Emmy Award-winning META production company sets up shop in Edmonton

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Meta Productions has opened a new office in Edmonton, signalling a commitment to the local production community and signs of hope for the future of the local industry.

Meta Productions is a production company based out of Calgary, but recently expanded to include an office in Edmonton. The Emmy Award-winning group specializes in commercials, television, and film, and has worked with clients such as ATB, Westjet and Travel Alberta. While the expansion to Edmonton is new, the company has worked in the city many times and considered the growth an organic shift from its current operations.

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“It just kind of felt like a natural extension to finally do this — kind of wondered why we haven’t done this earlier, if I’m being honest,” said Meta co-founder and producer, John Cameron.

As the company stretches north to Edmonton, Cameron said he wanted a measured approach to its growth — emphasizing the role he wants the local community to play as it brings more opportunities to bear in the city.

“I think we want to do it in a way that feels, I mean, genuine and natural in how we’re trying to expand. Not doing so too quickly, where it doesn’t succeed, but also doing it with locals.”

Apart from some iconic locations to shoot like the river valley, Edmonton’s many bridges and the legislature, Cameron spoke highly of the municipality’s friendliness toward the production community.

“We did a shoot for ATB a couple years ago, and we were able to shut down a couple streets close to Downtown in order to get some camera-car sequences and make it safe,” said Cameron.

Cameron recalled having come to Edmonton for several productions over his 20-year career, the last eight of which have been with Meta. He said the two main things that drive productions to certain locations are surroundings and people, and Edmonton has a diverse stock of both, making it a strong choice for more to come.

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Alberta gaining recognition after The Last of Us

Meta’s expansion comes at a time when Cameron said TV and film production is surging in Alberta, which was in part precipitated by the success of HBO’s filming of The Last of Us. Cameron likened it to Calgary and the Olympics.

He said while some people globally might not know much about Calgary, the city is often remembered for having the Winter Olympics in 1988. Cameron explained that within the production world, a similar recognition of Edmonton, Canmore, and Calgary has happened since The Last of Us filmed parts of its first season in the province.

“Those (cities) start to get banged about and I think all of it is a positive across the board,” said Cameron.

“It also shows, too, a calibre of production that is able to be supported here in the province.”

He said as the locations appear on the silver screen in such a popular production, it shows something like a highlight reel of what was done and what the province can accommodate.

Meta producer Kristen Katz said the positive effect hit Edmonton as much as it hit the province.

“I think it’s great to see how much the city got behind that, and I think that ignited an excitement in the industry itself,” said Katz.

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While the office has only been open a few months, the productions have already been rolling through the Edmonton locale. While speaking to Postmedia, Cameron had only recently returned from a trip to Edmonton for a shoot, which he said had gone well.

“We’re excited about it because this first one has been a ton of fun and crews there have great ideas and have been very collaborative, and so it’s just been a great start. We’re looking forward to how the future goes,” said Cameron.

Working on upcoming TV show

The company continues to take on private clients for commercials and other ad work, but Cameron said they are also actively pursuing an upcoming TV show.

Cameron didn’t offer details on the show but said a script was in place, some soft castings have been organized, and the company was just finalizing the administration work.

“We’re very close to being able to get the camera, so we’re excited about it.”

zdelaney@postmedia.com

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