Pacific Northwest Creatives Summit host and presenter, Here Magazine, is excited to unveil its latest initiative: REP Creative, a vehicle for economic empowerment and a catalyst for positive change by transforming the creative landscape and empowering creatives from equity-deserving communities to thrive. Together, we cultivate a strong and supportive community where newcomer, immigrant, and BPOC-identifying creatives are celebrated, and our contributions elevated and amplified.

In the fall of 2024, REP Creative undertook its first official project! The client required diverse animated characters and detailed backgrounds for an explainer video they would finalize in post-production. Handily, Samantha Wood-Gaines’ illustration style was exactly what the client was looking for and Samira Shojaei’s animation skills were just what was needed to get their characters moving!

These two members of REP Creative had never met and lived in different cities. The client also lived in a different city and time zone. They had a 16-week deadline. The challenge was on!

In the video below, Samira weaves the tale of this first REP Creative adventure with humour and great animated style! Jump in ↓