The call came from Loopslate, a U.S. production company, with less than five days before cameras had to roll. Ecolab had just closed its acquisition of CoolIT Systems, the Calgary company at the center of the liquid cooling boom, and they needed a full crew and a cinema package on the ground in Calgary to capture the announcement. This is exactly the kind of fast-turnaround work a local DP and producer is built for, so I said yes and started building the shoot that same afternoon.
For context, this was not a small job. Ecolab, the global leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention, acquired Calgary-based CoolIT Systems for roughly US$4.75 billion, about CAD $6.6 billion, in one of the largest tech acquisitions this city has ever seen. CoolIT is a world leader in direct liquid cooling for high-density AI data centers, and its sales have more than doubled this year as demand for AI computing keeps climbing. The story we were there to tell was both simple and enormous: as Ecolab puts it, at the heart of AI is water, because you need it to produce chips, power chips, and cool chips. Cooling all that compute has quietly become one of the most important problems in technology.
The Assignment
My job was to film the announcement and the people behind it. That meant capturing the leadership teams from both companies on camera, talking about how AI is driving demand for advanced liquid cooling, and why Calgary has become a global leader in cooling the world's fastest-growing data centers. Ecolab's chairman and CEO, Christophe Beck, delivered the announcement, and we shot a series of clean, controlled interviews alongside hero footage of CoolIT's cooling technology.
A Full Crew and Cinema Package in Under Five Days
Wearing the producer hat, the first job was standing the production up fast. In under five days I assembled the crew and gear a shoot like this demands: cinema cameras and cine lenses, a full lighting package, a sound operator, a grip, and a gaffer, plus the location logistics and scheduling to make a corporate shoot of this scale run on time.
Being both the DP and the producer is a real advantage on a turnaround this tight. I could make the creative and the logistical calls in the same breath, lock in the crew and kit I trust, and keep everything moving without a game of telephone between departments. When a production company from out of town needs Calgary handled quickly, that single point of contact is what keeps a compressed timeline from falling apart.
A Full Day to Pre-Light
What made the shoot day calm was the day before it. We had a full day on site to plan and pre-light, and on a production this visible that time is everything. I walked the facility with the team, chose where each interview would sit, and blocked the setups around the CoolIT hardware so the technology stayed part of the frame. Then we built the lighting: soft key sources for the interviews, negative fill to hold the mood, and the cyan accent bars that tie every shot back to the product. By the time the leadership arrived the look was locked and tested on the monitor, so the shoot day was about performances, not problem-solving.
The Look: Clean, Controlled, and Cinematic
On the camera side, the brief called for a polished, modern, technology-forward look, and the subject gave us plenty to work with. CoolIT's cooling distribution units and cold plates are genuinely beautiful pieces of engineering, all stainless lines and glowing blue, so we lit them like heroes. For the interviews I built controlled, cinematic setups with cyan accent light that tied the people to the technology, keeping every frame crisp and composed to match the weight of the announcement.
Why This Matters for Calgary
The part of this I keep coming back to is what it says about Calgary. CoolIT's Liquid Lab research and development is right here in the city, and the technology it builds now sits at the center of the global AI buildout. A U.S. company just paid billions for a Calgary tech firm, and the people who made it happen are here, working in labs and shops a short drive from downtown.
Calgary is known for energy, but there is a real and fast-growing technology industry here, and shoots like this one prove it. I would love to see more of this work land in the city, and more tech companies choose to tell their stories on camera. When an out-of-town production company needs to move fast in Calgary, having a local DP and producer who can crew a full cinema production on a few days notice is what makes it possible.
That is the case for a strong local crew. Loopslate needed a Calgary partner who could turn a major announcement into finished footage on a tight timeline, and we delivered. If you are a production company or a brand that needs a full crew and cinema package in Calgary on short notice, that is exactly what I do.
BEHIND THE SCENES
On Set at CoolIT
The Finished Film
The piece is out, and it could not have a better endorsement: Ecolab's chairman and CEO, Christophe Beck, shared the finished film on his own LinkedIn to announce the acquisition. Seeing work I shot in Calgary become the face of a multi-billion-dollar announcement, posted by the CEO himself, is exactly why I do this.
Working With a Calgary DP & Producer
Can you crew a full video production in Calgary on short notice?
Yes. For the Ecolab and CoolIT shoot I assembled a complete crew and cinema package in under five days, including cameras, lenses, lighting, a sound operator, a grip, and a gaffer. As both a director of photography and a producer based in Calgary, I can scale a production up quickly and keep it on schedule.
Do you work as a local production partner for out-of-town companies?
Often. Production companies and agencies from outside Alberta hire me as their Calgary-based DP and producer for local crew, gear, and location knowledge. I can run the shoot end to end or slot into an existing production as the cinematographer. The Ecolab and CoolIT project was produced this way for U.S. production company Loopslate.
What crew and equipment can you provide for a corporate shoot?
A full package: cinema cameras and cine lenses, professional lighting, sound, grip, and a gaffer, plus additional crew as the production requires. I own a Canon cinema package and work with a trusted network of Calgary crew I can bring on for larger corporate and commercial productions.
Do you film corporate and executive interviews?
Yes. Executive and leadership interviews are a core part of my corporate work, from lighting and set design to directing talent on camera. The Ecolab and CoolIT announcement is a recent example, capturing leadership from both companies for a major acquisition.
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