MAKE ME CREATIVE
Stories that create understANDing and inspire action
MAKE ME CREATIVE operates as a storytelling studio and production house exploring the systems that shape human life through filmmaking, writing, design, and collaborations with institutions and organizations. We’re not a marketing company, and we’re not purely artists. We operate where there is a need to create understanding out of complexity.
MAKE ME CREATIVE began as a filmmaking practice. However, making short films, documentaries, and commercials refined our ability to find and tell compelling stories and led us into worlds we could not have imagined in film school. Worlds where stories that explore our communities, systems, and belief structures have impact. Through this work, we have come to understand a few things about ourselves.
WE TELL STORIES that do more than sell an idea. They need to create empathy and understanding, build connection, and inspire action.
WE VALUE THE PROCESS OF MAKING because story drives people to action, and how it is delivered shapes its accessibility and impact. But the act of coming together to lift the voices of the people at the centre of a story is as powerful as the final result.
WE CAN PUT A STORY IN ANYTHING because the storytelling skills developed through filmmaking can be applied everywhere. We’ve used them to build galleries, host events, publish magazines, launch podcasts, even write reports.
WE PRACTICE OUR CRAFT as designers, teachers, writers, producers, directors, and editors. Whether we are creating social media content, feature films, or case studies, we approach each project as craftsmen who care deeply about their work.
WE WORK WITH GOOD PEOPLE because though our process makes the work feel simple, it can be complex. That’s why we work in partnership with our clients to build the trust required to turn good ideas into meaningful results.
Organizations that have trusted us with their stories include: ATB, ATCO, Backwoods Construction, Calgary Tourism, Calgary Performing Arts Festivals, Calgary Seniors, Closer to Home, City of Calgary, COI, Evida, Fluor, Gordie Howe Cares, Holland Interiors, Incito, J5 Design, Kids Cancer Care Alberta, National Bank, The NHL, PCL, Pyramid Productions, U of C, United Way, Vivo and Vytality.
Studio Model
MAKE ME CREATIVE operates as a storytelling studio and production house. Exploring the systems that shape human life through filmmaking, writing, designing, and collaborations with institutions and organizations inside those systems. We’re not a marketing company, and we’re not purely artists. We operate where the need to create understanding out of complexity is required, and we do that through three different streams of work.
Institutional Storytelling
We help organizations uncover and tell thoughtful, compelling stories. Typical deliverables include documentary-style films and commercials, institutional narratives, impact stories, and case studies. But the work often produces more than a final deliverable. The process can lead to gatherings and events, new research and data synthesis, long-term storytelling strategies, and an archive of narrative assets that organizations can draw on for years to come.
Narrative Consulting
When a deliverable is not required, we offer workshops and consulting that help organizations understand the story they are part of. We have provided this work to universities and colleges, research teams, government institutions, and private companies looking to build understanding, develop messaging, or find a new creative direction.
Cultural Work
When a story inspires us, we pursue it. These projects are driven by curiosity and creative exploration rather than institutional needs. They include documentaries, short films, novels, essays, and other creative work that allows us to experiment, learn, and contribute to the culture of our community.
The Team
ERIC PAULS is a filmmaker and storyteller known for exploring existential themes through insightful character studies. His film journey began with narrative and documentary shorts, leading to his feature-length directorial debut, To the Mountain, for which he also wrote and composed the music. The film premiered at the Oakville Film and Art Festival, earning recognition as a Standout Discovery on iTunes and was described by the National Post as “wistful poignancy.”
He followed this with the poetic documentary Rosebud, Alberta, which premiered at the Edmonton International Film Festival. Since then, Eric has worked across genres and formats, directing true-crime television series, music videos, and commercial campaigns.
Beyond film and television, Eric applies documentary storytelling methods to research and systems thinking projects in government, healthcare, and social innovation. He has also taught storytelling at the University of Calgary School of Architecture, CSIF, and Calgary Design Week.
MICHAEL JANKE is a producer, director, and cinematographer with over a decade of experience across narrative film, documentary, broadcast television, music videos, and commercial campaigns. He brings a story-first approach to every project, combining visual precision with strong creative leadership. His work includes nationally broadcast television (NBC/Oxygen, Reelz TV), award-winning documentaries such as We the Bereaved and Rosebud, Alberta, and major brand campaigns.
Though Michael is widely recognized for his visual storytelling, it is his collaborative approach and artistic practice that allow him to work across such a wide range of projects while consistently elevating the voices of the people whose stories he is telling.
Let’s make something together.