Across the North, stories travel long distances.
Communities gather for sporting events, cultural celebrations, and moments of pride that define life in the region. For many years, however, the ability to professionally capture and broadcast those moments widely was limited.
Now, the cameras are in northern hands.
Through Northwestel Community TV, creators across the North are gaining the skills, tools, and networks to film and broadcast their own events. More northern stories are now being captured and shared by the people who live them.
At the 2026 Arctic Winter Games, that shift stepped fully into the spotlight as this growing network of northern creators came together to broadcast sports and cultural events throughout the week.
The idea started with a simple goal: build local capacity so northern stories could be produced in the North, and by Northerners.
In 2023, Northwestel Community TV launched a hands-on training initiative in the Yukon focused on live sports broadcasting. Local participants learned how to operate multi-camera setups, direct live streams, and capture fast-moving action. These were skills that had previously been difficult to develop locally.
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The first training sessions began with events like Roller Derby Yukon, where participants worked alongside experienced broadcast professionals.
From there, the program quickly gained momentum.
Crews went on to help broadcast the Lost in Paradise Para Snowboard World Cup hosted at Mount Sima, where athletes from around the world competed. For Mike, one moment during that event captured why the work matters.
For many participants, the training opened entirely new professional opportunities.
Dan Little, co-owner of Yukon-based production company Ptarmigan Creative, was among the first to take part. A lifelong film enthusiast, he shifted into the industry full-time during the pandemic and quickly found himself drawn to live sports production.
“The training with Northwestel Community TV really opened the door to sports broadcasting and live streaming for our team. It gave us exposure to a market we hadn’t tapped into before and the confidence to apply what we’d learned in a practical way. Being able to share the efforts of our athletes with a wider audience feels like a real benefit to the community we love in the Yukon.”
Ptarmigan Creative has grown alongside the program, producing live broadcasts for major northern events including the Yukon Native Hockey Tournament.
For Dan, the real reward comes from knowing those broadcasts connect families and communities.
“Picture a grandmother who can’t travel to the arena, but she can watch her grandson score from home,” he says. “Moments like that make the work worth it.”
As more creators gain experience with live broadcasting, the ripple effects are being felt across the territory’s screen industry.
According to Brianne Bremner, Executive Director of the Screen Production Yukon Association, the change has been significant.
That capacity is opening new opportunities for local companies and crews across the North.
More importantly, it ensures northern stories are being told by the people who live them.
“Local production capacity is critical for northern communities. It ensures that stories are told by the people who live them, in their own voices, rather than being filtered through outside lenses. The best people to tell northern stories are northerners who bring a unique perspective and set of lived experiences to the screen.”
Through Northwestel’s network and the Host Society’s partnership with Home Team Network and Northwestel Community TV, coverage reached across the territories and out to the rest of the world.
Families and friends could share moments, follow events, and stay connected, whether they were in the stands or watching from home. Together, the partners helped deliver the most extensive broadcast coverage of any Arctic Winter Games to date.
As both a Legacy Sponsor and Arctic Champion Partner, Northwestel was proud to support the Games in ways that felt inclusive, connected, and distinctly northern, from the opening ceremonies to the Fan Zone and the shared moments that brought communities together.
For the creators behind the cameras, the Games also provided real-world experience on a major production while showcasing northern sport, culture, and community to a much wider audience.
What began as a training initiative has grown into something bigger: a network of northern creators with the skills to capture and share the moments that matter most.
The technology used for these broadcasts is intentionally accessible. With just a few devices, often two smartphones, an iPad, and a tripod, crews can produce a professional-style live broadcast and share it with audiences around the world.
“Our goal is to get these tools into as many hands as possible,” Mike says.
For Northwestel, investments like Northwestel Community TV are about more than connectivity. They help empower communities to document their stories, in their own voices.
Because in the North, the future isn’t waiting somewhere ahead.
It’s already rolling, with northern stories coming into focus.
Choose to discover the stories shaping our North
Northwestel is proud to serve 97 northern communities, each with a rich and unique Indigenous history, culture, and identity. We exist to help ignite the power of these First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities through the very best communications technology and services. We are committed to doing so in true partnership and consultation with Indigenous governments and other Northern Indigenous partners in a way that creates shared benefits for people in the North.
