Cazi Houdini is Curating a Living Archive of Vancouver’s Artists
Posted on April 28, 2026
Vancouver might be a young city, but it’s home to a vibrant, rich creative scene full of artist stories waiting to be shared.
With over a decade in Vancouver’s music, dance, food and arts communities, designer and curator Cazi Houdini uses her long-standing connections and network to curate a vast, living archive of Vancouver’s creative voices.
With her third season of the series, we caught up with Cazi to learn more about joining On Location Vancouver, her favourite parts of filming the show and her advice for aspiring STORYHIVE content creators.
STORYHIVE: Tell us about yourself, Cazi!
Cazi Houdini: I am an experienced designer and curator. I design experiences within music, street and club dance and art-related events, and I have been doing that for about 10 years! I also have a background in radio and television arts.
STORYHIVE: Where did you come up with the idea for your show On Location Vancouver, and what inspired it?
As a curator and producer, I have collaborated with artists across street and club dance, music and DJ culture, visual arts and food. I wanted to create an archive of local creatives so I could share their journeys, how they got to where they are and what they contribute to the community.
What inspired it most was realizing I had been crossing paths with these people for years, but never had the space to really sit down and engage with them. The show creates that space for meaningful conversations about where they started, what shaped them and what they are building now.
STORYHIVE: How do you find artists to interview?
Cazi Houdini: The main part comes from being out at events, social gatherings and arts and culture-related spaces, or reconnecting with people I already know. Because I have been tapped into my community for so long, the process of choosing who to interview really comes from that!
Once we find them, it’s all about creating space to sit down and have that one-hour conversation that is fully focused on them and their journey.
STORYHIVE: What advice would you give to other aspiring creators interested in applying for a TELUS STORYHIVE program?
Cazi Houdini: My advice is to really think about who your local community is and to tell unique, hyper-local stories. If anyone has an idea for a series or show, I would say to really focus on that idea.
There will be plenty of opportunities to build your skills in filmmaking and content creation; it’s more about how impactful the story is that you are going to tell, which community you are going to highlight and having that at the forefront.
For me, I already knew my community was the creative community—specifically music, arts and dance—and that I wanted to spotlight people of colour.
STORYHIVE: What was your experience joining the TELUS STORYHIVE On Location program? Was there anything unexpected or particularly helpful?
Cazi Houdini: I went to school for TV broadcasting and graduated in 2013. Back then, the tools we used were very different. You had to have a big camera, be in a studio and have all this equipment, which was extremely expensive and not accessible.
Now, in 2026, I am literally live-streaming off an iPhone 14 Pro Max, with small mics, using data anywhere we have reception. It has become super accessible.
Learning this through TELUS STORYHIVE, having access to gear, technical support and opportunities to learn how to market now versus in 2013 has been really helpful. The tools are just so much more accessible financially and from a learning standpoint.
STORYHIVE: What has been a standout part of the filming process, and what have you learned from the people you’ve spoken with?
Cazi Houdini: One of the most meaningful parts has been sitting down with people I have often known or crossed paths with for years and having deep, intentional conversations. It is not something you usually get to do in passing, so being able to get really in-depth about all aspects of their journeys has been really powerful.
A lot of what I have learned also comes back to history. I often speak with people from older generations to capture their experiences and preserve them as part of an archive, like learning about Vancouver’s arts and culture history from nightclubs that no longer exist, or exploring how areas like Yaletown have changed over time.
What is especially interesting is hearing similar stories from different people and starting to connect those threads, gradually building a shared history through the show.
STORYHIVE: Tell us about Vancouver’s art scene! What’s unique about it?
Cazi Houdini: Vancouver is unique because it’s a newer city, and so it’s not always obvious where to find a creative community. It’s something lots of folks who move here have also noticed.
That said, it is growing. There is a strong sense of local pride, and because the scene is smaller, it feels more connected. We are also seeing more cultural diversity, which is bringing new energy and perspectives.
There is still a mindset shift needed, though. Instead of focusing on what is missing, people are starting to create what they want to see, and I am seeing that happen more and more within the community.
STORYHIVE: What do you want viewers to take away when they watch your series?
Cazi Houdini: I want people to have an appreciation for the local creative scene, and to learn about a different pocket of it that they might not have known exists.
We’ve had the opportunity to spotlight many amazing non-profit arts organizations that are doing incredible work in the city, and I’d love for people to get to know them!
Join us in celebrating Cazi’s incredible success! Explore On Location Vancouver and all other On Location series now streaming on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 850, Stream+ and STORYHIVE’s YouTube channel.