Care and Resources Built for Creative Workers
Homegrown Arts & Media Collective is an artist-founded non-profit that supports the artist so they can make the art. From mentorship and career readiness to resource navigation, application help, and long-term well-being support.
We invest in the life behind the work.
Built here. Grown here.
07Artists helped
$12,000+Paid in artist fees
03Active programs
03Programs in development
The Homegrown path
A Sustainable Creative Ecosystem
A circular path of growth care.
- 01
Care
Access social services resources at no charge.
- 02
Learn
Use tried and tested templates and guidance.
- 03
Build
Gain hands-on experience to grow career readiness (SPARKS).
- 04
Connect
Build relationships with peers, mentors, funders and industry partners.
- 05
Showcase
A public platform that brings new work to Alberta audiences.
- 06
Earn
Fair, paid opportunities that help creative careers take root here.
Why this matters now
The Cultural Sector creates economic value.
Culture contributes billions to Alberta’s economy, while emerging creators still face uneven access to professional and wellness support.
View the 2024 cultural indicatorsWays to join us
Homegrown Programming
Mentorship
SPARKS
Project-based mentorship for emerging storytellers, built around the support each creator actually needs.
Explore SPARKSPublic presentation
Short Film Showcase
A welcoming screen and gathering place for locally made work, new audiences and industry connection.
View showcase detailsIn development
Creative Accelerator
A proposed 14-week pathway connecting structured learning, production, public presentation and paid work.
Meet the makers
Built by storytellers, for storytellers.
Homegrown is guided by a small, hands-on team working across community building, program development and production. We build relationships first, then create the conditions for bold work to happen.
Guillermo Barraza
Executive Director / Co-Founder
Katelyn Barraza
Director – Community Wellness
Tyler McKinney
Director – Production
November 6–7, 2026 · Calgary
The showcase for underdogs.
Experimental films. First attempts. Passion projects. The 3rd Annual Homegrown Short Film Showcase brings Alberta-made stories into a room full of people—and the filmmakers into a community ready to meet them.
Get your tickets
From $22 · Two-night pass $55
Screening night · $22
Films made here, seen together.
Watch Homegrown’s official selections from across Alberta, then stay for a filmmaker panel and audience Q&A.
- Friday, November 6
- cSpace Marda Loop
Industry night · $42
Meet the people behind what comes next.
Connect with local filmmakers and industry professionals over a curated panel, conversation, nibbles and a drink.
- Saturday, November 7
- Stonyslope Brewing Company
Make room for someone else. Add a pay-it-forward ticket at checkout and Homegrown will help it reach a community member who wants to be in the room.
Purchase or pay a ticket forwardWatch Homegrown
Stories from the work—and the road there.
Meet the people who grow the community behind Homegrown. Our channel focuses on our journey, warts and all.
Visit our YouTube channelStart here
What is Homegrown?
Meet the collective, the community behind it and the belief that every story deserves room to grow.
Watch on YouTubeCommunity in motion
2025 Short Film Showcase
Look back at a two-night celebration that brought local filmmakers, audiences and industry into the same room.
Watch on YouTubeFollow the journey
Road to Creative Caravan
Go behind the scenes as Homegrown works toward Alberta’s first mobile media workshop.
Watch on YouTubeSPARKS mentorship · 2027
Move your project forward with the right people around it.
Nine emerging storytellers. Three cohorts. A growing pool of cross-disciplinary mentors. SPARKS brings practical, project-based support to creators across Alberta.
Direct community support
Give emerging stories room to grow.
Your donation helps Homegrown remove barriers to mentorship, production, public presentation and paid creative opportunities for Alberta creators.
Support Homegrown today
Donate through Zeffy, our fee-free fundraising platform, so your full contribution supports the work.
Make a donationHomegrown Arts & Media Collective cannot issue charitable tax receipts.
For funders and partners
Back the infrastructure behind the story.
Help remove cost and access barriers through a clear lane: fund a cohort, sponsor public programming, or create a fair paid opportunity for Alberta talent.
See partnership pathwaysA role for every supporter
Join Us In Our Origins Story.
We’ll build a stronger creative community together.