Megan Folden

Saskatchewan author’s book reaches Amazon Top 100 thanks to Market & Export support from Creative Saskatchewan

October 5, 2022 by Megan Folden

Arthur Slade - Amber Fang Author - Saskatchewan Author — Arthur Slade

Arthur Slade was raised on a ranch in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan and is the author of the Amber Fang book series. Slade is also a recent grant recipient of Creative Saskatchewan’s Market & Export Development program.

Thanks to the support provided by this program, Slade was able to find great success in the online promotion the Amber Fang series.

“The sale of the Amber Fang book led to several very positive results. The biggest result was reaching #47 on the Amazon.com store and reaching #1 in several categories on Amazon, including Young Adult Horror, Young Adult Adventure, Horror, and Vampire books… this was a very exciting achievement (that will help with future sales).

This also meant that the book sold over 1500 copies in one day (the second day of the promo), another record for any of my books. The book was also in the top 100 on Amazon.ca and the top 500 on Amazon.uk and Amazon.aus. So it really was, for that week, a worldwide success.

On top of that the Amber Fang book also made it to the top 20 on the Barnes and Noble website in the US and into the top 100 on Apple Books in Canada and the US and the top twenty on Kobo in Canada.

So overall, this was a very successful campaign. Because there were ads within the ebook, this campaign also meant that the audiobook version of Amber Fang had a jump in sales and other novels of mine also increased in sales during that week (and continue to sell).”

We’re thrilled to congratulate Slade on his success!

Learn more about Arthur Slade on his website: arthurslade.com
Find the Amber Fang book series on Slade’s Amazon Page here.
Find the Amber Fang book series on goodreads here.

Saskatoon’s oldest professional theatre company boosts sales thanks to Creative Saskatchewan’s Market & Export Development program

October 5, 2022 by Megan Folden

Saskatoon’s oldest professional theatre company, 25^th Street Theatre, returned to the stage in 2021 with the production of Fruitcake, by Saskatoon-based playwright Heather Morrison. The project was eligible for Creative Saskatchewan’s Market and Export Development grant and reaped the rewards of a solid campaign to raise their profile, reach new audiences, and drive more ticket sales.

“This marked 25th Street Theatre’s return to producing theatre outside of the Saskatoon Fringe Festival for the first time since 1999.

It was imperative that 25th Street Theatre be able to revitalize itself as a professional theatre company to ensure Fruitcake’s success, as well as the success for the company in future productions.

This program allowed us to reach over 50,000 people across the world through social media. We were able to create high quality, professional videos, and photographs to share with our audience, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at the theatrical process. 25th Street Theatre gained nearly 200 new Followers across Instagram and Facebook and over 4,000 engagements on our videos.

25th Street Theatre was also able to hire a publicist and social media coordinator thanks to this project. With that support, we received reviews and articles on Fruitcake from outlets like the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, CBC, CBC Radio Canada, CTV News, CFCR, and more.

This extensive media coverage supported the production by boosting our ticket sales, as well as giving 25th Street Theatre the opportunity to reiterate our history and excite the audience about our return to producing live theatre.

It was important to 25th Street Theatre as well to have high-quality branding and artwork to share on this project. Creative Saskatchewan’s support allowed us to hire a professional artist to create media, poster, and program designs that were shared with our audience throughout this project, including a huge, 4’ x 6’ backlit poster hung outside of the performance.

Overall, Creative Saskatchewan’s support allowed 25th Street Theatre, and the production of Fruitcake, to shine for Saskatoon audiences and beyond as a grand revitalization of Saskatoon’s oldest, professional theatre company.”

Learn more about 25^th Street Theatre here.

Creative Saskatchewan has a new look!

September 15, 2022 by Megan Folden

A Message from the CEO

Hello! For those of you who have not met me, my name is Erin Dean, and I’m the CEO of Creative Saskatchewan.

I believe in the potential of Saskatchewan’s talent and skill, and I’m thrilled to launch our new brand as the platform for which we will share our opportunities for creative entrepreneurs, and tell the economic story of this innovative, unique, and vibrant contributor to Saskatchewan’s economy and quality of life.

Our Purpose

Creative Saskatchewan is the economic development agency for Saskatchewan’s creative industries. We unlock the potential of creative entrepreneurs by investing in their pursuit of commercial success. We do this by:

Offering funding in the areas of book publishing, craft and visual art, interactive digital, music, live performing arts, and film and television.
Sponsoring various community events and initiatives that support the commercial success of local creative entrepreneurs.

We fund seven creative industry-specific associations to amplify their members’ business skills, helping them turn their creativity into cashflow.

2022 Mission, Vision, and Values

We have spent the last few years refining our knowledge and expertise to deliver excellent programming, set the stage for showcasing our industry’s economic impact on Saskatchewan’s economy, and position ourselves as leaders in taking small businesses in the creative sector to the next level.

Our Mission

Creative Saskatchewan is a leader supporting collaboration, entrepreneurial capacity, innovation and convergence that maximizes leveraged resources, commercial success and market access for Saskatchewan’s creative industries and producers.

Our Vision

We are driven to achieve a future where Saskatchewan’s creative producers continue to realize diverse commercial opportunities in national, international and emerging markets which collectively grow thriving, sustainable creative industries.

Our Values

As an organization we uphold the following values to support the interests of the creative community:

Trusted partnerships
Leadership
Entrepreneurship
Success
Integrity

The time has arrived for us to update our brand and messaging to better reflect who we are, who we serve, and our industry’s impact on Saskatchewan’s prosperity. And so, I’m excited to present you with the new Creative Saskatchewan brand.

Our New Look

Creative Saskatchewan’s brand archetype is the Magician.

The magician archetype refers to transformation into something extraordinary or impossible. Creative Saskatchewan serves as the catalyst for turning an opportunity into a reality, empowering entrepreneurs to reach their full potential and produce win-win results for their business and the province.

Creative Saskatchewan’s logo is a combination wordmark-abstract design.

The artwork depicts pieces coming together to make a circle, representative of Creative Saskatchewan’s transformative abilities. Since Creative Saskatchewan represents multiple art mediums, our palette is colourful and reflects the land of the living skies and endless horizons.

A formal brand guide has been developed to ensure that internal and external stakeholders understand how and when to apply the Creative Saskatchewan brand. You can view our brand guide here.

I’d like to thank local partners, Arcas Advertising, for working with us on our re-brand!

Our Why

Creative Saskatchewan has a new tagline: Propelling Creative Entrepreneurship.

Ultimately, it all comes back to this. Your success is our success. Our team analyzed the agency’s mission, vision, and value statements. We identified a clearer, concise way of describing who we are and what we do in just three little words, with a big impact.

What does this mean for you?

Effectively immediately, successful grant applicants and stakeholders will be required to use the new Creative Saskatchewan logo when acknowledging our support in any marketing collateral.

You can access our logo and Brand Guide on our website here.

You can also expect more streamlined messaging surrounding our programs and supports for you, comprehensive data-supported snapshots of the industry’s economic performance, and a stronger presence sharing entrepreneurial success stories and opportunities.

What’s Next?

We will be launching a new website and updating our digital communications platforms to be consistent with our new brand direction. Expect to see our new look across all Creative Saskatchewan materials going forward, ensuring consistency and high-quality in all that we do.

On behalf of the Creative Saskatchewan Board and staff, thank you!