D55 Originals are here, with Filter!

It’s been a long time coming! Today, we are excited to finally announce the release of our first original content series! We’ve spent the past few years collaborating with clients on exciting and real-time topics. At the same time, we have been diligently working behind-the-scenes to get a new slate of independent, multi-channel interactive media and complex storytelling experiences off the ground. With Digital 55 Originals, we are looking forward to driving the storytelling process from start to finish – from initial research and concepting, through writing, production, and distribution – on the topics and issues which we are most passionate about (or maybe just a bit curious). And it all starts with Filter –  a multi-platform learning and storytelling series that explores the ever-shifting role of cannabis in culture and society. 

Why Now?

We’ve put in the work to get ready to take on the exciting world of content creation and independent production. Now we’re ready to make some waves with our social purpose as our storytelling driver! 

Accelerator + residency support

Digital 55 is currently a resident of the Canadian Film Centre’s Fifth Wave & Media Lab Programs, as well as one of 50 women entrepreneurs in media accepted into the Banff Spark Fellowship and Incubator program. 

Subject matter experts with strong ties to the community

We have partnered with Kyle Merkley, a cannabis expert and connoisseur with deep ties and personal connections to Toronto’s vibrant cannabis community – allowing us to partake in engaging, authentic storytelling.

Intersectional thinkers

Our growing team is filled with talent that draws on experiences across a wide range of disciplines, infusing each and every digital modular experience and interactive story with inspiration and expertise in tech, design, film, ethnography, and music. 

Impact investment ready

“Scale and growth” has been our default setting for the past couple of years – and it doesn’t look like we will be slowing down any time soon. Digital 55 is impact investment ready – meaning that we are looking for opportunities to strengthen our social purpose mandate and support our impact-based projects. This includes storytelling that provides access to underrepresented perspectives, and voices.  

Award-winning + art at heart – always!

Digital 55 is award-winning, but always first and forever artists at heart. This gives us the drive to tell the best stories in the most authentic and real way possible so original content is a natural next step. With a side of badass, of course. 

What is Filter all about?

The late, great reggae musician and activist Bob Marley once said, “when you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself.” Cannabis has the ability to augment our personal processes and experiences, triggering a sense of euphoria and well-being, promoting relaxation and wellness, heightening our senses, and even stimulating greater creativity and flow. But cannabis has long held a place in our collective experiences, as well. Through cannabis, we have established new shared practices and rituals, forged new identities and communities, and even created new associations and ways of interacting. With the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2018, it is now possible to explore the role of cannabis, and the community surrounding it, more openly and meaningfully than ever before.

In the coming months, we will be releasing enlightening conversations, engaging interviews, and exploratory videos through our new YouTube channel Explore Filter. There we will explore topics like: 

• How cannabis supports health, wellness, and mindfulness
• How to identify high-quality cannabis
• How to select the consumption methods that work best for you
• How to make (and enjoy!) edible cannabis treats and cocktails
• How to navigate the rules and regulations of today’s new legal structures and systems
• How to find the best places to smoke up 
• And more! 

In the meantime, follow us on Instagram. There you will find: 

• BTS photos, videos, and teasers for upcoming episodes
• Introductions to the Filter team
• “5 Q’s” videos featuring vibrant members of Toronto’s local cannabis community 
• The Dope Dictionary, for definitions of key cannabis words and phrases
• And more creative and informative posts on cannabis science, history and culture

Through these channels, we hope to be a place for conversation about the status and role of legal cannabis with people who self-identify as members of Toronto’s local cannabis scene. 

Watch the Filter trailer below and stay tuned for more Digital 55 Originals – coming soon!