Carrie Sweeney

Kathleen O’Grady Takes Holiday Markets By Storm

December 19, 2024 by Carrie Sweeney

Kathleen O’Grady successfully applied for our Showcase or Sell Travel grant, which provides support to individuals and businesses to attend markets, industry showcases and pitch events. The funding from this grant allowed her to attend four holiday markets in 2024.

Here’s what she had to say:

“This grant allowed me to grow my business for the four shows that I did with the the grant and I was able to have new people sign up, new customers added to my e-mail list and I was able to grow my revenues, which was fantastic. The support is wonderful.”

We’re thrilled that you had a successful market season, Kathleen! You can check out Kathleen’s beautiful hand-painted and naturally-dyed apparel here.

Are you ready to take your creative business to the next level?

Don Sparrow’s Comic Quest From France to Ontario

December 12, 2024 by Carrie Sweeney

Author Don Sparrow recently travelled to Angoulême, France, and Toronto, Ontario to showcase his work with the support of Creative Saskatchewan’s Showcase or Sell Travel Grant.

Sparrow is a comic book creator and professional illustrator whose work is a humorous blend of retro warmth with a modern sensibility. In Angoulême, he showcased his artwork to 200,000 attendees at an outdoor display, gaining significant attention through national news coverage and press conferences. He sold 91 copies of his books, conducted two packed house signings, and held a live drawing exhibition. He even got to meet Stéphane Dion, the Canadian Ambassador to France!

At the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), the artist unveiled his latest book to an enthusiastic audience. He received strong support from local stores, including bulk purchases, introducing his work to a new wave of Canadian readers. To conclude his whirlwind adventure, Don attended a dinner for TCAF authors, editors, and retailers, a valuable opportunity to network with those in his field and beyond.

“I am deeply grateful to Creative Saskatchewan for their unwavering support and belief in my creative vision,” Sparrow concluded, “This grant has not only provided me with the means to showcase my work internationally but has also empowered me to forge meaningful connections and pursue new opportunities for growth and collaboration.”

You can view more of Don Sparrow’s work and purchase his books on his website: https://www.donsparrow.com/

Follow Don Sparrow on socials:

Facebook

Instagram

BlueSky

Zippity-Zoom Hobby Room: A Hidden Hub for Movie Magic

December 9, 2024 by Carrie Sweeney

Local business Zippity Zoom Hobby Room has been a go-to for Saskatchewan Film productions as of late.

Located at 4623 Albert Street in Regina, just a few doors down from their sister store Zippity Zoom Toys, the Hobby Room offers a wide range of supplies for serious hobbyists, including items for special effects prosthetics, mask-making, and makeup.

At least two major productions funded by Creative Saskatchewan have turned to the Hobby Room for their film needs. Crew members from Hostile Takeover, and another local horror flick purchased special products from the store. Items like Monster Makers clay, the Zombie Ultimate Kit, and Pros-Aide (a skin-safe glue) aren’t found just anywhere!

Rob Folk, owner of the Hobby Room, says they are happy to be able to serve people in Regina, all over Saskatchewan, and beyond. When Film and TV projects happen in our province, local businesses benefit. “Every dollar helps keep the business going. There’s been a lot of positive feedback.”

Follow Zippity Zoom Hobby Room on socials:

Facebook

Instagram

Velvet Threads’ Debut Album ‘Sunday’s Best’ Ignites Success

December 5, 2024 by Carrie Sweeney

Kate Fyrk of Saskatoon-based Pop-Rock band Velvet Threads received Creative Saskatchewan’s Sound Recording Grant to record their debut album Sunday’s Best.

Velvet Threads has made significant strides towards their goals by successfully recording and mastering their album, designing its artwork, and producing 100 physical units for local resale.

“Recording our debut album was truly a dream come true, made possible in no small part by the invaluable support and guidance from Creative Saskatchewan.” Fyrk reflected, “Unlike previous experiences where we financed everything ourselves, often leading to rushed creative decisions due to financial constraints, Creative Saskatchewan’s backing afforded us the time and freedom to explore our artistic vision fully. This enabled us to create something we’re immensely proud of, unencumbered by past limitations.”

The impact has been remarkable for the band, after their Instagram following grew by 50%, their Spotify followers increased by 200%, and their streams across all platforms surged by over 300%. Moreover, the band established relationships with key radio stations in Saskatchewan such as CBC, Rock102, MBC, and CFCR, all of which supported and aired their music.

The band continues to experience positive ripple effects following the release of their LP. They had a highly successful album release show at Coors Events Centre, performing to a packed hometown crowd. This has led to heightened visibility in the Canadian music scene and plans for a Western Canadian tour in fall 2025 to further promote the album.

“This journey has not only yielded significant achievements but also nurtured our band’s spirit with newfound hope and motivation. It has been a profound learning experience, deepening our understanding of the music industry and reinforcing our enthusiasm for our future endeavors in it. “

Sunday’s Best is now available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, and Apple Music.

Follow Velvet Threads on socials:

How Christine Tienkamp put the Rockstar in Grandmother

December 3, 2024 by Carrie Sweeney

Christine Tienkamp successfully applied for Creative Saskatchewan’s Craft & Visual Arts Production grant to support the creation of her Grandmother Rockstar collection. In celebration of Métis traditional textiles, Grandmother rockstar is an homage to grandmothers.

Tienkamp explains, “The term in my Métis culture not only refers to grandmothers with biological grandchildren…just caregivers of people in the community… I thought about how Grandmothers maybe should be on tour…Grandmothers still rock, dance, [and] sing,” Tienkamp enthused, “Grandmothers are our biggest supporters. They have paved the way for women to stand up and say ‘hell yes, I’ll do that.’”

For this collection, the artist reflected on photos of Métis beadwork of the late 1800s to inspire the pieces she beaded. She envisioned elegant fabrics and fun rockstar elements.

With the support of the grant, Christine had photographs of her original beadwork transferred onto textiles using an innovative small batch digital printing process. Her one-of-a-kind textiles became wearable pieces, designed, cut and sewn by hand. Thanks to her well-prepared inventory, the artist was able to attend the artisan market at Back to Batoche in Batoche, Saskatchewan where she saw thousands of visitors.

Christine’s company SS River Designs is named after the South Saskatchewan River which flows through her hometown, St. Louis, Saskatchewan. “My community is rich in Michif and French cultures and heritage, and a connection to land,” says Tienkamp, which is why she aims to build an ethical, sustainable, and community-minded business. She worked with her Program Advisor at Creative Saskatchewan to find ways to better serve her clientele and align her processes with her values. Using the grant, she was able to hire local artisans to assist in production. “The ability to check in and seek advice from Creative Sask was greatly appreciated. I am thankful for the support.”

Chrisine’s work reached “rockstar” status when friends asked her to bead a custom gift for a famous actor. She had the opportunity to deliver the gift herself—a hand-made medallion with elements of Indigenous culture, and Hawaiian imagery to honour the heritage of the recipient, Jason Momoa.

Tienkamp poses for the camera in between her friend Clint Rudderham and Jason Momoa, who is wearing the medallion she gifted him.

With the success of her pieces, Christine was able to travel to Cannes, France to exhibit her work in the first Cannes Indigenous Art and Fasion show. This grant, combined with her hard work and talent, has taken her on an incredible journey. “I would not have achieved this without the financial and personal support.”

You can view and shop Christine’s designs on her website:https://ssriverdesigns.com/

Follow SS River Designs on socials:

Facebook

Instagram

Foolish Mortals’ “Real-Time General” Reaches New Heights

November 28, 2024 by Carrie Sweeney

Michael Long of Foolish Mortals game studio successfully applied for Creative Saskatchewan’s Digital Game Development Grant to support the creation of the strategy and simulation game Real-Time General.

This grant allowed Long and his team to dive deep into the realism of the game, developing an unparalleled gaming experience while teaching players about WWII. “We are very proud about the technical level our game has achieved.” Long remarks, “Few games can claim to allow 1000 players to be in the same match, even less have matches last two whole months. Achieving this on mobile phones is an incredible feat.” The team at Foolish Mortals mapped up to 30,000 km² of French countryside for the use of real-world geography within the game, something very few games have ever attempted.

“Making this game has exposed our company to new technologies [and] techniques, with dedicated servers, writing our own network architecture and automated daily cloud builds,” Long adds, “Without public funding, we never would have had the opportunity to learn these skills, train our employees and elevate the technical capability and prestige of the growing Saskatchewan videogame industry.”