About Us
“What are you working on and
how can we help?”
This question drives everything we do at the Firecracker Department. Our mission is to build a community of female and non-binary creatives that provides connection and opportunity.
Our Values
No one can do it alone.
Community is the heart of everything we do at The Firecracker Department. We host lots of unique events, both virtual and in person. We want networking to be FUN, and lead to meaningful connections. Creativity thrives on collaboration and support. By uplifting each other, we all win.
Lifelong learning.
We believe that to live a creative life, you have to always be open to learning. And we don’t mean taking notes! Workshops with Firecracker are all about hearing from fresh perspectives, and looking at things through a new lens. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, there’s always something to learn!
We want to hear YOUR voice.
Your creativity is what fuels us! We want to empower you to dream BIG - and provide you with the tools to make that dream a reality. And trust us, we've got a lot of tools! Comedy shows, mentorship, networking events... the list goes on! One thing's for sure - Firecracker is on your team.
Our History
What started as a podcast…
…has become so much more. When Naomi Snieckus launched The Firecracker Department Podcast in 2017, she had one goal in mind: to amplify the voices of female and non-binary artists. This mission struck a chord, resonating with listeners and sparking meaningful conversation. The podcast’s success led Naomi to ask, ‘What more can we do? How can we go beyond listening and help people take action?’
And with that, The Firecracker Department started to grow - and it hasn't stopped! We host a monthly Comedy Café, and frequent scriptwriting and creativity workshops. What was once our little TIFF Brunch has recently become one of three Fall Film Fest Brunches we host across Canada in September. We celebrate lauded artists in our community with two awards - The Blaze Award and The Trailblazer. In 2024, we partnered with the Canadian Film Festival to present Igniter - the Canadian comedy film contest, which starts in January every year. Our podcast highlights well-known and under-recognized female/non-binary voices every other Wednesday.
Yeah, we do a LOT. We're on a mission to have our programs reflect the diverse needs of artists in all fields. Wearers of many hats are welcome here.
Our Future
This is only the beginning.
The Firecracker Department’s mission revolves around amplifying underrepresented creative voices, and we’ve only scratched the surface.
As we continue to grow our vibrant community, we're building a future hub of creativity. We look forward to expanding our course offerings to provide in-depth, engaging, affordable classes for creatives of all levels. We also envision being part of complete production cycles, helping every step of the way as you take your idea from script to screen.
No matter where the future takes us, we want to empower women and non-binary creatives in everything we do. Creativity never stops, and neither do we! We've got big plans, and this is only the beginning.
Ready to shake things up with us?
Sign up for our newsletter, or check out our events page to see what we’ve got going on.