Industry Resources

A repository of industry resources created or curated by the CFC Media Lab to support its community of emerging digital content creators, digital media practitioners, women entrepreneurs, service-based companies and community allies by providing an ongoing resource for the latest insights, tools and support information.

Funding Decoded

• Part I - Tips & Advice on Grants & Funding Available to Digital Media Creators
  • May 14, 2020
  • An overview and discussion about government funds and grants available to our ecosystem of startups, small businesses and artists/creators. Lead by IDEABOOST member and digital media producer with over 12 years of grant application experience, Irene Vandertop guides us through the many opportunities available to Ontario based enterprises.

• Part II - Key Funding & Support Programs for Digital Content Productions
  • August 19, 2020
  • Experts from three major funding bodies join this panel: CMF, Bell Fund and Global Affairs Canada to discuss relevant funding programs, and address audience questions to give artists, creators, startups and small businesses better insight into several key funding and support programs that are available for Canadian digital content productions.

Building Enterprise Resilience

• Part I - International Women's Entrepreneurship Day
  • November 19, 2020
  • Guest experts, Lex Schroeder, Dr. Monique Smith, and Donna Morton, examine why the world needs a feminist business accelerator now, how living systems change and paradigms shift in a feminist business practice context, and explore how alternative models and approaches to business, rooted in Indigenous wisdom, permaculture, biomimicry and global best practices will transform community engagement into sustainable economic development.

• Part II - How to be Strong & Unshakable in the Current Context of the World
  • January 27, 2021
  • Guest expert and Fifth Wave mentor, Warren Coughlin, focuses on a critical success skill that will help us build resilient businesses and walk through the 7 keys to effective strategic planning. From there, feminist-business expert and Fifth Wave mentor, CV Harquail, unpacks resilience from value-alignment for an intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist approach to cultivating resilience within the context of business.

• Part III - Harnessing Resilience Through Connectivity & Transformative Thinking
  • March 23, 2021
  • Keynote speaker, Kem-Laurin Lubin, Ph.D. unpacks how to navigate ever-changing times by applying a Design Thinking approach to business connectivity and mindful, empathetic digital transformation.
  • Fifth Wave mentor and Executive Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Petra Kassun-Mutch, and Fifth Wave mentor and cohort Lead Guide, Valerie Fox, lead an Ecosystem Mapping workshop, designed to help attendees identify their areas of influence and strategize the most effective partnerships for their business growth.

• Part IV - How to Foster Mental Well-Being in a COVID World
  • May 27, 2021
  • In honour of Mental Health Month, Mindfulness Expert, Psychotherapist and Educator Rose Mina Munjee, shows us the path from feeling overwhelmed to feeling resourceful.

The Pandemic Effect Study

• Exploring the Pandemic Effect Study - Women Entrepreneurs in Digital Media Have Spoken!
  • January 27, 2021
  • Our research and evaluation team of experts have taken a deep dive on the impacts of COVID-19 on women-owned businesses in digital media in Ontario. Fifth Wave mentor and research expert, Suzanne Stein from OCADu, together with Fifth Wave research partner expert Julie Whelan from Nordicity, will unveil key data points, insights and survival strategies from the lived experiences of this community of business-women.

• Presenting the Pandemic Effect Study's Results
  • March 18, 2021
  • Our research and evaluation experts take a deep dive on the impacts of COVID-19 on women-owned businesses in digital media in Ontario. Moderated by Fifth Wave Managing Director, Nataly De Monte, and presented by Fifth Wave mentor and research expert, Suzanne Stein from OCAD U, together with Fifth Wave research partner expert, Julie Whelan from Nordicity, we will unveil key data points, insights and survival strategies from the lived experiences of this community.

• Final Pandemic Effect Study Report - PDF

Budget 2021 Decoded

• Wins & Misses for Women Entrepreneurs
  • June 16, 2021
  • Canada's first-ever feminist budget was unveiled in April 2021. What's really in it for women? Moderated by Fifth Wave mentor, proud Métis woman, entrepreneur and Senior Adviser, Business and Finance for the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, Shannon Pestun, this 'kitchen table' style panel discussion, looked closely at the relevant opportunities, potential barriers, and what we can expect to see in the coming months.

Creating Magical Immersive Experiences

• A Special Presentation by CFC Media Lab & Jamie Allan's Illusionarium
  • February 9, 2021
  • Discover how immersive media creators can benefit from the insights of magicians in building virtual and mixed reality illusions. Magician Jamie Allan, creator of Jamie Allan’s Illusionarium, shares the thinking behind the magic that influences unforgettable story experiences. Next, hear from a panel of leading minds in location based entertainment on how immersive media has the power to create magical moments for audiences.