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Creative Pathways welcomes all British Columbians to get into #BCFilm

Mar 22, 2022

VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada – People seeking careers in B.C.’s motion picture industry now have a single point of access to knowledge and networks for entry, with distinctive equity opportunities for people from systemically excluded groups.

Activity levels across B.C.’s full-service motion picture industry are at an all-time high, with Creative BC estimating 450 productions spending $3.5B across the province in 2021. To be sustainable, competitive and to meet future growth needs, the film industry’s workforce must attract diverse, next generation talent.

Now serving this need is Creative Pathways, an online hub launching today that maps clear paths and creates opportunities for British Columbians to pursue careers in film and television. Creative Pathways kicks off with a suite of exciting opportunities to learn, meet and work with the industry.

Creative Pathways is Canada’s first localized, comprehensive online hub for career seekers looking to get into the motion picture industry. Underpinning its value to B.C. is a sustainable collaboration framework built by industry for industry, complete with new employer services delivered through Creative BC to bridge diverse entrants with below-the-line production work experiences. These collaborative services will attract career seekers and continue to support Creative Pathways’ currency, as the B.C. motion picture industry’s proactive and centralized source of up-to-date opportunities for application and participation.

Core to the hub’s relevance in B.C., is direct input from the province’s six unions and guilds and its four industry alliances and associations. These organizations provided accurate information to detail more than 300 B.C. job roles, across 39 industry departments and disciplines, including those that are often in high demand and those that are entry-level starting points. Creative Pathways gives rich context for these professions and helps site visitors understand the productions, people, places, and full ecosystem of hundreds of businesses in B.C. that serve the motion picture industry.

The project is overseen by a governance committee that includes 10 local and national industry leaders intent on diversity, inclusion, and the sustainability of B.C.’s motion picture industry workforce. To support collaborative and transformative action, the online hub offers an additional industry-focused resource called the Creative Equity Roadmap, which delivers foundational tools for individuals, organizations and the industry to continue improving cultural competence and practice. The Creative Pathways Lead, within Creative BC’s provincial film commission, now welcomes industry to participate and partner across three new workforce development streams:

  • Setwork (equity stream), designed to place qualified below-the-line candidates onto B.C. productions.
  • Meet 10 (equity stream) designed to place qualified applicants into small, online sessions with below-the-line department heads and other hirers in production to form connections and share expertise.
  • Greet 10x (open stream) designed to deliver tailored, live, online info sessions on a variety of topics hosted by industry insiders and panelists for anyone to join.

This project is made possible with a $500,000 investment through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement and secured by a $100,000 industry seed contribution from WarnerMedia Access Canada.

Visit Creative Pathways to Get into #BCFilm: creativepathwayscanada.com

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QUOTES:

The Honorable Minister Melanie Mark, Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
“The launch of Creative BC’s Creative Pathways online hub provides a roadmap to navigate the motion picture industry, offering resources, skills training and network connections for people who want to work in this sector. Now more than ever, we need to create innovative resources like this to invite people to enter the motion picture industry. This project supports the expansion of B.C.’s film and TV workforce, with an emphasis on increasing equity opportunities for people from diverse communities as an integral part of achieving a robust and dynamic creative industries sector in B.C.”

Karen Horne, WarnerMedia Equity and Inclusion SVP
“B.C. is a major production hub for WarnerMedia in Canada. The creation of the Creative Pathways is a game changer for people seeking careers in the motion picture industry, and will serve as a premier partner for our Access to Action Canada Program. We are proud to support this community-driven platform, and look forward to seeing the long term impact of this important E&I initiative.”

Peter Leitch, President, Motion Picture Production Industry Association
“We’re proud to partner with Creative BC to build a more diverse and sustainable workforce and take advantage of all of the skilled and creative British Columbians’ throughout the province that want to be a part of B.C.’s highly regarded motion picture industry. Creative Pathways is an exciting initiative that will attract undiscovered B.C. talent and enable them to grow their careers in B.C. to meet the increasing global demand for screened entertainment.”

Kendrie Upton, Executive Director, DGC BC
“The creation of Creative Pathways in B.C. has been a labour of love for so many stakeholders who fully support and endorse the concepts of diversifying our workforce in the creative sector.  It’s well beyond high time that this work be put front and centre by our industry and I can’t wait to engage with the next generation of filmmakers that Creative Pathways will attract and support! Many thanks to Creative BC for their stewardship of this pivotal program.”

Daryl Litke, Business Manager, ACFC West
“We believe Creative Pathways will play an important role in assisting underrepresented individuals toward full participation in British Columbia’s film and television industry. This initiative represents both an opportunity and a mechanism to increase diversity and representation across our sector.”

Kerry Swanson, Co-Executive Director, Indigenous Screen Office and Creative Pathways Governance Committee Member
“The ISO is committed to supporting a robust Indigenous screen sector that has professionals working in all areas and roles. Creative Pathways is an important step in fostering new talent in the industry and that is why we are proud partners on this initiative.”

Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC and Creative Pathways Governance Committee Chair  “Creative BC is thrilled to be supporting the B.C. motion picture industry’s proactive collaboration to become more inclusive. A retiring workforce and strong levels of production activity across the entire province are creating high demand for talent from tech, trade, business, and the arts. Creative Pathways supports recruitment and helps to ensure equitable access to exciting careers in film and television.”

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CREATIVE PATHWAYS PROJECT GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

Chair: Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC; Kendrie Upton, Executive Director, DGC BC*; Phil Klapwyk, Business Representative, IATSE Local 891*; Tracey Friesen, Managing VP, CMPA-BC Producers Branch*; Barbara Lee, Founder, Vancouver Asian Film Festival; Tara Kemes, General Manager, Cinesite; Natasha Tony, Founder, Elevate Inclusion Strategies; Erika Kumar, Director, WarnerMedia Access Canada; Kerry Swanson, Managing Director, Indigenous Screen Office; Sheryl Wilson, Hairstylist, IATSE 891 Member; Joan Jenkinson, Executive Director, Black Screen Office; Ryan McCormick, Ex-Officio, Senior Program Manager, SLMP Office, Ministry of Advanced Education & Skills Training; Adrienne Beck, Ex-Officio, Director, Creative Sector, Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport         *MPPIA member

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QUICK FACTS:

  • The motion picture industry in B.C. includes film and TV productions (live action and animation), VFX and post-production services. In 2019, prior to COVID, the industry represented 35,000 full-time and equivalent jobs and between 60-70,000 freelance workers
  • Based on the most recent public datasets available, B.C.’s film industry contributed $1.8B Total GDP / $2.4B Direct Output / 28,000 Total Jobs in 2020 to the provincial economy (GDP/Output Source: CIERA)
  • Early estimates for 2021 show a strong recovery to previous levels and up to 450 productions, with an estimated $3.5B total production spend in B.C. (this measure is loosely comparable to Output; Total Spend Source: Creative BC tax credit application data)

MEDIA CONTACT
Karin Watson, Director of Business Operations, Creative BC, media@creativebc.com

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