2022 CREATIVE PITCH MINI-PROJECTS

The Creative Pitch Mini-Project grant program was a 2022 pilot partnership between Pow Wow Pitch and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) aimed to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in the creative and tourism industries to collaborate, share knowledge and skills, and grow together.

Nine Pow Wow Pitch Creative Semi-Finalists were selected and provided $2,500 grants to undertake mini-projects with Indigenous-led tourism businesses. These projects included various creative services such as photography, logos, promotional videos, animated ads, digital assets, and artistic creations connected to the land.

The winning creative entrepreneur, Eva Nicholas of Wabanaki Creations and Art, received a $15,000 grant commission to undertake a large-scale project with an Indigenous tourism business of her choosing.

ITAC and Pow Wow Pitch congratulate the Creative Semi-Finalists for their hard work and impact on the tourism businesses they supported.

 

OONAMAKI ROOTS

EVA NICHOLAS, FOUNDER OF WABANAKI CREATIONS & ART SPACE, NS

'Oonamaki Roots' was a collaboration between Wabanaki Creations & Arts and Under the Stump to support the owner of Under the Stump, Trina Reid and her daughter Victoria, to gain knowledge and skills to expand their offerings.

Trina was interested in reconnecting with her cultural roots and learning more about the plants and medicines available on her land. During the project, Trina took Eva on a tour of the backside of Gros Morne National Park, and Eva shared her knowledge of the land.

The project had a spiritual aspect, as the team participated in a Full Moon Ceremony and Trina joined them for a small fire ceremony by the shore of Rocky Harbour. Eva taught Trina basic language skills and provided knowledge about Mi'kmaq medicines and tools to help identify plants and trees.

The project ended with the team creating a medicine wheel and Trina expressing a desire to continue learning more about her culture and land. The project became much more meaningful as the two families formed strong connections.

VENGEANCE OF SHADOW

JASMINE SWIMMER, FOUNDER OF BLACK GIRLS NFT, ON

‘Vengeance of Shadow’ was a 30-second 2D animation featuring the wrestler Shadow in a fight scene as the underdog. The animation was inspired by anime and showed Shadow using the strength of his ancestors to win over evil in a wrestling ring.

The animation was created as a promotional tool for Northern Empire Wrestling, an organization that hosts live events, mainly in remote Indigenous communities, for kids and youth. In addition to wrestling, Northern Empire Wrestling also addresses issues such as drug and substance abuse and violence, providing youth with alternatives to discuss and find solutions to these challenges.

The founder of Northern Empire Wrestling, Shadow, was pleased with the finished animation and how it captured the essence of the organization and its goals.

CAMP BRIGITTE IN FULL BLOOM

JANELLE DESROSIERS, FOUNDER OF BLOOM + BRILLIANCE, MB

Janelle created a new brand concept for Camp Brigitte, a family-focused outdoor camp in Northwestern Ontario. The project aimed to develop a professional and playful brand with a strong emotional connection through a collaborative and strategic design process.

The resulting brand included a custom wordmark and icon, an alternate mark, a colour map with a palette and custom names, values, and codes, a typography palette with font pairings and styles, a style handbook, and a strategy presentation and vision guide.

Bloom + Brilliance incorporated elements of the original logo and honoured the spirit of the camp's founder's mother, Brigitte, in the design. The final brand featured a scene showcasing the fun to be had at the camp, Brigitte's favourite colours, and the heart symbol.

The project was a positive and meaningful experience for the team at Bloom + Brilliance.

 

EXPLORE CHURCHILL MANITOBA CONTEST

ANGIE SALTMAN & RON PROCHNER, SALT MEDIA INC., AB

Salt Media supported Sub-Arctic Explorers with the execution of a campaign that ran on Facebook from September 13-15. The goal of the campaign was to increase bookings during the period and drive traffic and engagement to the Sub-Arctic Explorers Facebook page and website.

Users were invited to share their greatest adventure and send in their pictures for a chance to win transportation, overnight accommodation, and a sightseeing tour with the company.

The campaign exceeded expectations, resulting in strong engagement on Facebook, with a reach of 28,000 people, 612 comments, and 116 shares.

The campaign also resulted in an increase in website traffic, with 2020 visits, 1995 unique visitors, and 855 page views, as well as a total of 12 bookings.

The campaign generated interest in Indigenous tourism and gave the business owner, Leroy, confidence to try other promotions and marketing strategies in the future.

PRIDE & DIVERSITY VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY

ALEXANDRA JARRETT, FOUNDER OF AXIS IMAGERY LTD., SK

The mini-project involved a trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba, by Alexandra Jarrett of Axis Imagery to attend an event called "Put Your Black Into It" organized by Club Happenings. The event was targeted at the LGBT2S-BIPOC community.

Alexandra documented the event with photography and videography and shared information about the event on her social media accounts to promote Club Happenings. The outputs included photographs and videos for Club Happenings' marketing purposes and the use of Alexandra's social media followings to promote the club as a venue attraction to other people visiting Winnipeg.

Overall, the project provided an opportunity for Alexandra to attend an LGBTQ-BIPOC event in another province and connect with Indigenous entrepreneurs from across Canada while providing Club Happenings with evergreen photo and video assets to use for digital growth marketing.

BRANDING PROJECT FOR DENE CHA'NIYÉ

LETICIA SPENCE, FOUNDER OF OHCÎYAN, MB

Graphic designer Leticia Spence worked on a branding project for Dene Cha'Niyé, a company that promotes Indigenous ideologies, values, and practices related to harvesting from the land. Dene Cha'Niye means "the Dene way of being/knowing" and refers to the Dene code of ethics.

The goal of the project was to create a logo and social media templates for Angela Code that reflected the values of Dene Cha'Niye, including female Indigenous strength and empowerment, sustainability, moon cycles, antlers, and sharp knives.

Leticia completed all project elements, including a decorative logo mark, a simplified version, black and white knock-out versions, an icon, a wordmark, and social media templates. Leticia designed the logo to be crisp, bold, and unapologetically Indigenous, with feminine elements incorporated through beadwork motifs and Denesuline language syllabics incorporated throughout.

QUEST ACCOMMODATION PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

ALICIA KAYLEY, SINGER, ON

Alicia supported the tourism business Quest Accommodation by creating music for use in a promotional music video. The project's goal was to increase exposure and opportunities for growth for both Indigenous entrepreneurs through the release of the video on various platforms.

Alicia provided the music, which was a recording of the public domain Irish folk song "The Parting Glass." She hired a local guitarist, a local producer, and a musician to assist with the recording and sang all of the vocals.

Kimberly created the video portion of the promotional video, which gave a glimpse into the future of Quest Accommodation, including the activities, atmosphere, art, and culture that will be featured at the Indigenous-owned and operated tourism business.

The promotional video was a success, with a professionally produced recording of "The Parting Glass" and a video showcasing the bright future of Quest Accommodation.

THRIVE TOURS INDIGENOUS THUMB-DRIVE

VOTAN HENRIQUEZ, FOUNDER OF NSRGNTS, USA

Thrive Tours offers Indigenous-guided eco-tours and educational experiences. Votan partnered with Thrive Tours to embark on a mini-project to educate tourists, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, on the rich history of Sault St. Marie from an Indigenous perspective.

As part of the mini-project, Votan designed a thumb drive for Thrive Tours to provide tourists as keepsakes after each tour. The thumb drives include information featured on the tour that can be kept and shared.

The thumb drive also includes a character created by Votan, depicting a traditional "Native boy" from Sault St. Marie in honour of the children forced into assimilation through residential schools.

The project aimed to provide tourists with an authentic narrative of local Indigenous history and provided Votan with the opportunity to connect with and get to know relatives from across the continent.

 

 

THE PRIZMAH PROJECT - MERCHANDISE PRE-ORDER LAUNCH

VERONICA SAYESE, FOUNDER OF BLACKHAWK CREATIVE, MB

Blackhawk Creative supported the Prizmah Project with merchandise designs to build community and raise funds to support the initiative.

The project's goal was to design merchandise to capture the energy and inclusivity of the Prizmah Project and provide printing services, digital ad art, and content for the merchandise launch.

Although the designs and critical elements were completed, due to delays related to resourcing and timing, the Prizmah Project has the designs and other elements they need to execute the project when they are ready.