Executive Brief

Chief Executive Officer
Creative BC

August 2026

About Creative BC

Introduction

Creative BC is the Province of British Columbia’s economic development agency for the creative sector. Established as an independent society, it serves as the primary provincial partner for BC’s film and television, interactive and digital media, music and sound recording, book publishing, and magazine industries, delivering programs and services that support creators and companies across these sectors.

Creative BC administers provincial motion picture tax credit programs, delivers funding programs across the creative sector, operates the BC Film Commission, and provides industry development and export support. It works in close partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, industry associations, and federal agencies including the Canada Media Fund.

In FY2024/2025, Creative BC committed $14.1 million to recipients across all creative sectors, generating a cumulative economic return of 1:8 on those investments. The BC Film Commission won Film Commission of the Year at Cannes. BC’s production volume reached $2.44 billion. These results reflect an organization that, through a period of external challenge, has continued to deliver strong results.

Mandate 

Creative BC brings a strategic and integrated approach to the growth and development of British Columbia’s creative sector. The independent agency was created and supported by the provincial government to sustain and help grow BC’s creative industries, which are defined as those generating original storytelling content for mass production, global distribution, and consumption: book and magazine publishing, interactive digital media, motion picture, and music and sound recording.

Creative BC acts as an industry catalyst and ambassador to help BC’s creative sector reach its economic, social, environmental, and creative potential both at home and globally. The agency delivers a wide range of programs and services with a mandate to expand BC’s creative economy.

These activities include administration of the provincial government’s motion picture tax credit programs, delivery of program funding and export marketing support for the sector, and provincial film commission services. Combined, these activities serve to attract inward investment and market BC.

Vision, Mission, and Values

Vision

British Columbia’s creators, companies, and stories are sought out and celebrated – at home and around the world.

Mission

Creative BC elevates a diverse and dynamic creative sector through leadership, collaboration, and investment.

Values

    • Integrity: We commit, uphold, and deliver.
    • Inclusion: We listen, respond, and expand.
    • Innovation: We challenge, imagine, and forge.
    • Wisdom: We seek, trust, and share.

What Creative BC does

Services for Producers and Productions: British Columbia offers best-in-class, Pacific Time, script-to-screen production services, ranked as North America’s third-largest motion picture production centre. The BC Film Commission at Creative BC is your partner for production in British Columbia, offering comprehensive services, industry resources, and innovative initiatives to support your project from development to wrap.

Grants for Creators and Companies: From development support to international trade fair presence, our programs and activities aim to: optimize funding opportunities for projects and companies; grow B.C.’s ecosystem of support in which creative entrepreneurs can thrive; and give B.C.’s creative industries access to the national supports and international markets that will increase our province’s success in the sector. We provide distinct programs for each industry as well as travel support, delegation funding, presence at international markets and more to increase awareness and act as a catalyst for the production of B.C.-based intellectual property.

Financial Incentives for Film and TV: Labour-based refundable corporate income tax credits designed to encourage film and television live-action, VFX, and animated productions in British Columbia.

Local and Global Marketing: Creative BC facilitates strategic networks and positions British Columbia at events and fairs where global content is exchanged. This economy is one in which competition is growing as quickly as consumer demand for the sector’s product. For inbound and outbound trade missions in the sector, Creative BC investments support travel, hosting, networking opportunities, delegation funding, promotion, presence and participation. The intent is to build B.C.’s creative industries brand internationally, stimulate investment in the production of B.C.-based intellectual property, and support global players to establish and do business in B.C.

Creative Sector Research and Insight: As British Columbia’s designated agency of record, Creative BC delivers comprehensive sector intelligence and strategic support through Annual Impact Reports, CIERA—Creative Industries Economic Results Assessment, Motion Picture Tax Credit Reports, and current industry research.

Industries 

B.C.’s creative industries and their respective membership associations are supported and united through Creative BC services. 

Demand for creative products across an evolving suite of delivery platforms is a significant driver of B.C.’s creative economy. Use of mobile, increased streaming, and advancing digital technologies have transformed the industries, challenged business models, and offered new possibilities for content producers.

Each of the industries has unique drivers and needs, but all of them must continue to be entrepreneurial as they create, innovate, adapt, and discover new ways to monetize their products. Learn about the 9 Enabling Factors of a thriving creative economy.

Book Publishing—British Columbia has a vibrant and diverse book publishing ecosystem supported by 28 Canadian-owned publishers represented by Books BC, spanning award-winning literary presses to established trade houses. This fully independent industry plays a central role in bringing B.C.’s stories to national and global audiences, supported by a wider network of more than 270 publishing-related businesses, from editors and designers to printers and distributors. 
Book publishing encompasses the creation, production, and distribution of written works across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children’s literature, and educational content. This includes trade books, literary works, cookbooks, regional titles, and Indigenous storytelling. From award‑winning poetry collections to internationally distributed children’s books, B.C. publishers amplify local and Indigenous voices and bring a rich diversity of stories to readers everywhere. 
B.C.’s strength lies not only in its editorial excellence but in its network of publishing professionals, editors, designers, marketers, and literary agents, who champion culturally significant works of B.C.’s writers and illustrators.

Interactive Digital Media—British Columbia is an international hotspot for streaming, console, PC, social, and mobile game production, serving as a global hub for immersive technology innovation. The province is home to over 175 companies, ranging from solo indie developers to major international studios.
Interactive digital media encompasses creative content where users actively shape their experience through engagement and choice. This includes video games, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) experiences, interactive educational applications, immersive installations, and emerging formats that blend storytelling with technology. From award-winning indie titles to blockbuster franchises, B.C. creators are pushing the boundaries of interactive storytelling and digital innovation. 

The industry is evolving rapidly as AI-driven tools, cloud gaming, real-time rendering, and XR technologies reshape what’s possible. B.C.’s strength lies not only in its technical expertise but in its creative talent, artists, designers, programmers, and storytellers who transform ideas into experiences played and celebrated worldwide.

Magazine Publishing Industry—British Columbia is a cornerstone of Canada’s magazine publishing landscape, with over 230 unique titles spanning literary, lifestyle, arts and culture, news, business, and special interest publications. Magazine publishing encompasses periodical content delivered across print and digital platforms, including consumer magazines, literary journals, B2B publications, and niche special-interest titles. This includes everything from established lifestyle magazines, literary journals, and business publications. From automotive enthusiasts to environmental advocates, B.C. publishers deliver trusted journalism, compelling storytelling, and curated experiences that foster community and critical discourse. The industry is evolving rapidly as premium print experiences, digital fatigue, and demand for trusted journalism are reshaping reader preferences. B.C.’s strength lies not only in its editorial integrity but in its creative professionals, writers, journalists, editors, designers, and publishers, who deliver thought-provoking commentary, engaging narratives, and striking visuals that capture the spirit and aesthetic of B.C. 

 

Motion Picture—The motion picture industry in British Columbia includes film, television, visual effects (VFX), animation, and post-production companies engaged in the creation of scripted and unscripted screen content. Activity spans the full production pipeline—from development and pre-production through filming, VFX, sound, and post-production activities supported by studios, specialized vendors, equipment suppliers, and unionized and non-unionized creative labour. B.C. is one of the largest centres for motion picture production. The province offers an integrated ecosystem of studios, creative and technical professionals, and post-production services that make it a global destination for screen storytelling. Proximity to Los Angeles, competitive federal and provincial tax credits, and a mature infrastructure base attract hundreds of film and television projects to BC each year. 

Music + Sound Recording—British Columbia is Canada’s third-largest music production hub, home to over 280 sound recording studios, 140+ record labels, and a thriving ecosystem of artists spanning hip-hop, indie rock, electronic, jazz, cultural, and classical genres. The province has produced internationally acclaimed legends such as Bryan Adams, Michael Bublé, Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall, and Nickelback. This legacy continues with globally recognized contemporary artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, Mother Mother, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Spiritbox, and Ocie Elliott, alongside today’s rising talents such as Peach Pit, bbno$, Jade LeMac, Ekkstacy, Cameron Whitcomb, Karan Aujla, and AP Dhillon. The music and sound recording industry encompasses the creation, production, and distribution of recorded music, alongside live performance infrastructure. This includes recording studios, record labels, music publishers, artist management, booking agencies, sound engineers, producers, live music venues, and festivals. From intimate studio sessions to major festivals, B.C.’s music professionals create experiences that resonate locally and globally. The industry is evolving rapidly as streaming platforms, AI-driven production tools, and immersive live experiences reshape how music is created, distributed, and consumed. B.C.’s strength lies not only in its technical infrastructure but in its diverse creative community, artists, producers, engineers, managers, promoters, and venue operators, who champion discoverability, export B.C. talent worldwide, and strengthen the province’s cultural identity.

Multi-Creative Industry Services—The creative industries share many synergies. The result is that together, the five industries served by Creative BC catalyze the development and sustainment of a sixth component of the sector’s ecosystem. This sixth component is comprised of many relevant industry categories that directly feed and serve the creative industries overall, but none of the businesses within it can be attributed to a single creative industry. Rather, they each serve multiple creative industries. Therefore, this segment of the sector stands as its own component of the ecosystem, and CIERA™ measures and refers to it as Multi-Creative Industry Services.


The economic impacts of this sixth area are accurately counted within the creative industries’ impacts, as its contributions have been identified as relevant only to this sector. The Multi-Creative Industry Services are scaled by CIERA™ to ensure only relevant activities specific to the five creative industries served by Creative BC are captured and reported.


From agents, artists’ managers and independent writers to periodical and book wholesalers and trade agents, this fluid and agile network of companies and creators is depended on and fed by all of B.C.’s five creative industries. See a list of creative sector companies and related businesses in Creative BC’s Knowledge Hub.

 

Justice, Decolonization, Diversity, Equity + Inclusion

Creative BC embraces diversity and equality, supporting an inclusive atmosphere that values the dignity of the person. The spirit of inclusiveness celebrates all participants, including all races, ethnicities, a full spectrum of genders (as well as gender non-specificity), a full spectrum of sexual identities, and persons with a range of abilities and ability challenges. Upholding principles of respect and equity honors the diverse range of experiences and perspectives necessary for a thriving and healthy sector. This includes respecting how people wish to be addressed and identified (including by their chosen pronouns).

Territorial Acknowledgement

Where We Live and Work

Our offices are situated on the unceded traditional territories of Coast Salish people, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. On behalf of the province’s creative industries, Creative BC gratefully acknowledges the 270,000 Indigenous people living in British Columbia, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. The sector works across unceded homelands of 34 First Nations language and cultural groups with close to 60 dialects, representing over 200 distinct First Nations in B.C. Learn more through the First Peoples Cultural Council’s First Peoples’ Map of British Columbia.

Creative BC and the sector we support have a crucial role to play in uplifting Indigenous people and specifically, Indigenous voices, creators, companies, and creative content. We prioritize actions that foster relationships and lasting partnerships, contribute to long-term value, ensure greater access, and deepen cultural understanding.

Leadership 

Leadership

Board of Directors

Funding and Impact

Creative BC receives core funding from the Province of British Columbia and works with a range of federal, municipal, industry, and private-sector partners to deliver programs and services that support B.C.'s creative industries. Additional information regarding organizational investments, funding partners, and annual impacts is available in the Impact Report 2024/25.

Additional reports and sector research can be found on Creative BC's Research + Reports webpage.

Organizational Structure
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