A new multi-year initiative from the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and DHX Media, dubbed The DHX Experience, has launched in anticipation of developing a new generation of homegrown creative talent for the family, kids and tween content business.

The CFC, which mentors content creators and entrepreneurs across entertainment and digital media industries, will integrate The DHX Experience into its film, TV, music and acting programs. The initiative plans to engage roughly 40 screen-based entertainment industry professionals a year through in-depth workshops and exercises. It will also extend beyond the CFC’s talent base to offer a voice work for animation exercise, a hands-on music creation workshop, a story room for an animated show experience, and pitching and concept development bootcamps.

The DHX Experience is kicking off with a symposium being held at Toronto-based CFC headquarters on Wednesday. Led by practitioners and DHX execs, the event will provide an overview of the kids/tween/family world, and it will initiate a series of workshops and bootcamps to further explore creative processes and best practices.

The initiative launches as Canada’s role within the global children’s TV industry continues to grow, thanks in part to substantial tax grants and a high-quality talent pool. On top of its strong animation sector, the country is gaining a reputation as a burgeoning breeding ground for high-quality TV sitcoms and dramas that target tweens and teens. And Halifax-based DHX, through its rapid acquisitions of Canadian companies and channels such as former Astral Media-owned Family, remains front and center, with its revenues increasing by 127% in fiscal 2015 to the tune of US$200 million.