Who Tells The Stories That Shape Our World?
This is an important question, because for too long communities and cultures seldom had control of our stories, and that’s where Innonative comes in.
WHO WE ARE
InnoNative is an Indigenous-led creative studio working at the intersection of storytelling, film, and education. We support communities and organizations across Canada through creative work that prioritizes care, accountability, and long-term impact.
At our core, InnoNative exists to help people tell their own stories — and to build the skills, confidence, and creative capacity that allow those stories to stay rooted where they belong.
WHERE WE COME FROM
InnoNative was founded out of lived experience.
After years working across film and television, founder Nang Ḵ’uulas Patrick Shannon returned home to Haida Gwaii with a growing sense that creative work could — and should — do more than produce content. What began as a production practice evolved into something deeper: a commitment to mentorship, training, and community-centred storytelling.
Over time, InnoNative grew into a studio that balances professional-level filmmaking with education and capacity building, guided by Indigenous values and long-term relationships rather than short-term outputs.
WHY WE DO THIS
Stories shape how communities are seen — and how they see themselves.
Too often, stories about Indigenous and remote communities have been created without meaningful involvement, leaving little behind once a project is finished. InnoNative works to shift that dynamic by focusing on process as much as outcome, ensuring that creative work builds skills, confidence, and ownership that remain long after the cameras are packed away.
We believe creative work should strengthen communities, not extract from them.
PATRICK SHANNON
InnoNative is led by Nang Ḵ’uulas Patrick Shannon, a Haida filmmaker and educator with decades of experience across documentary, narrative film, and creative education.
Patrick’s practice is grounded in accountability to community, respect for lived experience, and a belief in sharing knowledge openly. Alongside his work as a director, he is deeply committed to teaching, mentorship, and creating pathways for emerging creatives — particularly youth — to build skills and confidence in media and storytelling.
His leadership shapes InnoNative not just as a studio, but as a place of learning and exchange.
The Team
InnoNative is supported by a dedicated team of producers, creatives, educators, and collaborators who share a commitment to community-centred practice.
Our team expands thoughtfully depending on the work, drawing on long-standing relationships with trusted collaborators. Whether working on a film, a training program, or a speaking engagement, we prioritize respectful relationships, shared responsibility, and care for the people and places involved.
"Patrick brought great skill and sensitivity to an important storytelling video project, giving a voice to Nuxalk community members”
- Nicole Adams, Industry Training Authority
START A CONVERSATION
If you’re exploring storytelling, training, or creative capacity-building and feel aligned with our approach, we welcome thoughtful inquiries. Let’s talk about the work you’re imagining — and how we might support that in partnership.