The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) is positioning Calgary to seize new opportunities in digital media and entertainment arts by investing up to $5.5 million into the Calgary Entertainment Arts Production Hub (CEAPH) at Bow Valley College.
The CEAPH will be a world-class facility right in downtown Calgary and a creative arts ecosystem that aims to grow careers and companies in the creative industries by offering training, reskilling, and upskilling programs including 3D animation and visual effects, game development, post-production, augmented and virtual reality, motion capture, esports, podcasting and more.
Supporting business incubation, applied research, community-building, and youth engagement, the Calgary Entertainment Arts Production Hub at Bow Valley College will be a catalyst for economic growth, supporting business development activities in the entertainment arts industry and attracting more investment to Calgary in this exciting sector.
Between 2024 and 2028, the CEAPH is expected to train 675 individuals and support more than 125 companies. These efforts have the potential to create over 300 jobs.
“Disruptive technologies are transforming the way content is produced, distributed and monetized around the world. By investing in talent development and boosting entrepreneurship, we can capture the economic growth and investment attraction potential these changes bring,” said Brad Parry, CEO, Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund and President and CEO, Calgary Economic Development.
The CEAPH aims to make careers in the creative industries more accessible to Calgarians by removing financial barriers, providing access to cutting-edge technologies, delivering inclusive programs, and creating mentorship opportunities, especially for students from equity-deserving groups.
OCIF is a $100-million initiative launched by the City of Calgary in 2018 to make strategic investments to diversify and transform the economy. It is a critical tool to advance Calgary’s economic strategy, Calgary in the New Economy, as each investment is designed to spur a larger increase in economic activity.
To date, more than $82 million has been allocated to 26 projects, which has spurred $800 million dollars of investment, the creation, training and retention of more than 3,000 jobs, and supported or started more than 500 local companies.
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