a new docuseries by Dallas Curow
a STORY DARLING STUDIOS production
INSIDE CREATIVE LIVES
SYNOPSIS: INSIDE CREATIVE LIVES pulls back the curtain on the artistic process through intimate interviews with Edmonton-based creative professionals. Allowing a rare glimpse behind the scenes of their successes, these women share how they bring ideas to fruition, handle challenges with grace, and evolve with agility to build rewarding and sustainable creative careers.
THEMES
While each episode will explore various topics specific to its guest, the unifying thread of the series is the creativity, resilience, and ingenuity of women. We explore each guest’s creative process and body of work, and also touch upon her contributions to her community and the ways in which her work uplifts fellow creatives and Albertans
Cast & Crew
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01. AMY DIXON
PAINTER
Join Edmonton-based landscape painter Amy Dixon as she offers a fascinating look into her colourful art studio as well as her plein air painting practice. Learn how she went from an idyllic childhood as the daughter of a lobster fisherman in Cape Breton to becoming one of Edmonton's most prolific and well-known painters, and how a travel adventure completely changed her life as an artist.
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02. DR. SHAZMA MITHANI
EMERGENCY DOCTOR & CONTENT CREATOR
Edmonton-based ER doctor and content creator Dr. Shazma Mithani shares her journey from practicing emergency medicine in the darkest days of the pandemic to becoming one of Canada's most trusted medical content creators.
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03. MARIE ZYDEK
STYLIST & ACTOR
Join renowned Edmonton-based stylist Marie Zydek as she shares how she found her way from acting to personal styling. In this episode, she shares about how her own life transitions helped her learn to support clients by using styling as a tool for transformation.
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04. LANE EDWARDS
FOUNDER OF PURA BOTANICALS
Join Lane Edwards, the founder of PURA Botanicals, an Edmonton-based skincare company. In this episode, Lane shares how she went from making potions in her backyard as a little girl to growing up to create one of Canada's most successful all-natural skincare brands.
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05. ELLIE HEATH
MULTIDISCIPLINARY CREATIVE
Meet Ellie Heath, an Edmonton-based multidisciplinary performer as she shares her journey from a childhood steeped in creativity to a thriving as a multifaceted working artist.
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06. JACQUELINE JACEK
COCOANISTA AND FOUNDER OF JACEK CHOCOLATE COUTURE
Join Jacqueline Jacek, "Cocoanista" and Founder of Jacek Chocolate Couture, as she shares her story of starting in a basement kitchen with a baby on her hip, to now running one of Canada's most beloved chocolate brands.
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07. THE BELL FAMILY
MATTIERIN SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE
Join the Bells of Mattierin School of Irish Dance as they share a look inside their family business that's been running for over 30 years in Edmonton. In this episode they invite us into their studio and share their thoughtful approach to teaching as they train a new generation of dancers.
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08. ANA MURPHY
BAKER
Join Edmonton baker and the owner of Annie's Cakes, Ana Murphy, as she prepares a beautiful cake and shares a peek inside her creative process. In this episode, Ana shares how she transitioned from doing graphic design in Venezuela to becoming a cake designer in Canada.
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09. KEJINA ROBINSON ROSE
BLK ROSE CANDLE
Join Kejina Robinson Rose, founder of BLK Rose Candles, as she shares her creative process and reveals the inspiration behind her BLK is Beautiful collection.
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10. STORY DARLING STUDIOS
DALLAS CUROW & SARAH TAYLOR, CCE
Join host Dallas Curow as she shares how producing this very series inspired her and TV & film editor Sarah Taylor, CCE, to form a brand new company together. Dallas and Sarah explain how they pivoted from photography and editing respectively to become co-founders of Story Darling Studios.
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DALLAS CUROW
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
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SARAH TAYLOR, CCE
EDITOR/CO-PRODUCER
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HOLLY MAZUR
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
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MYLES BELLAND
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
My name is Dallas Curow and I’m a photographer, director, and writer based in Edmonton.
My project, INSIDE CREATIVE LIVES pulls back the curtain on the creative process with interviews of inspiring women who make their living bringing ideas to life.
Informed by my 12+ years as a full-time, self-employed creative professional, I’ve identified three principal issues to through this series.
Working as a creative professional can be isolating
Women creatives face many systemic challenges; these are compounded if they are racialized, disabled, or neurodivergent
Rapid changes to the economy and technologies are directly affecting the livelihood of artists
In INSIDE CREATIVE LIVES, I ask fascinating creative professional women about the messy middle—what really happens behind the scenes. Behind every shiny finished product is blood, sweat and tears, but most people only see and celebrate the polished finale.
For emerging and seasoned creatives alike, this series feels like an intimate industry mixer where everyone is feeling chatty, unguarded, and generous.
My goal is to foster camaraderie among women creatives. I also seek to cultivate a sense of optimism and a feeling of belonging within the greater creative community.
Episode runtime: 15 minutes
Number of episodes: 10
Filming: September 2024-April 2025
Series premiere: September 23, 2025
Watch it on TELUS Optik TV, STORYHIVE YouTube Channel
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK OUT THE WORK
OF THESE AMAZING CREATORS
Amy Dixon - Painter
Ana Murphy - Annie’s Cakes
The Bell Family - Mattierin School of Irish Dance
Ellie Heath - Multidisciplinary Artist
Jacqueline Jacek of JACEK Chocolate Couture
Kejina Robinson Rose of BLK Rose Candle
Marie Zydek - Stylist
Lane Edwards of Pura Botanicals
Sarah Taylor, CCE - Editor and Filmmaker
Shazma Mithani - ER Doctor and Content Creator
STILLS
Dr. Shazma Mithani
Amy Dixon Art
Marie Zydek — Stylist
Lane Edwards — Pura Botanicals
Ellie Heath
Jacqueline Jacek — JACEK Chocolate Couture
The Bell Family — Mattierin Irish Dance
Ana Murphy — Annie's Cakes
Kejina Robinson Rose — BLK Rose Candles
Sarah Taylor, CCE and Dallas Curow - Story Darling Studios
SHOW ART
ADDITIONAL IMAGES
EPISODE FORMAT
Treatment
Each episode focuses on the story of one creative professional. Through a combination of archival images and video narrated by voiceover pulled from an interview, we learn about each creative’s early life experiences with creative activity.
A Mix of POV style interview shots and b-roll footage is used to show the guest moving through and interacting with her work environment as well as her personal life. Archival photo and video from the artist’s personal collection is interspersed.
Lastly, a sit-down interview filmed at The Story Darling Studio (within The Creative Hive) allows host Dallas Curow to chat with each guest about her creative triumphs, challenges, and hopes for the future of her career.
Narrative arc:
PAST - Creative origin story and journey to find her craft
PRESENT - Exploration of her current creative process
FUTURE - What’s at the heart of her story, and what drives her forward in her work?
MARKETING
INTENDED IMPACT
The cozy conversations and peek behind the curtain offered by INSIDE CREATIVE LIVES will foster a feeling of camaraderie among creatives, whose industries can often feel solitary. The series seeks to cultivate a sense of optimism about the future of creative work and a feeling of belonging within the greater artistic community in Edmonton, Canada, and beyond.
BEHIND THE SCENES
During each shoot, Dallas will be alternating between videography and photography (both camera and iPhone), so there will be a wealth of still images of the behind the scenes process. These will be edited and shared with guests for use on social media as sneak peeks and as part of the marketing rollout of the series premiere.
PREMIERE PARTY
To mark the series launch, Dallas and her co-producer, Sarah Taylor, CCE, will host a premiere party in September, 2025. Cast, crew, partners, sponsors, and loved ones will be welcomed to enjoy an evening of connection and celebration. Limited tickets will also be available to the public.
Since 2013, TELUS STORYHIVE has been able to support a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta, providing over $59 million in production funding and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring the projects they care about to life.
INSIDE CREATIVE LIVES is made possible with the support from TELUS STORYHIVE, and is available for free on TELUS Optik TV
Please reach out to dallas[at]storydarling.com with any questions.
