CONTEXT Studios partners with Family Enterprise Canada
November 29, 2024 — Winner of “Enterprising Family of the Year” award to receive CONTEXT documentary as Grand Prize; all family businesses that purchase a CONTEXT documentary get 1-Year FEC membership
CONTEXT Studios (CONTEXT) is excited to announce its partnership with Family Enterprise Canada (FEC), through which the grand prize for the 2025 Enterprising Family of the Year Award will be a custom feature-length film documentary of the winner’s family business story.
Each year, FEC (the national community that supports and provides a unified voice to this vital sector,) presents this award to a family business that has made the most significant impact on its local community and the Canadian economy. Businesses are evaluated on an extensive range of criteria and award will be presented at the Family Business Symposium 2025 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 26, 2025.
“Being named the Enterprising Family of the Year is a monumental achievement,” says Steve Beauchesne, CEO of Family Enterprise Canada and the Family Enterprise Foundation. “What could be more special for the winner than the gift of documenting and preserving their multi-generational family business legacy. It’s heartwarming to see how much the team at CONTEXT Studios genuinely cares about helping business families thrive, and I’m proud to partner with them in awarding such an impactful grand prize that will last for generations.”
All Family Businesses That Purchase a CONTEXT Studios Documentary Get 1-Year FEC Membership
For a limited time only, and with the purchase of a CONTEXT Studios documentary, Canadian family businesses (FEC & Non-FEC members) receive a 1-year FEC membership (a $2,000 value) at no cost.
Helping Family Businesses Safeguard Their Legacies for Future Generations
Family businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, accounting for seven million jobs and 50% of private sector GDP. To ensure their continued success, family business leaders need to remain deeply connected to their roots. That’s why it’s important for each generation to document its growth, successes, challenges (and everything in between) in a way that will educate and resonate with future generations. It’s also a great way to honour a founder, celebrate a milestone, and document governance practices.
“Helping multi-generational family businesses tell their stories has been some of our most interesting and rewarding work,” says Andrea Lekushoff, CEO of CONTEXT Studios. “We’re honoured to donate a CONTEXT Studios documentary as the Grand Prize for the Enterprising Family of the Year and excited to document the impact they’ve had in their community and on the Canadian economy.”
Single Day of Filming Results in Feature-Length Film Documentary Divided into Episodes
With a team of award-winning documentary filmmakers, CONTEXT has developed an easy and efficient way to capture a business’s most important stories in just one day, using a small crew at its subjects’ home, vacation property, or business. Documentaries will focus on one key individual (with the option of up to two 30-minute secondary interviews), are up to 90 minutes long, and are divided into standalone episodes, each accessible on a private streaming platform.
For those who might be camera-shy, or who simply prefer an audio format, CONTEXT also produces podcast documentaries. Episodes can be streamed privately from the same platform, or CONTEXT can publish them for the world to hear on major listening platforms.
An Innovative and Easier Alternative to Writing a Book
When people think about documenting a life or business story, they typically think to do it in writing. The most ambitious try to write a book—a task that can take over a year, and that is often abandoned because of the time and effort it takes. Besides, people today are engaging with digital media much more than they are with books or the written word. They want short videos they can watch on their phones or audio clips they can listen to on the go. A film or podcast documentary also brings stories to life by capturing voices, faces, and emotions so that future generations can get to know and feel a personal connection with previous ones. The format provides space to delve into every aspect of someone’s story, documenting the context of their life and/or business.
Honouring Founders, Educating Investors and Engaging Potential Buyers
Gillian Stein (former CEO of Henry’s) and her sister Amy (executive director of the Pixel Foundation and FEA Candidate) engaged CONTEXT to create a documentary that captures the story of their successful fourth-generation family business, along with the life stories of their parents Andy Stein (visionary entrepreneur and former third-generation CEO and chair of the Henry’s board), and Gaye Stein (who played an integral behind-the scenes role in growing the business). The family graciously agreed to share some clips from their documentary on the CONTEXT website.
“My kids have often said I should write book, and now I don’t have to,” says Andy Stein, former CEO and third-generation family business leader of iconic Canadian retailer Henry’s. “I don’t know much about my parents and grandparents, because they didn’t write things down. Trying to dig into their past, all I ever find is little bits and pieces of information—I’m sure I’m missing ninety percent of my family’s story. This documentary captures the important stories and milestones of my life, so the past won’t be lost. It’s so powerful to document the history of our family and of our family business in this way.”
A documentary is a new tool for family businesses to educate and engage potential investors or buyers, both bringing its story to life and showcasing its potential. If the goal is to eventually sell the business, or if it has recently been sold, it becomes a powerful way to share important stories, preserve them for generations, and ensure they won’t be forgotten.
“Having the Henry’s story documented is more important to me than ever now that we’ve sold the business after four generations,” says Gillian. “I always had a business-first approach, but I’m much more sentimental now, and I want to make sure the story of our successful Canadian business is passed down to future generations. I would highly recommend CONTEXT Studios to other family businesses who value their legacy.”
CONTEXT Studios Joins Major Organizations to Help Canadian Family Businesses Thrive
CONTEXT is proud to join other major organizations, including Hazelview Investments, KPMG Family Office, PPI, Sun Life, and Watson, as an FEC Alliance Member. These organizations make a positive impact on the ecosystem of family businesses, helping deliver the insights, peer support, family-centric advice and resources that business families need to succeed.
Deeply Familiar With the Complexities of Family Businesses
Lekushoff is deeply familiar with the complexity of family business. The PR agency she leads, Broad Reach, has worked with private and family enterprises for two decades—a prime example is the PR and Executive Profiling work the agency did for Gillian Stein when she was the fourth-generation CEO of her family’s business, the iconic Canadian camera retailer Henry’s. Broad Reach also wrote the Family Enterprise Matters: Harnessing the Most Powerful Driver of Economic Growth in Canada thought leadership report for the Family Enterprise Foundation.
About CONTEXT Studios
CONTEXT Studios documents the lives and legacies of individuals, entrepreneurs, and family businesses in high-end film and podcast documentaries. Its films are shot by cinematographers and streamed on a custom streaming platform. Its podcasts are hosted on the same platform and can be published on all major listening platforms. CONTEXT documentaries can be enjoyed from any device and can be easily passed down to future generations, making them a unique and invaluable gift for any family or business interested in legacy. For further information, email andrea@contextstudios.ca and follow CONTEXT on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
