta to submit their story ideas, and then the public gets a chance to vote on the project that they feel should receive funding and go into production. The success of Storyhive is that communities get involved in the projects at their ideation stage, which results in viewership of the programming at the final stage of presentation on the community programming service.
Moreover, the Storyhive platform facilitates and encourages collaboration between the various components of the creative community in British Columbia and Alberta. An exciting component of the platform includes a creators directory, where directors, writers, producers, composers, social media specialists, and people with all kinds of backgrounds can connect. It's basically a mini LinkedIn for the creative communities of B.C. and Alberta. Telus also provides successful applicants with comprehensive training to allow them to create the best possible project out of their idea.
As of today, we have funded over 59 projects through Storyhive and more than 1,800 creators have been involved. I personally have met all of the 59 producers of these projects and I can honestly say these grants and the experience in audience engagement are making a difference. Our goal is to make Storyhive one of the most popular and credible funding sources for community content creators and emerging filmmakers in British Columbia and Alberta. In this way, Telus is supporting the creation of community programming that is valuable and relevant to today’s audiences.
We believe that there has never been a more exciting time for Canadian storytellers. Storyhive is a new and innovative way to reach audiences and create engaged communities by involving them in the decision-making. We’re not just creating content for the sake of meeting our regulatory obligations; we are creating meaningful content that Canadians want to watch. With this very open platform, anyone can apply for funding and get the help they need to bring their ideas to the screen. Storyhive is bringing a powerful force of creatives from B.C. and Alberta entering the market. So please stay tuned; you'll see lots more people coming from this platform.
Thank you.