Factory Media Centre is Hamilton’s not-for-profit artist-driven resource centre for film, video, new media, installation, sound art, and other multimedia art forms.

Our mission is to develop and support a vibrant, sustainable, creative, and diverse community of Members and non-Members within Hamilton and its surrounding region. The Factory advances the discourse of contemporary media arts locally and nationally through exhibitions, screenings, workshops, educational and community-based programs, as well as access to multimedia equipment, editing software, and studio space. Through our programming we hope to encourage the development and appreciation of all related visual art forms.

Factory Media Centre acknowledges that many Indigenous nations have deep-rooted relationships with the land of present-day Hamilton. We recognize our presence on the shared territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Aanishnaabe and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. We acknowledge the long history of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples of Canada. We hope that we can move forward both individually and as an institution by recognizing the colonial legacy on which Canada was founded and still operates under, and furthermore, actively work together to create societies that equitably benefit all parties.

Vision

We envision a thriving and diverse artist-driven platform where media arts happen in Hamilton.

Mission

We empower time-based media arts production through accessible space, equipment, resources, and workshops; we promote media arts practice through screenings, events, and exhibitions; we propel critical participation in and exploration of media arts through a vibrant creative community.

Mandate

We encourage appreciation for media arts, as an expanding network of disciplines; we build on a groundwork of innovative film, video, sound and installation art; we fuel curiosity about new artforms emerging across contemporary digital, mobile, and social platforms; we remove systemic barriers to participation in media arts; we amplify diverse voices and leverage independent vision; we spark exchange between local, regional, and national artists and audiences; we incubate forward thinking ideas in time based-media; we are artists in motion.

Prior to the incorporation of The Factory, there was no local, easily accessible media arts production facility offering media artists affordable access to production equipment, post-production edit suites, skills development workshops, or mentorship and networking opportunities. Hamilton and Niagara Region artists had little choice but to travel to Guelph or Toronto. Travel, time, and associated costs precluded many area artists from the pursuit of creative exploration in media.

The first meeting of The Factory: Hamilton Media Arts Centre in January 2004 attracted sixty-five artists and producers. In February 2004, fifty attendees returned, chose a name, a mandate, and a steering committee of volunteer artists was struck. This group developed the framework for the Organization, including its By-laws, Code of Conduct, and organizational structure. In March 2004, the committee of the whole passed a motion to incorporate. The Factory: Hamilton Media Arts Centre was incorporated as a registered non-profit Ontario corporation on April 26, 2004, and at the first Factory Annual General Meeting, held on May 10, 2004, an inaugural Board was elected.

From 2004 to 2006 the Board met on a monthly basis. Committees were struck, and agendas formulated. Meetings were held at The Hamilton Artists Inc., the Staircase Café/Theatre Loft, the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, the Blue Angel Gallery, Regent Studios, and Infusion Café. Although homeless, we understood the importance of planning for activities. We began in June 2004 by inaugurating our monthly media networking event “Media Mondays” which was held on the third Monday of every month. We focused on profile and branding. Communications with the artistic community and the public was achieved through the creation of our website, and the sponsorship of an international logo competition. As well, in partnership with the Hamilton Artists Inc. and the Art Gallery of Hamilton, we moved to present and participate in “Photophobia” – Hamilton’s International Film & Video Festival now held annually in August. We researched government granting bodies, and eligibility criteria. At that time, The Factory also offered its first series of Skills Development Workshops.

On December 8, 2006, The Factory hosted its 1st Annual Members Screening. This annual event provides opportunities for our Members to exhibit their work to the public. Factory Members are encouraged to submit multiple entries, and at least one work from everyone’s submission is screened. Factory Members received “Factory Bucks” vouchers towards workshops, edit suite usage, and for equipment and facilities rentals. Our top three audience favourites are awarded prizes, announced on our website, and in the monthly Factory News Reel.

In September 2021 we announced our moving from 228 James Street North to an accessible, affordable, modernized media arts community space for local artists at 366 Victoria Avenue North. The renovation of Factory Media Centre’s new home was made possible through an Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grant. Our new and improved multi-faceted space is equipped with a sound stage for large productions, a 500 sq. ft gallery, and amenities for members, including an editing suite, a sound recording and multimedia studio, and equipment storage. FMC is excited to embark on this next chapter while ensuring commitment to accessibility, inclusiveness, and diversity within the industry and our community. We are infinitely grateful for the years of stability this relocation will provide.

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