We continued to work closely with federal and provincial government partners as the voice of the sector – and completed several important projects with the engagement and support of our membership and funding partners.

It was also a year of physical transition for the DigiBC team: we moved into a new multi-functional venue, Signals Studio, located in the same building as our current offices at Centre for Digital Media. This has already played host to a number of high-profile industry events, including IM4 workshops, a German International Trade Mission, and re:Naissance Opera’s week-long festival, IndieFest. And, of course, Signals: our annual creative tech expo that returned bigger and better than ever.

Co-producing Signals 2024 with VIFF from September 27 to October 6 was one of our top highlights, with expanded industry offerings, including an emerging producer initiative, Signals XR Lab, the B2B-focused Beta Lounge: Interactive Digital Media Conference, and FutureCraft AI Symposium, an industry summit on the future of storytelling and AI.

In our ongoing quest to support and promote BC’s creative tech industry, we partnered with Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service to prepare and participate in a BC Trade Mission to the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this past March with a delegation of 49 indie studios. We also launched the DigiBC Work Placement Pilot (WPP) Program, which supports employers looking to help foster the next generation of creative talent, by providing experiential learning opportunities in animation, video, games, visual effects (VFX), and extended reality (XR) – along with additional resources for post-secondary students to thrive in their work placements.

This year, we welcomed some exciting new talent to the DigiBC team, expanding our staff to support the WPP Program and Signals. We also saw changes to our board of directors, with Sarah Nathanson stepping down as board chair, and Jon Lutz, Lilli Wong and Sharon Taylor stepping down from their director roles. This led to the appointments of Jeanne-Marie Owens as the new board chair, Tim Teh as vice-chair, and Megan Moore, Lori Massini and Heather Puttock joining as new directors. We would like to thank Jon Lutz, who served almost 18 years on the board and was chair for six years, as well as Sharon Taylor, who served over eight years and was a big part of bringing the animation and visual effects sector into a partnership with DigiBC.

We are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of our member companies across the video game, animation, VFX, and XR sectors. As we look ahead, we’re excited to introduce new initiatives and collaborations, continue important conversations, and do even more to support the success of this vibrant and innovative industry.

If you’re not a DigiBC member yet — or have let your membership lapse – now is the time to sign up or renew. Together we’re stronger, and your involvement helps us continue to advance the creative technology sector in BC. To read more about our industry initiatives and impact, including sector reports, education programs and upcoming opportunities, please click the link below.

2024 DigiBC Event Timeline

• 02.29 GDC Preparation Session & Networking Mixer
• 03.14 Diversity in Games (DIG) Lightning Lunch Panel (DigiBC supported)
• 03.18-22 GDC Trade Mission (with 49 BC indie studios)
• 04.22-26 Creative Industries Week
• 04.22 Creative Technology Day
• 04.24 Creative Industries Week Showcase @ Legislature (Victoria)
• 05.14 GDC Debrief & Future Planning Meeting
• 06.15 Diversity in Games (DIG) Power Up Networking (DigiBC supported)
• 09.07 Innovation Zone @ Flats Fest (DigiBC booth)
• 09.27-10.06 Signals Creative Tech Expo
• 09.27 Signals Opening Reception
• 09.27-28 XP + Beta Lounge: Interactive Digital Media Conference @ Signals
• 10.01 DigiBC Member Networking Mixer @ Signals
• 10.02-03 FutureCraft Symposium: Re-Imagining Creativity with AI @ Signals
• 10.04 IM4 Day @ Signals
• 10.05 Centre for Digital Media Industry Connect @ Signals
• 10.16 Diversity in Games (DIG) Virtual Roundtable (DigiBC supported)
• 10.28-30 Canadian-German Interactive Digital Media Exchange
• 11.08 Careers in BC’s Creative Sectors Panel, Career Education Society Conference
• 12.11 DigiBC 2024 AGM
• 12.17 S+F Group Benefits Info Session

DigiBC Membership & Member Discounts

DigiBC added 20 new studios to our membership this year, with 13 joining under our EDI tier, which supports the advancement of startup XR and video game studios led by underrepresented groups. We grew our roster of member perks and were able to secure a room rate discount at the Holiday Inn Vancouver-Broadway, as well as a discount on the TAP Network’s Sector Salary & Total Rewards Survey. DigiBC members also had free access to Interactive Ontario’s Indie Superboost (ISB) virtual event series throughout the year.

Micro-Credential Programs with Colleges & Universities

DigiBC continued to partner with BC post-secondary schools to develop and deliver creative technology micro-credentials in 2024. Programs include VCC’s Project Management for Video Games and Production for Animation and VFX, CDM’s Career Preparation for Computer Science & Creative Technology Careers and Intercultural Skills for Success in the Creative Technology Industry, SFU’s Leadership & Agile Production Management, and BCIT’s Communication for Team-Based Collaboration.

Work Placement Pilot (WPP) Program

Earlier this year, we were thrilled to announce the new Work Placement Pilot (WPP) Program, designed to provide opportunities for up to 170 eligible post-secondary students at creative tech companies across the province. With the first cohort of students placed in September, and three more planned over the course of 2025, the program provides resources to students and employers to help bridge the gap between education and the creative tech industry. Powered by DigiBC’s Work Placement Office, the WPP Program offers recruiting and administrative support to help small to medium-sized employers create new work placements for students – and provides students with additional educational and networking opportunities to augment on-the-job learning. The WPP Program is supported by the British Columbia Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skill’s Sector Labour Market Partnerships Program, with funding from the Canada-BC Labour Market Development Agreement.

Signals Creative Tech Expo 2024

DigiBC and VIFF co-produced the third annual Signals Creative Tech Expo from September 27 to October 6. This premiere creative technology industry event explored rich cultural narratives, the latest technologies, and socio-political issues while showcasing the achievements of Canadian and Indigenous artists. The main exhibition featured 12 experiential installations in video games, XR, virtual production, and AI, produced by world-renowned creators and beneficiaries of DigiBC’s yearlong Signals XR Lab mentorships. Additional programming over the course of the week included the Signals Opening Reception (September 27), Beta Lounge: Interactive Digital Media Conference (September 27–28), FutureCraft Symposium: Re-imagining Creativity with AI (October 2–3), IM4 Day (October 4), and CDM Industry Connect (October 5).

Industry Relations

In 2024, DigiBC’s Executive Director Loc Dao became the Chair of the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC), a not-for-profit trade association that serves as the voice of Canada’s interactive digital media industry.

This year, DigiBC and some of its members  contributed to Invest Vancouver’s Entertainment Sector report, conducted by Nordicity. The final report was completed in June 2024. You can find the full report here, or the 2-page highlights here.

In July 2024, DigiBC moderated “The Entertainment Multiverse,” a panel for global summit EXNW, a part of the Racial Equity Screen Office (RESO).

In October 2024, CreativeBC, the Trade Commissioner Service and DigiBC produced a three-day Canadian-German Interactive Digital Media Exchange, hosting 11 companies from Berlin, Germany, and eight BC-based studios. The mission focused on international relationship building and exploring future co-production possibilities.

In November 2024, DigiBC participated in the 47th Annual Career Education Society Conference. Joined by CreativeBC and BooksBC, the panel focused on careers in BC’s Creative Sector.

DigiCamp Scholarship Fund

We revamped our DigiCamps program to become the DigiCamp Scholarship Fund, available to youth in Grades 8–12 who were registered in the Ethós Lab Virtual Reality Lab Summer Camps that took place in July. The fund covered the full cost of enrollment for five equity-deserving recipients.

Play to Learn

In collaboration with EverFi, our Play to Learn program continued to roll out in schools throughout the province. This self-paced interactive program encourages middle school students to explore an array of STEM careers.

Creative Technology Gallery at Science World

The Creative Technology Gallery at Science World, which opened in 2023, became one of the 2024 Institutional CASCADE Award recipients, winning the $1M+ category. Presented by the Canadian Association of Science Centres, these prestigious awards recognize innovation, leadership, and impact, and celebrate efforts to make science engaging and accessible. Co-developed by Phoenix Labs, Science World, and DigiBC with the participation of Creative BC and the BC Arts Council, the gallery was co-presented by Beedie and RBC, supported by Pacific Economic Development Canada. Since its opening, this thought-provoking gallery has welcomed over 200,000 visitors and continues to inspire the next generation of creative technologists.

National IDM Profile Survey

As a member of the Canadian Interactive Alliance (CIAIC), DigiBC obtained funding to develop a National Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Profile Survey in collaboration with Nordicity. This will be the first comprehensive benchmark of Canada’s IDM industry since 2013. The project will create a set of standard definitions, approaches, and methodologies to support CIAIC, its members, and other partner organizations in conducting research that can be compared and used collaboratively to the benefit of the IDM industry across Canada. The survey launched in conjunction with the 2024 ESAC Report, and data collection started with video game and XR studios across the country.

Funding & Grant Programs

►CMF: IDM Iteration Program
►CMF: IDM Innovation & Experimentation Program
►CMF: IDM Prototyping Program
►CMF-ISO Interactive & Immersive Program
►Creative BC: Video Games Business Development Program
►Creative BC: Interactive Fund Program
►Shred Capital: Video Game Industry Acceleration Program
►Trade Accelerator Program (TAP): Creative Industries Cohort
►Centre for Digital Media: R&D Projects with Master of Digital Media Students
►CanExport SMEs Funding Program

EDI Initiatives

DigiBC’s focus on Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) shows up in all of our programs, from Signals and WPP to the Signals XR Lab, and we continue to bring together leaders from across our member companies to share programming, resources, and best practices to support EDI policy and commitments.

Government Trade Missions

Through our government partners at the Trade Commissioner Service, Canadian Heritage, and the BC Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation (JEDI), our member studios had opportunities to participate in the Silicon Valley Trade Accelerator and Canadian Creative Accelerator in Germany programs, as well as international trade missions to PG Connects London, Game Developers Conference (GDC), South Korea, IndiaJoy, and Gamescom.

Vancouver Game Founders Group

This year saw the formation of the Vancouver Game Founders Group, headed up by DigiBC member Carolina Ellis (CEO & Co-founder, Tidepool Games). The group provides peer support for experienced video game founders via Discord and bi-weekly meetings at the DigiBC office. We also arranged several opportunities for the group to pitch their projects to investors and publishers throughout the year.

Member & Community Events

DigiBC supported a number of local events throughout the year, including GDC Pre & Post Prep Sessions, a Canadian-German IDM Exchange, the Diversity in Games (DIG) Virtual Speaker Series, re:Naissance Opera’s IndieFest 2024, the East by Northwest (EXNW) Summit, and Spark FX, Spark Reloaded and Spark Animation (as a Byte level sponsor for the Spark CG Society).

DigiBC Sizzle Reel + New Website & Branding

We worked with Vancouver marketing agency Forge & Spark, to unveil a new logo, branding and website. We also updated our sizzle reel, a promotional video that represents BC’s wide-ranging creative technology sector, from VFX, animation, and video games to virtual production and VR/AR/XR. It showcases some spectacular content from member studios, made right here in BC.

Creative Industries Week & Creative Technology Day 2024

The ninth annual Creative Industries Week (April 22–26) brought together industry associations, key stakeholders, and creators with government to celebrate BC’s dynamic creative sectors: Film + Television, Book + Magazine Publishing, Music, and Creative Technology. It was a pleasure to be in Victoria at the Legislative Assembly on April 24 to showcase our valued members’ achievements to Ministers and MLAs, alongside our peers in the creative industries. We presented our sizzle reel, highlighting the latest innovations of BC’s animation, visual effects, and video game companies, while game developer Buffalo Buffalo showed a working demo of their immersive, music-based skiing game that has recently been funded by the Canada Media Fund and Creative BC. As part of Creative Industries Week, DigiBC presented Creative Technology Day on April 22 to showcase incredible work from studios across the province, spanning animation, VFX, video games, VR/AR/XR, and virtual production.