It’s officially been a year since we temporarily shuttered our windows, ordered six pairs of Amazon sweatpants, and bulk purchased Kraft Singles. Our Promosa offices went dark in early March as we all adapted to a fully remote workplace. Like many in the entertainment industry, we were hopeful we’d be back for a busy 2020 summer season. As reality set in our ownership team committed to weathering the Covid storm and developing new ways to serve our clients and community. Through perseverance, government assistance, and an incredibly committed financial controller, we have managed to keep our entire 30+ team working full-time throughout the past year. We are excited to welcome several new folks to our team and are continuing to grow! As we look forward to better times ahead, we are confident that our team is stronger than ever.

NEWLY EXPANDED INVENTORY

For the past three months our operations team has been hard at work prepping and warehousing our significantly expanded lighting and rigging inventory. With the addition of this new inventory in our Promosa warehouses, clients across Western Canada and the Pacific NorthWest will have access to quality lighting and rigging gear including Martin, GLP, MA, Elation, and Christie Lites brands, coupled with the convenience of our unparalleled video wall inventory, all from one supplier. We are excited to offer this new catalogue of equipment to our existing and prospective clients at highly competitive rates. In addition to this new inventory, Promosa continues to be the exclusive Robe dealer for Western Canada. Contact us today for all your short and long-term rental needs!

New lighting and rigging equipment arrives at Promosa Calgary

PROMOSA ANNOUNCED AS FIRST XR STAGE PARTNER FOR DISGUISE IN CANADA

Perhaps our most exciting development of 2020, Promosa has been announced as the first official xR Stage Partner for disguise in Canada. disguise is a platform for creatives and technologists to imagine, create and deliver spectacular live visual experiences. Combining the leading experience production software with powerful media server hardware, disguise empowers brands, artists and production houses to tell stories that inspire their audiences. This past May American Idol fans were treated to a live music video performance by Katy Perry. The performance showcased the mind-bending xR technology that allows you to blend virtual and physical worlds together using Augmented reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) in live production environments. With our fully-functioning xR studio in Vancouver, Promosa is beyond excited to push the boundaries of visual experiences for our existing and prospective clients.

Promosa’s xR Virtual Studio in Vancouver, BC

CHANGING LANDSCAPES IN FILM & TELEVISION

For the past four years Promosa has been a proud supplier of high-resolution LED video wall for the film and television industry. The onset of COVID-19 required a total reorganization of how on-location films were produced. In recent years LED wall has become a popular replacement for green screens, owing to the fact that it acts as a light source as well as depicting the exact environment in real time, allowing actors to react to their surroundings rather than an imagined landscape. These factors contribute to reduced post-production costs and increasingly realistic virtual environments, when coupled with camera tracking these result in a reduction in on-location shoots. Since March 2020 Promosa has assembled a dedicated team of technicians who have been developing the technology to incorporate augmented and extended reality into virtual environments.

**A Promosa Video Technician programming an LED Wall Virtual Set.**

PROMOSA CALGARY OPENS ITS DOORS

Promosa opened its third location in Calgary, Alberta this past fall, in order to service a growing number of clients in Central Canada. Building on years of success working with clients like Live Nation and The Calgary Stampede, the Calgary warehouse now boasts a large inventory of lighting, video and rigging equipment, knowledgeable staff, and of course...no fewer than 2 office dogs. Our talented Calgary team continues to expand including industry veteran Iain Graham, who in addition to being a highly skilled touring audio engineer is also ETCP Certified in both Arena and Theatre rigging. We are excited about the expanding film industry throughout the province, as well as the resurgence of Alberta’s world-renowned live events industry.

Calgary-based Production Manager Iain Graham

VIRTUAL PRODUCTION

2020’s stay-at-home orders instigated a global shift in event production, forcing redesigns, cancellations and postponements. Many clients looked for a solution to engage with their audiences and celebrate life’s milestones with loved ones, and Promosa was able to facilitate these engagements in a number of ways. Our virtual credits included production management of the extraordinary Contact Winter Music Festival which was filmed by drone on the roof of BC Place and watched on Twitch by over 280,000 people. Additionally, Promosa provided equipment and technical expertise for all of the Live From Inside Shows at The Commodore, and lighting and video for the Lights + Felix Cartal performance during “Live on CBC’s New Years’ Eve Countdown to 2021”. Another highlight of the season was the Jill Barber concert “Live from the Palomar” which involved Canadian artist Jill Barber playing a live concert at the Animatrik Film Design studio, with a 3D recreation of the famous Palomar Nightclub superimposed onto the set. Guests watched from home as Jill sang in what appeared to be the long-dismantled nightclub, rebuilt from old black and white photos of the venue. Promosa provided lighting and UnReal Engine support for this groundbreaking project.

Promosa crew on the roof of BC Place for the Contact Winter Music Festival livestream

DRIVE-IN EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Despite stay-home ordinances worldwide, Drive-in theatres were deemed to be a low-risk way to gather and were approved as entertainment venues in many areas across North America. Traditional drive-in theatres are powered by projectors. In summer months they can only be operated after sundown, meaning films cannot start until after 9 or 10pm. As a large-scale LED vendor, Promosa was perfectly positioned to provide bright, high-resolution screens in public areas that could be played at any time of day, allowing for multiple viewings and family-friendly programming. In Kent, WA, Promosa built a drive-in theatre in the parking lot of the accesso ShoWare Center, showing two screenings a day for six weeks. In Edmonton, Promosa built an outdoor entertainment venue, in partnership with Live Nation and FM Systems, that showed films and hosted concerts with artists including Corb Lund and The Funk Hunters. In Vancouver, Promosa helped high school students celebrate their graduation with a drive-in theatre built on their school grounds, providing an unforgettable experience during a year when most graduations had to be postponed or cancelled.

Edmonton Drive-In Concert Series presented by Air Miles. Production Management and Event Operations provided by Promosa

2020: WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE'RE HEADING