You are now in the main content area

Transmedia Zone

Transmedia Zone logo

About The Transmedia Zone

We are a hands-on, community-focused incubator that supports innovative storytelling across entertainment media platforms. We accept teams four times a year, in a cohort-based system. Our approach is bespoke. Newly accepted teams receive their own customized incubation roadmap that is designed to work alongside the needs of others in the same cohort. 

For projects with a specific focus on either music or kids' content, we also have two internal incubators, the Music Den (opens in new window)  and the Children's Media Lab (opens in new window)  that provide specialized support in these areas.

Storytelling icon

Building out the storytelling aspects of your project

Filming icon

Access to filming and audio studios & recording equipment

Business and funding development and strategy

Leanring icon

Professional 24/7 workspace and space to meet with your team and clients

A dedicated strategic advisor who will track your progress, help you set project milestones, connect you to resources, and help you attain your goals

Network icon

Access to industry-leading mentors

Our Programs

transmedia zone logo

The flagship TZ program is a holistic, creator-first exclusive program series crafted to help you take your project to the next level, covering essential topics including story structure, design thinking, lean startup, financing, pitching, discoverability, PR, and so much more, borrowing the best from the business world, and adapting it to make sense for creative pursuits.

music den logo

The Music Den develops economic, artistic and social opportunities for entrepreneurs in music, helping startups design sustainable long-term strategies while giving them access to educational workshops, coworking space, studios and equipment, showcase opportunities, and a unique network of students, entrepreneurs and industry professionals. 

  • Building out the storytelling aspects of your project
  • Access to filming and audio studios & recording equipment
  • Business and funding development and strategy
  • Discoverability strategy
  • A dedicated strategic advisor who will track your progress, help you set project milestones, connect you to resources, and help you attain your goals
  • Access to industry-leading mentors
  • Exclusive creative industry workshops
  • A collaborative community of like-minded peers
  • Professional 24/7 workspace and space to meet with your team and clients
  • A downtown Toronto mailing address with mailbox service
  • Bookable event space
  • Extra help: the opportunity to take on an apprentice or associate in a mutually beneficial arrangement

The Transmedia Zone is a competitive incubator and accepts only four to five new projects each pitch cycle. The first three months of membership are on us. At month 4 and beyond, we charge a highly subsidized monthly membership fee per team. You can view  (PDF file) our rates (external link) . Current students never pay a fee, and discounts apply to recent grads, Ryerson alumni, and outside teams that employ Ryerson students.

Storytellers, creators, artists and innovators with a strong, unique and authentic point of view, and a clear mission and desire to see your project from concept to completion. You are beyond the "napkin" stage: you have a clear idea and a prototype that helps us see your vision (a creative treatment; scripts; storyboards; a video; demo etc.) You must be currently engaged in, and actively pursuing your field. You have an entrepreneurial mindset and want to make your mark on the world.

“Innovation” in our context means:

  • Using new platforms because they are an integral part of the story you want to tell
  • Remixing or reimagining traditional storytelling formats
  • Creating new platforms to support stories and storytellers
  • Sharing a distinctive point-of-view
  • Reaching new audiences

You pitch. You’re accepted. You meet the TZ crew, the members of your cohort, as well as established TZ residents. You meet your strategic advisor, set your milestones and receive your first incubation roadmap. At the end of your third month, you re-pitch and share your progress. We decide together whether there is a continued fit between what we offer and what you need. You stay. You receive a new roadmap for the next 6 months. At the end of your next six months, we re-evaluate again, together.

Our Facilities

Please visit Our Facilities for full details on membership resources and amenities.