Justin Trudeau and Katie Telford launch Hope & Hard Work entertainment company

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his longtime chief of staff Katie Telford have traded the halls of Parliament for the red carpet to launch a multidisciplinary media and entertainment enterprise named Hope & Hard Work. According to The Star, the venture was officially unveiled on Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival, with a party at the Malaparte, an event space at the TIFF Lightbox. The name Hope & Hard Work reprises a slogan that was central to Trudeau and the Liberal party during his time as prime minister, starting with the 2015 federal election campaign that saw him catapult the Liberals from third opposition to government for nearly one decade.

According to Streets Of Toronto, the Toronto-based company is described as a media and entertainment company set to develop film, television, audio and live entertainment projects. The initiative places Trudeau alongside other notable former political figures turned media moguls, drawing comparisons in National Post reporting to former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife and former first lady Michelle Obama, who also launched a production company called Higher Ground in 2018, as well as Archewell Productions founded by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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'Hope & Hard Work': Justin Trudeau to launch production company | National Post

The co-founders are represented by 3 Arts, as reported by Yahoo UK, and are stepping into the industry with a diverse slate of narrative and documentary projects. In a joint statement published across multiple outlets including Exclaim!, the co-founders emphasized their core philosophy.

"At a time when the world can feel increasingly divided, we believe in the power of great storytelling to bring people closer. In building Hope & Hard Work we are finding stories that evoke empathy and understanding that can reach audiences in transformative ways; stories that transcend our own beliefs, and help us see the world through someone else's eyes, and remind us of what we share."

Justin Trudeau and Katie Telford, Co-Founders, via Exclaim!

The company's initial slate heavily emphasizes Canadian literary adaptations and localized cultural touchstones. Among the headline projects is an adaptation of Uzma Jalaluddin’s bestselling novel Detective Aunty, which tells the story of Kausar Khan, a widowed South Asian mother who returns to Toronto after her daughter is accused of murder. According to Streets Of Toronto, that project is produced by Neshama Entertainment and producer Todd Berger, with Trudeau and Telford signing on as executive producers.

Beyond scripted narratives, the enterprise is branching into unscripted content. As detailed by Streets Of Toronto, Hope & Hard Work is partnering with Earth Tones, the media company founded by Aliya Jasmine and Aliza Sovani, with Jasmine and Sovani leading Hope & Hard Work’s unscripted division, with projects including the documentaries and docuseries Take a Hike! and North Country.

The transition marks a distinct new chapter for Trudeau, who has remained in the public eye since leaving office. National Post notes that his post-political life has included delivering speeches around the globe on themes ranging from the value of “soft power” to recounting his experience leading a G7 nation, alongside high-profile personal visibility. Meanwhile, Telford brings a decade of administrative coordination from her tenure as chief of staff directly into the operational logistics of the entertainment business.

As the company takes its first steps at the festival, industry watchers await further casting and distribution announcements for the newly unveiled slate.