REGINA — A Cree filmmaker is combining creativity with business acumen as the recipient of an Indigenous entrepreneurship award.
Bee Bird, originally from Montreal Lake Cree Nation, was one of the winners of the RBC Rock My Business Emerging Indigenous Entrepreneur Award. The award comes with a $10,000 prize, which Bird can use to turn his business idea into reality.
For Bird, his idea is for an “Indigenous-owned media company that focuses on empowering entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan,” he said.
“We specialize in high-quality content creation while amplifying Indigenous voices, and our mission is to collaborate with Indigenous storytellers and brands to create impactful content that inspires and educates. So we envision a media landscape where Indigenous narratives are celebrated, and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis creators are equipped to share their stories.”
Bird said the award came through the Futurepreneur and RBC Future Launch Award program. He attended the Futurepreneur workshops, a three-part series that included topics such as Rock My Business Idea, Rock My Business Plan, and Rock My Business Cash Flow Statements.
Through those workshops, Bird said he received assistance in crafting his winning business plan. “Not only my business plan, but the financial part of it, the knowledge and the financial strategy, and knowing how to break even in cash flow and stuff like that.”
His winning business idea is Bee Productions, a company launched last year that Bird says will “tell stories for Indigenous institutions, and not only institutions, other artists. We do writing for other publications like Indigenous Curatorial Collective, the Eagle Feather News. There's a few articles that I've been writing for them and some that are coming out.”
Bird said his production business also specializes in Unreal Engine animation. “So adding more, I guess, content for the video for Indigenous entrepreneurs or institutions is helpful when using the up-to-date technology, you know, like Unreal Engine. Yeah, stuff like that.”
They also specialize in “photography, event photography, wedding photography, and just any kind of family portraits that people want done and stuff like that. So I'm really hoping to branch more into the photography realm as well.”
Bird is in a creative industry and first and foremost considers himself a storyteller, so learning the business side and understanding revenues and expenses is something he’s been adjusting to.
“I went to school for media productions in Prince Albert, and that's where it all started. And then I worked my way up, being on the creative side or the arts side, I guess if you will,” said Bird.
But he hasn’t “really paid attention to the business planning part” until after he left Prince Albert.
“So it was quite a journey. Learning the ins and outs of the financials, like a break-even point, learning all the stuff from the entrepreneur side really helped with the Rock My Business workshops,” he said. Bird said those workshops really helped with the financial side, especially regarding cash flow.
“Again, I'm still learning,” said Bird. “I'm still learning as I go because I'm a storyteller. It's all about the connections out there. And I realized that there's such a connection between having that business side or I guess the money side, the money aspect of it, and also being creative with it and trying to see what you can do with what you've got.”
Prior to this, Bird was the 2024 Indigenous Artist in Residence with the City of Regina, which he credits with opening doors.
“So they were a major stepping stone to my business too. I used some of that money to fund some of the startup part, the startup phase of my business." As for the idea for starting a production company, he said he "always had the idea for quite some time, but that was really when my business started taking off at the end of that residency in October.”
Now that he’s received this entrepreneurship award along with the $10,000, Bird is thankful to RBC Future Launch and Futurepreneur for the financial boost, but knows it isn’t just about the money.
“It's all about the connection. It's all about the people,” said Bird. “If you sacrifice yourself, give your time to trying to serve the people, the money will come, you know. And it's always going to be there, it's always going to be circulating. We always have to take care of one another though and tell each other stories. And that's why I opened this business, was to tell Indigenous stories and raise Indigenous voices. And that's my goal. This $10,000 award will help with our website development and some better equipment to help serve bigger institutions.”
As for his message to Indigenous entrepreneurs looking to start their own business, Bird said his advice is to “just believe in your vision, even when a journey feels challenging, you know. Starting a business takes courage, patience and persistence. And there are going to be moments where you feel overwhelmed. But staying committed makes all the difference.”
“So just take advantage of what you've got. There's so many workshops out there like Futurepreneur workshops and RBC Future Launch. And attend those seminars, ask questions, seek mentors who understand your path and stay grounded in your values and community because that's about the connection. It's about the source, the source of the connection. It's about the strength. Learn how to protect your work. Understand intellectual properties and navigate contracts and negotiations. Most importantly, remember that as an Indigenous entrepreneur, you're not just building a business, you're creating space for your community, amplifying voices and help shift the narrative through your work. Just don't give up.”
