- Empowering filmmakers and championing diversity with HOORAE
Empowering filmmakers and championing diversity with HOORAE
Canva has partnered with Issa Rae’s media production company HOORAE and its management division ColorCreative to support diverse creative professionals in telling their stories – in more ways than you might expect.
In the entertainment industry, it’s crucial for creative professionals to be able to express their ideas with visual impact. As a visual communications platform, we’re dedicated to empowering the cultural storytellers(opens in a new tab or window) who drive creativity, from producers to costume designers, by providing essential visual tools, training, and industry recognition.
Since March 2023, we’ve partnered with HOORAE(opens in a new tab or window), a US media production company formed by actress, writer, and producer Issa Rae that aims to elevate the content and careers of women and people of colour.
Not only is Canva now the design platform used across all of HOORAE and its portfolio of companies, but we’ve also worked together to support creative professionals in telling their stories, shining a spotlight on the industry that shapes and defines our culture.
Powering ColorCreative’s Find Your People Program
For the second year, we’re excited to power HOORAE’s management company ColorCreative's Find Your People Program. This short film incubator/mentorship and development program empowers 28 up-and-coming diverse film creatives to tell impactful stories via short films that represent their communities. The short films from last year’s inaugural cohort premiered in LA in May, with Year Two continuing to see Canva used as the program’s creative platform, supported by Canva workshops and upskilling for filmmakers.
Canva’s involvement didn’t stop there: the team behind one of the films produced by the Year One FYPP cohorts used Canva to design and print many of the physical products on set. The Inconvenience Store tells the story of five unlikely strangers stuck in a gas station during an alien invasion who put their differences aside and come together to defend the human race.
The majority of the faux store products, such as mugs and brown paper shopping bags, were designed and printed with Canva, either as labels or as the products themselves. Various Canva items were printed for set design, most prominently the Ono’s Gas-N-Go store banners, which helped create the film’s world as well as cover all the store’s existing advertising. The team even utilized Canva for wardrobe, with one of the main characters Ron wearing a Canva-printed NASCAR-inspired t-shirt throughout the film.
ColorCreative x Canva on stage
In a filmed series with marketing leaders, entertainers, and thought leaders in creative industries at the Canva Villa at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Issa Rae was interviewed(opens in a new tab or window) about the importance of the Canva x FYPP partnership and also sat down with Canva’s CMO Zach Kitschke on a LinkedIn Live event(opens in a new tab or window) to chat about building brands rooted in community, passion, and purpose. More recently, in October 2023 at PROOF Film Festival, we facilitated a Canva x ColorCreative panel about Finding Your People and building a creative career rooted in authenticity.
Another panel session with ColorCreative was at our recent signature event Canva Create(opens in a new tab or window), where we hosted a Program panel on the ‘For You’ stage: Empowering Filmmakers to Bring Their Vision to Life. The session dove into how ColorCreative and the FYPP cohort have embedded Canva throughout the entire curriculum, exploring unique and empowering entertainment use cases. As well as this, the Canva Create campaign shoot (resulting in all the beautiful headshots(opens in a new tab or window) used digitally and at the event) was run by FYPP Executive Producer, Jamari Perry, and featured FYPP cohort member, B.P. Edwards(opens in a new tab or window).
Watch the full on-stage conversation below:
How HOORAE revolutionized its creative process with Canva
As a company, HOORAE has seen remarkable transformations(opens in a new tab or window) in its creative workflows thanks to Canva. With various divisions including ColorCreative, Fête, Raedio, and its Film & TV sector, HOORAE’s need for cohesive branding and efficient content production was incredibly important – and Canva became the linchpin in their creative overhaul.
Before integrating Canva, HOORAE grappled with disjointed design processes and inconsistent branding across its multiple teams. The lack of a unified branding strategy or an in-house graphic designer often led to slow, inefficient workflows, making it difficult to respond quickly to industry changes.
HOORAE discovered Canva through its ColorCreative division when it used our platform to support the Find Your People Program for underrepresented filmmakers. Canva’s versatility and user-friendly features quickly became indispensable across all HOORAE divisions.
The integration of Canva facilitated real-time collaboration, streamlined content creation, and maintained brand consistency. Key features such as the Brand Kit(opens in a new tab or window), Mockups(opens in a new tab or window), Resize & Magic Switch(opens in a new tab or window), and Background Remover(opens in a new tab or window) were pivotal in this transformation.
HOORAE has seen a huge impact on its operations:
- Tripled social media output: HOORAE’s daily social media content production increased threefold.
- 90% reduction in production time: The time taken to produce social content condensed by 90%, from 24 hours to just 2-3 hours.
- Significant cost savings: By using Canva, HOORAE saved thousands of dollars annually on photo and video software, reducing reliance on expensive freelance designers.
Enhanced collaboration and efficiency
Canva’s collaborative tools allowed HOORAE teams to work seamlessly across projects, even during the challenges of remote work. The platform’s ability to support real-time editing and feedback drastically improved workflow efficiency.
With Canva, HOORAE has ventured into new creative territories, including their first international project in Cannes, France. The ease of use and cost efficiency provided by Canva have empowered HOORAE to explore experimental and innovative projects without the financial strain of outsourcing design work.
HOORAE’s partnership with Canva exemplifies how the right tools can revolutionize creative processes. By centralising design efforts and fostering collaboration, Canva has enabled HOORAE to maintain a cohesive brand identity, increase productivity, and save substantial costs. This synergy not only bolstered HOORAE’s operational efficiency but also set a new standard for creative innovation in the media industry.
Find out more about how HOORAE uses Canva(opens in a new tab or window), or explore our resources for entertainment here(opens in a new tab or window).
The Inconvenience Store photo credit: Efren Zapata
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