British Columbia makes things that move people. The theme Made in BC: Global Impact is a celebration of the creators, companies, and creative industries spanning film, television, digital media, music, and publishing, who are shaping global culture, driving real economic value, and sending B.C.’s creative spirit far beyond the province.
Creative Industries Week is an annual celebration and official proclamation of B.C.’s dynamic creative sector. Now in its eleventh year, it takes place April 20 to 24, 2026, bringing together industry associations, creators, and key stakeholders with government for a showcase event at the Legislature’s Rotunda. Alongside the Minister’s Proclamation, the program features storytelling from across sectors, showcasing the talent, creativity, and innovation that make B.C.’s creative economy thrive.
Join the celebration. Online, all five industries will mark Creative Industries Week 2026 with digital activations, asynchronous events, and social media campaigns throughout the week.
Five industries. One creative province.
British Columbia is built on five distinct but deeply connected creative industries. Together, they tell the world who we are.
Interactive Digital Media. B.C. is a global hotspot for game development. From EA’s sprawling Burnaby studios to celebrated indie houses, B.C.-made games are played by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Counterstrike was created by an SFU student. EA Vancouver, the studio behind the FIFA/EA Sports FC franchise, is one of the longest-running and highest-grossing game franchises on the planet, made largely in Burnaby. Nintendo’s B.C. studio and Microsoft’s Vancouver team contribute to titles that define console gaming generations. Meanwhile, indie developers from the province have produced breakout hits that top Steam charts and win GDC awards, proving B.C. punches above its weight at every level of the industry.
Motion Picture. When you watch a Marvel film, a prestige HBO drama, or an Oscar-winning blockbuster, there’s a good chance it was made, at least in part, in B.C. The province offers a world-class ecosystem of talent, infrastructure, and creative expertise that Hollywood simply can’t replicate elsewhere. World-class crews from Location Managers to specialized craftspeople. The breathtaking wormhole sequence in INTERSTELLAR. The stunning alien worlds of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. The hauntingly realistic environments of “The Last of Us.” All of it, the VFX, the visual imagination, the technical craft, was produced in B.C. Studios including Industrial Light & Magic Vancouver and Sony Pictures Imageworks (KPOP DEMON HUNTERS was the most-watched Netflix film of all time!) have made B.C. a permanent fixture of the global film pipeline, not just a location stand-in, but a creative engine across every stage of production.
Music + Sound Recording. B.C.’s music scene has always produced globally recognized artists across every genre, from soft rock icons to contemporary chart-toppers dominating streaming platforms worldwide. B.C. is Canada’s third-largest music production hub, home to over 280 sound recording studios, 140-plus record labels, and a thriving ecosystem of artists spanning hip-hop, indie rock, electronic, jazz, and classical genres. The province that gave the world Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, and Michael Bublé is still very much in the business of launching global icons 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, and many more that are known around the world.
Book Publishing. B.C.’s publishing scene is where the local becomes universal, where Indigenous voices, regional stories, and local literary talent find publishers willing to send their work into the world. The result is a body of literature that wins awards, changes readers, and travels far. B.C. publishers have produced Governor General’s Award winners, Man Booker longlisted titles, and children’s books translated into dozens of languages. Indigenous authors and storytellers, supported by B.C.’s commitment to amplifying those voices, are reaching international audiences and reshaping the global literary conversation about land, identity, and belonging. From Harbour Publishing to Arsenal Pulp Press, B.C.’s literary presses regularly produce books that matter beyond the province.
Magazine Publishing. In an era when algorithm-driven feeds flatten everything into engagement bait, B.C.’s magazines do something radical: they slow down, go deep, and tell stories that matter. Across 230+ titles, B.C.’s magazine culture is a living rebuttal to the idea that long-form journalism is dying. Publications like The Walrus, BC BookWorld, and influential arts and culture titles have built loyal readerships that stretch well beyond the province. Geist magazine has championed Canadian writers for decades, earning an international reputation for literary quality. B.C.’s outdoor and adventure titles, shaped by the province’s extraordinary landscape, have cultivated global audiences passionate about wilderness, sustainability, and the natural world. These aren’t niche publications. They’re trusted voices in a noisy world.
Creative Industries Week Sponsors
ACFC West – Local 2020 Unifor
Actsafe Safety Association
Books BC
Centre for Digital Media
Cineventure
CMPA-BC
DigiBC
Directors Guild of Canada BC District Council
IATSE 891
ICG 669
Industrial Light & Magic Vancouver
Knowledge Network
Magazine Association of BC (MagsBC)
Motion Picture Association – Canada (MPA-Canada)
Music BC Industry Association
Pacific Screenwriting Program (sharing a table with CMPA)
Screen BC
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Sunbelt Film and TV
UBCP/ACTRA
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Joined with representation across the creative sector!
Learn more about British Columbia’s Creative Sector | Industry Associations | Read a recap of last year’s Creative Industries Week
