Events
PRICKS HAPPEN: THE DIVA CACTUS COLLECTION
Dundas Cactus Festival | August 21 to 23, 2026 | Dundas, Ontario
FUNDRAISING EVENT
Sometimes… PRICKS HAPPEN.
They happen to women in film and television. And they happen especially to women over 40.
So, in true Diva style, we made cactus lemonade!
Following the success of our Beach, Bitch, Please! photography exhibition, Divalopment returned to Dundas for the annual Dundas Cactus Festival with Pricks Happen: The Diva Cactus Collection, a cheeky collection of original cactus photography by Jana Abrams.
Available as greeting cards and custom prints throughout the festival, the collection raised funds and awareness in support of Divalopment’s mission to challenge sexism and ageism in film and television and create more opportunities for women to lead behind the camera.
And now, by popular demand, this perfectly prickly collection lives on! Shop Pricks Happen: The Diva Cactus Collection right here online, with every purchase continuing to support Divalopment’s mission.
Because sometimes the prickliest experiences inspire something worth growing.
Because boundaries are beautiful.
VIEW GALLERY | SHOP THE COLLECTION
BEACH, BITCH, PLEASE!
Photography Exhibit by Jana Abrams
August 8 to 12, 2026 | Piques and Valleys Studio and Gallery | Dundas, Ontario
FUNDRAISING EVENT
What better way to support Divalopment than by looking at the world through a different lens?
Beach, Bitch, Please! marked Jana Abrams’ first solo photography exhibition and Divalopment’s first fundraising event.
Inspired by the selection of one of her photographs for the 2025 Female Eye Film Festival’s opening night photography exhibition, Jana brought together some of her favourite beaches from around the world, places that inspired her, grounded her and celebrated the beauty of seeing the world through a different lens.
And really... sharing her favourite beaches with her favourite bitches only seemed fitting!
Held over five days at Piques and Valleys Studio and Gallery in Dundas, the exhibition brought together art, community and purpose, with all proceeds supporting Divalopment and its mission to create more opportunities for women to lead behind the camera.
Leading up to the exhibition, Jana joined Naomi Snieckus of the Firecracker Department for an Instagram Live conversation about Beach, Bitch, Please!, Divalopment and the importance of creating more opportunities for women behind the camera.
WATCH THE CONVERSATION
And now, by popular demand, the beaches live on! Selected prints and greeting cards from Beach, Bitch, Please! are available right here online, with every purchase continuing to support Divalopment’s mission.
SHOP THE COLLECTION | VIEW GALLERY
As Divalopment’s first fundraiser, Beach, Bitch, Please! brought art, purpose and advocacy together, using one woman’s lens to help open the door for many more.
And for Jana, the connection between her photography and Divalopment’s mission couldn’t be clearer:
“When you change who’s behind the camera, you change what the world sees.”
Jana Abrams, Founder & President
*Beach, Bitch, Please! was beautifully captured by photographer Ashley Bazzano of ASHBPHOTOS.
DIVALOPMENT SCRIPT READING SERIES
February 24, 2026 | 30 Merchants’ Wharf | Toronto, Ontario
Divalopment brought together writers, performers and industry colleagues for an afternoon dedicated to female driven storytelling, creative exploration and works in development.
The inaugural Divalopment Script Reading Series gave five original works by women writers the opportunity to move off the page and into the room through live readings, conversation and creative exchange.
The afternoon featured:
Soiled Doves, written by Leslie Ann Coles
Ecstasy of Carolyn Brown, written by Tara Samuel
Don’t Go Down the Mine Mama, written by Sandra Battaglini & Precious Chong
MILF Life Crisis, written by Anne Marie Scheffler
Alone Together, written by Jana Abrams
From feature films and television to comedy and deeply personal storytelling, the series reflected the range of female voices Divalopment was created to champion, and the importance of giving women not only the opportunity to tell their stories, but the space to hear those stories come alive.
VIEW GALLERY
*The Divalopment Script Reading Series was beautifully captured by photographer Stephanie Beeley.
AN ARMY OF ONE
Red Carpet Podcast Event | September 15, 2025
Divalopment stepped into the spotlight for a special Red Carpet Podcast Event with comedian and activist Sandra Battaglini on An Army of One.
The conversation gave Divalopment an opportunity to share its vision, its mission and the ideas behind a company created to challenge sexism and ageism in film and television, while opening more doors for women to create, develop and lead behind the camera.
Known for bringing together artists, advocates and changemakers, Sandra turned the conversation toward the power of women supporting women, the importance of creating our own opportunities, and what can happen when we stop waiting for change and start creating it ourselves.
It was an evening of conversation, community, grit and plenty of laughter, and an early opportunity for Divalopment to step up to the mic and share what we were setting out to build.
Empower. Employ. Enlighten.
WATCH THE EPISODE | VIEW GALLERY
*The An Army of One Red Carpet Podcast Event was beautifully captured by photographer Lorna Jones of LCJones Photography.
OUR COMMUNITY SPONSORS
Divalopment is incredibly grateful to the businesses, organizations and individuals who have generously contributed their time, talent, resources and support to help bring our events and initiatives to life.
905Print
Charcuterie Board By Lauren
Female Eye Film Festival
Fortino’s, Dundurn St., Hamilton
Gencher Law
Il Ponte Italian Cuisine
Jana Abrams Talent Agency (JATA)
Living It Up Laura
Piques and Valleys Studio and Gallery
The Steve & Shirley Geddes Legacy Fund
And, of course, ALL of our wonderful volunteers!