The Creative School’s Future Makers collaborates with City of Toronto on Future Makers Week Toronto 2024

With a bustling creative economy, Toronto has become a hub for new ways of thinking, working, and creating, driven by initiatives like Future Makers. Launched in 2020 by The Creative School and the City of Toronto’s Creative Technology Office, Future Makers is redefining how creators and companies approach the future of their fields through education, collaboration, mentorship and dialogue. More than a platform for creators to put their heads together, it serves as a blueprint for future-proofing tomorrow’s leaders and businesses in a rapidly evolving tech and entertainment landscape. This dynamic partnership between the City of Toronto and The Creative School demonstrates a shared commitment to driving innovation and growth in Toronto’s creative sector, further cementing the city’s role as a global leader in creative technology.

Exploring the edges of creative technology, together

From industry forecasting to hands-on digital transformation, Future Makers Week 2024 provided a week-long event for creators to engage in dialogue, learn, and experiment with cutting-edge creative technology, all designed to help them thrive in Toronto’s vibrant creative ecosystem.

“We’re thrilled to bring Future Makers to life in Toronto this fall, offering creators a chance to explore cutting-edge innovations, engage with leading industry voices, and experiment with emerging technologies,” says Ramona Pringle, Future Makers co-founder, multi-media producer and associate professor of Media Production at The Creative School.  

The sold-out October event showcased the many exhibitions and works emerging from Toronto’s creative sector, including the interactive immersive installation Artificial Nature: We Are Entanglement by Haru Ji and Graham Wakefield. These exhibits, along with a myriad of panels, workshops and discussions at Future Makers Week 2024 underpinned how the entertainment industry and the creative community are reimagining new and innovative ways in which technology and art can intersect. Topics covered in the symposium include The Future of Immersive and Digital Art, Fusing Gameplay and Healthcare, Active Creation with AI, Your 21st Century Career Trajectory, Biskaabiiyaang: Creating a Path Towards Healing and Reconciliation, and The Future of Entertainment.

Advancing Toronto’s creative sector

At the heart of Future Makers is a commitment to empowering the creative community through hands-on education and mentorship. From interactive media to immersive storytelling, creators are encouraged to experiment and embrace the evolving role of technology in shaping industries like film, gaming, and digital arts. Not only does it prepare participants for the next step in their industry, but it also equips them to lead their fields into the digital frontier.

“Toronto has an incredible ecosystem of creative talent from artists to entrepreneurs making it a global leader in the entertainment industries,” says Anthea Foyer, Creative Technology Sector Development Officer, City of Toronto. “Future Makers draws on this talent to create opportunities for the individuals and businesses that make up this thriving sector to continue to build an incredible creative technology industry for now and into the future.” 

Pringle sees Future Makers as a catalyst for transformation - not only as an academic but as a hands-on multimedia creator herself. Future Makers goes beyond providing creators and businesses with new tools—it helps them envision what those tools could become. This approach pushes creators and businesses to break through traditional boundaries and explore new ways of thinking that are often overlooked or avoided. “Future Makers has always been about empowering creators to push boundaries, and in a rapidly changing world, we offer the tools, guidance, and community they need to shape the future of their careers,” says Pringle.

As Canada’s entertainment capital, Toronto plays a key role in shaping the future of the creative economy. The Creative School initiatives like Future Makers represent the next phase in that evolution—a space where the future is anticipated and actively crafted. For tomorrow’s leaders and innovators aiming to make a global impact, Future Makers provides the tools and support needed to turn those aspirations into reality.

The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University

The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.