about we ghostsabout we ghosts
Baby Ghosts is the nonprofit arm of social impact investment firm Weird Ghosts, delivering year-round programs to support underrepresented game developers and founders in Canada.
Co-founders and co-executive directors eileen mary holowka and Jennie Robinson Faber bring together their many years of experience in the Canadian video game industry, community arts, and nonprofit management to create a new model for equitable game funding in Canada.
Our programs are made possible due to the generous support of our major donor, Infinite Ammo.
what we do
- provide grants to game studios run by founders who face marginalization and underrepresentation due to gender, race, queerness, disability, religion, housing status, economic status, immigration or citizenship status
- foster community engagement and support among underrepresented game developers and founders through tailored mentorship, skill-building workshops, and business development programs
- conduct research, data collection, and publishing on the topic of equitable game funding in Canada
board of directors
- Adaora Ogbue (ON) - President and Chair
- Edival Oliveira Lago Filho (BC) - Vice-President
- Elisabeth Rose Astwood (QC) - Treasurer
- John Rathiganthan (ON)
- Kenzie Gordon (AB) - Secretary
- Nia St Nicolous (ON)
- Thomas Dang (YT)
advisory board
- Sarah Nolan - conflict & accessibility support
staff
Eileen Mary Holowka, PhD
Co-executive director
eileen (they/she) is a queer and disabled white settler living on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg. They are a writer, game dev, and community organizer/advocate with a background in theatre, games, poetry, and health communications. They have a PhD in communication studies from Concordia University and have published extensively within and outside of academia.
They are a co-founder of both Weird Ghosts and Baby Ghosts with Jennie Robinson Faber, as well as a member of Gamma Space Collaborative Studio. They also work as the general manager of Infinite Ammo.
Jennie Robinson Faber
Co-executive director
Jennie (she) is a queer white settler community arts advocate and organizer, software developer, and leader in the IDM industry for over 15 years. She co-founded the videogame arts nonprofits DMG Toronto (with Cecily Carver and Alex Leitch) and Gamma Space Collaborative Studio (with Henry Faber and Dann Toliver) in 2012. In 2015, she joined the board of the Toronto Media Arts Centre, and became its operations director in 2017.
She has served on a number of arts- and industry-related boards, with Ontario Creates, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, among others. She co-chaired the 2016 edition of IndieCade, presented at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in NYC.
studios
All the studios we’ve supported through our Peer Accelerator so far!
Ghost Orchids Studios is a Vancouver-based game development sociocratic co-op founded with a focus on accessibility, inclusion, and diversity, believing that like rare Ghost Orchid flowers, individuals require specific care and environments to flourish.
Diver 2 Studios is a collaborative game development studio creating pulpy interactive experiences.
Undiscovered Country is a small studio focused on creating emotionally resonant games that address the emotional distance present in many contemporary games.
A fully remote cooperative that aims to make life better through art. Working on SLAPPYBALL and a secret prototype project.
Vancouver-based studio focused on creating unique games inspired by extreme sports, unicycling, and classic action sports video games. Working on STREET UNI X.
Eco-friendly Vancouver Island studio making artistically driven games that embrace diversity, inclusivity and sustainable living. Working on Moonshell Island.
A visual arts collective focused on VR/XR/AR, performing arts and theatre, intent on exploring new forms of storytelling.
