Here’s your chance to secure $10k for your podcasting dreams with TELUS STORYHIVE

Have a podcast idea that warrants a big audience? TELUS STORYHIVE is looking for new and emerging podcasters in B.C. and Alberta to bring their stories to life through its Video Podcasts 2027 program, offering $10.000 in funding, training, and support from a dedicated STORYHIVE Program Manager to help turn creative ideas into reality.

The program is designed for anyone with a story to tell. No previous video production or podcasting experience is required. It welcomes original, compelling ideas or topics that spark discussion, share knowledge or capture what makes a community special.

It’s an opportunity for aspiring podcasters to explore their ideas with the support and resources they need to get started.

Those selected will have their finished video podcasts reach new audiences through TELUS Optik TV, Stream+ and the STORYHIVE YouTube channel.

Helping local stories connect with bigger audiences

Image by Kristin Breitkreutz, Brett Ferster, and Dario Hudon/TELUS STORYHIVE

For Alberta-based filmmaker and podcaster Meghan Westelmajer, TELUS STORYHIVE has helped turn a niche idea into an award-nominated series.

Westelmajer is the director, host and producer of Albertans In Space, a video podcast celebrating Albertans working in or finding their way into the space sector. What began as a curiosity about the province’s relatively unknown space community has grown into three seasons and 25 episodes.

It features conversations with astronauts, planetary geologists, rocketry clubs, startup founders, and industry professionals.

“TELUS STORYHIVE gave us something that’s rare for emerging independent creators in Western Canada: funding, distribution and mentorship,” says Westelmajer. “We went from an idea to a broadcast series with a dedicated project manager who supported us along the way.”

Her advice to aspiring podcasters is to focus on a story they genuinely want to tell, rather than trying to come up with the biggest idea possible.

“Pitch the story you would want to listen to,” she says. “You don’t need the biggest idea. You need the one you can’t stop thinking about or talking about. Be specific about who it’s for and why it matters to you and your community right now. And don’t wait until you feel ready, because nobody ever does.”

Your mic, your platform

Image by Kristin Breitkreutz, Brett Ferster, and Dario Hudon/TELUS STORYHIVE

TELUS STORYHIVE is part of a broader commitment to supporting Canadian storytellers.

The program has been able to help empower a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta since 2013, providing over $74.8 million in production funding, and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring the projects they care about to life.

Through programs supporting new and emerging podcasters, content creators, live streamers, and filmmakers, TELUS STORYHIVE continues to create opportunities for local voices to connect with audiences.

The Video Podcasts 2027 program is open to new and emerging storytellers of legal age in B.C. or Alberta. With funding, training, guidance, and distribution available, participants can focus on developing the stories they want to tell  — all while retaining ownership of their work.

For anyone with a conversation worth starting, a community worth celebrating or an idea they can’t stop thinking about, this could be the opportunity to get it out into the world!

Aspiring podcasters can learn more by attending an online Video Podcasts Ask Us Anything session on Nov. 17, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. PST (6 p.m. to 7 p.m. MST). Register via Eventbrite.

Interested creators can visit STORYHIVE by Dec. 10, 2026, to apply and take the first step toward bringing a locally inspired video podcast to life. No experience is required.