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Are you an indie studio founder curious about cooperative and worker-centric models? Need time and space to focus on developing your studio’s operating and business models? Our Peer Accelerator could be for you!
What is Baby Ghosts?
Baby Ghosts offers a grant of $25,000 in a two-part, six-month program of tailored support with a community indie studio peers. We offer you the space and the tools to develop a studio built on a foundation of collective values, that prioritizes workers and defies inequitable systemic norms.
Apply
Applications for Cohort 4 are now closed. Cohort 5 applications will open in 2025. In the meantime, you can:
Watch or read our info session materials, take our pre-program quiz to see if your studio is a good fit, and complete the Values, Goals, + Pain Points exercise in Miro.
“The Baby Ghosts program not only gave my studio financial security for this year, it also gave me access to an inspiring and inclusive community of peers, collaborators and mentors.”
- Sam Ramsay, Cheekynauts Entertainment
“Receiving the Baby Ghosts grant and being connected with the Weird Ghosts community was a dream come true. I was granted the resources and opportunity to take my project STREET UNI X to the next level through some months of full-time development focus after years of only working on the project in my off time between day jobs.”
- daffodil, daffodil & friends
Eligibility
- Your studio is based in Canada.
- More than half of your members are from an underrepresented group in the video game industry.
- You are interested in applying worker-centric and cooperative principles in your studio.
What We Look For
- Social impact
- Team alignment
- Focus on studio development
- Willingness to be in community
Baby Ghosts FAQ
Are You Ready to Apply?
The Baby Ghosts Peer Accelerator offers an opportunity to focus on your studio’s foundation and structure before pursuing external funding. Our approach helps you build value from within, so you can be sure that your studio’s development aligns with your collective values.
Before applying, consider:
- Are you prepared to prioritize your studio’s development alongside your current project?
- Can you commit the time and energy required for our program activities?
- Are you open to candid discussions about goals and values with your team and our facilitators?
- Do you have a support network to help you navigate potential challenges?
- Are you comfortable communicating your learning preferences and accessibility needs in English?
Time Commitment
Here’s how your time as a Baby Ghost breaks down:
Stage 1 (Months 1-2)
| Activity | ||
|---|---|---|
Workshops and discussions
| 2 hours | Weekly |
Peer Support meetings
| 1 hour | Weekly |
Asynchronous check-ins via Slack
| 30 min - 1 hour | Weekly |
Networking and social events
| 1 hour | Monthly |
Studio development work (outside meetings)
| 2-3 hours | Weekly |
Financial support
| $5,000 | |
Self-assessment
| Activity | ||
|---|---|---|
Evaluate team alignment and program fit
| 1 hour | One time |
Draft plan for Stage 2
| 2 hours | One time |
Facilitated collective evaluation
| 1 hour | One time |
Stage 2 (Months 3-6)
| Activity | ||
|---|---|---|
Peer Support meetings
| 1 hour | Weekly |
Asynchronous check-ins via Slack
| 30 min | Weekly |
Peer-led workshops and discussions
| 2 hours | Every other week |
Peer workshop preparation and delivery
| 4 hours | One time |
Studio development work (outside of meetings)
| 2-3 hours | Weekly |
Financial support
| $20,000 | |
Total estimated time commitment per person:
126-154 hours over 6 months
Note: Actual time may vary based on individual circumstances, studio size, and specific project needs. Participants may choose to invest additional time.
Workshop Topics
- Actionable Goals and Values: How to actively integrate foundational values into every aspect of studio operations, ensuring they shape your collective work culture.
- Co-op Studio Structures and Value Flow: An in-depth look at the cooperative structure in studio development, focusing on its principles, operational dynamics, benefits, and challenges.
- Collaboration and Process Development: A discussion of the nuances of decision-making and conflict resolution in a studio context, focusing on achieving consensus and effective governance in a co-op structure.
- Decision-Making and Prioritization: Looking at the elements of collaboration, process, and tool development in a collective.
- Telling Your Story: Learning about practices like collaborative journaling and communication to develop deeper connections, align values, and create a more impactful and cohesive narrative that extends beyond your game.
- Self-Evaluation: This is a self-reflective exercise to help participants reflect as a team on whether the Peer Accelerator is right for them at this time.
Facilitators
Thank you to our past facilitators: bryan depuy, kaitlyn dougon, datejie cheko green, and henry faber
Peer Supports for 2024 will be announced soon!
This program was developed with the generous support of:
