makwa + waagosh creative ltd.

What makwa + waagosh creative ltd. does

Makwa Creative (legal name: Makwa Creative Inc., formerly Makwa + Waagosh Creative Ltd.) is an Indigenous-owned, founder-led Canadian production company established in 2017 by Tanya Talaga. The company produces original documentary films, docuseries, podcasts, and accompanying books centered on Indigenous stories from Canada, with a thematic focus on the legacy of the Indian Residential School system, land-back movements, Indigenous youth resilience, and Anishinaabe cultural knowledge. "Makwa" means black bear in Ojibwe, reflecting the company's cultural grounding. Core products include the four-part CBC documentary series The Knowing (2024), the feature documentary Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising (2025 TIFF world premiere), Spirit to Soar (Hot Docs Audience Award winner), and War for the Woods, alongside podcasts Auntie Up! and Seven Truths, and Talaga's nationally bestselling books Seven Fallen Feathers, All Our Relations, and The Knowing.

The business operates as a project-based creative studio rather than a technology platform. Revenue derives from four streams: (1) film and documentary production financed through co-production partnerships and broadcast licensing with CBC and APTN, supported by Canadian public funding bodies including the Indigenous Screen Office, Canada Council for the Arts, CMF Indigenous Fund, and Telefilm Canada; (2) podcast production and distribution through Audible Originals, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify, supplemented by sponsorships (Animikii, Know History, ISO); (3) book royalties from HarperCollins Canada; and (4) speaking fees for founder Tanya Talaga, managed through Speakers' Spotlight. Distribution spans Canadian public broadcasting (CBC, CBC Gem, APTN), major global podcast platforms, international book publishing (HarperCollins' 120 imprints in 17 countries; Scribe in Australia/England), and TIFF/Hot Docs film-festival circuits. The company is not a technology company — it has no proprietary platform, API, SDK, or AI capability — and its competitive position rests entirely on Talaga's reputational capital, her personal Anishinaabe family narrative, and the embedded Indigenous-storytelling ecosystem of Canadian public funding and broadcast relationships.

Name

makwa + waagosh creative ltd.

Legal name

Makwa Creative Inc.

Website

https://makwacreative.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Makwa Creative is an Indigenous-owned Canadian production company founded in 2017 by Tanya Talaga, producing award-winning documentary films, docuseries, podcasts, and books that center Indigenous stories — particularly on Canada's residential school legacy — distributed via CBC, APTN, Audible, and HarperCollins.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary and Media Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Sound Recording Industries (5122)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Indigenous film production
• Documentary filmmaking
• Podcast production
• Cultural storytelling
• Book publishing

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Film & Documentary Production: Makwa Creative produces documentary films and docuseries (e.g., The Knowing, Spirit to Soar, War for the Woods, Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising), sold to and co-produced with Canadian broadcasters such as CBC and APTN. Revenue derives from production financing, broadcast licensing fees, and co-production partnerships.
2. Podcast Production: Makwa Creative produces original podcast content (Auntie Up!, Seven Truths) — distributed via Audible Originals, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Some podcasts carry branded sponsorship (Animikii, Know History, ISO). Revenue derives from production deals with platforms and sponsorships.
3. Speaking & Author Royalties: Tanya Talaga, founder and President/CEO, earns speaking fees through Speakers' Spotlight for speaking engagements. Book royalties flow through HarperCollins Canada for The Knowing, Seven Fallen Feathers, and All Our Relations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Makwa Creative is an Indigenous-owned production company that develops, produces, and co-finances original film, documentary, podcast, and book content focused on Indigenous stories in Canada. The company produces docuseries, feature-length documentaries, and narrative nonfiction books for distribution through Canadian broadcasters (CBC, APTN), major podcast platforms (Audible, Apple, Spotify), and book publishers (HarperCollins Canada). Its work combines journalism, documentary filmmaking, and audio storytelling to amplify Indigenous voices, with the founder Tanya Talaga serving as lead author, executive producer, and director across productions.

Product overview

Makwa Creative is an Indigenous-owned production company that operates as a unified creative studio producing films, documentary series, podcasts, and books centered on Indigenous stories. The core offerings include documentary films (The Knowing documentary series, Spirit to Soar, War For the Woods, Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising), podcasts (Auntie Up!, Seven Truths), and authored books by founder Tanya Talaga (Seven Fallen Feathers, All Our Relations, The Knowing). The company functions as a single integrated production entity rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with all products supporting the mission of elevating Indigenous voices through TV, documentaries, podcasts, and digital media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Auntie Up!: A podcast celebrating Indigenous women talking about important topics. Hosted by Indigenous women including Karyn Pugliese, Kim Wheeler, and executive produced by Tanya Talaga.
• Seven Truths

Products and services

• The Knowing (Documentary Series) A four-part CBC documentary series and companion book by Tanya Talaga that retells Canadian history through an Indigenous lens, beginning with her great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family, exploring the legacy of Canada's Indian Residential School system. Sold to and broadcast on CBC and CBC Gem.
• Mashkawi-Manidoo Bimaadiziwin Spirit to Soar A documentary in both English and Anishinabemowin-language versions, available on CBC Gem, which received the Audience Award for best mid-length documentary at the Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival.
• The Nature of Things: War For the Woods A Canadian Screen Award-nominated documentary examining Indigenous land rights and environmental issues.
• Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising A 90-minute feature documentary that tells the story of the 1974 Anishinabeg youth-led armed land-back occupation of Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario, co-produced with CBC and APTN. World premiered at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.
• Auntie Up! A podcast celebrating Indigenous women discussing important topics, featuring hosts Karyn Pugliese, Kim Wheeler, and Jolene Banning, with Tanya Talaga as Executive Producer. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Seven Truths A podcast narrated by Tanya Talaga exploring the Seven Grandfather Teachings of Anishinaabe through contemporary stories. Released as an Audible Originals production.
• The Knowing (Book) A national bestseller by Tanya Talaga, published by HarperCollins Canada, presenting a seminal unravelling of centuries-long oppression of Indigenous People in Canada through her great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter's family story.
• Seven Fallen Feathers (Book) A national bestseller by Tanya Talaga about seven Indigenous high school students who died in Thunder Bay, Ontario between 2000 and 2011. Won the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize.
• All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward (Book) A national bestseller and 2018 CBC Massey Lectures by Tanya Talaga examining the tragic rise in youth suicides in Indigenous communities in Canada and globally, based on her Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy series.
• Tanya Talaga Speaking Engagements Paid keynote and speaking services by Tanya Talaga, represented by Speakers' Spotlight, covering Indigenous history, residential schools, reconciliation, and journalism. Booked by event organizers, conferences, corporations, and literary festivals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four-part docuseries The Knowing premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2024 and subsequently aired on CBC and CBC Gem to national audiences.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CBCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025CBC is a co-production partner and broadcaster for Makwa Creative documentary content. The Knowing four-part docuseries aired on CBC and CBC Gem. CBC was the broadcaster for Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising.
• APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025APTN co-produced and broadcast Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising documentary alongside Makwa Creative and CBC.
• HarperCollins CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2024HarperCollins Canada published Tanya Talaga's The Knowing (August 2024), and previously published Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Relations. HarperCollins handles global book distribution through its 120 branded imprints in 17 countries.
• Antica ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntica Productions is listed as the executive production company partner for Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising (alongside Tanya Talaga). Antica has partnerships with BBC, CBC, Comcast, Amazon, and Lionsgate.
• Speakers' SpotlightcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpeakers' Spotlight represents Tanya Talaga for speaking engagements, manages her speaking schedule, and connects her with event organizers. This is the primary channel for booking Tanya Talaga's speaking appearances.
• Audible OriginalscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAudible Originals is the publisher/distributor of the Seven Truths podcast. Makwa Creative produces content released as Audible Originals productions, making it available globally through Audible's platform.
• Pender PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPender PR (Nicole Pender) handles media relations and press contacts for Makwa Creative, including for major documentary releases like Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising.
• AnimikiiminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAnimikii is credited as the website developer for Makwa Creative (makwacreative.ca). Animikii is an Indigenous digital agency. The company is also a podcast sponsor for Auntie Up!.
• Know HistoryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKnow History is a podcast sponsor for Auntie Up! Season 2 and Season 3. The organization introduced itself via a bonus episode in Season 2. Know History provides historical research services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kistikan Pictures: Indigenous-owned Canadian production company producing films and series with Indigenous creators and storytellers. Directly comparable in Indigenous-led ownership, narrative focus, and engagement with Canadian public broadcasters and funding bodies.
• Antica Productions: Indigenous-led Canadian production company that co-produced Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising alongside Makwa Creative. Operates in the same niche of Indigenous documentary and television production with established ties to BBC, Amazon, Lionsgate, and Comcast.
• 90th Parallel Productions: Canadian production company specializing in factual and documentary content with a strong Indigenous storytelling focus. Directly comparable in production scale, subject matter focus, and broadcaster co-production model.
• Catbird Media: Canadian Indigenous-owned media company producing content for television and digital platforms centered on Indigenous stories. Closely comparable in Indigenous-led production model, mission, and reliance on Canadian public broadcaster and funding relationships.
• Eagle Vision: Indigenous-owned production company based in Manitoba producing documentaries, television, and digital media focused on Indigenous communities. Directly comparable as a fellow Indigenous-owned boutique producer serving similar audiences and funding sources.

Broad incumbents

• Breakthrough Entertainment: Large Canadian film and television producer and distributor with a documentary division. Comparable in working with Canadian broadcasters and producing documentary content, but operates across many genres beyond Indigenous storytelling.
• White Pine Pictures: Established Canadian documentary production company with broad subject coverage including Indigenous stories. Comparable in documentary production format and Canadian broadcaster relationships, though operating at a larger and more diversified scale than Makwa.
• Loaded Pictures: Canadian production and distribution company with a strong documentary and feature film slate. Comparable in independent Canadian production model and broadcaster partnerships, though broader in subject matter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makwa-creative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about makwa + waagosh creative ltd.