The incoming CEO of Edmonton Screen says he’s leaving a nearly 18-year career as film commissioner with Calgary Economic Development to help nurture Edmonton’s film, TV, and digital media talent and attract outside productions.
“There are a lot of great content creators up there, a lot of people that work within the creative economy,” Luke Azevedo, who will take the job on April 21, told Taproot on a call from Calgary. “It gives me an opportunity to go up there, try to help, become part of that community, and build the community over a period of time so that we become a much more relevant component of the city and province’s ecosystem, foreign direct investment, and job creation.”
Azevedo is replacing Tom Viinikka, who left as head of Edmonton Screen to take the reins at Edmonton Unlimited in 2024. Azevedo is also relieving Dorian Rowe of his post as interim CEO.
While in Calgary, Azevedo was vice-president of creative industries at Calgary Economic Development, as well as film commissioner, and part of the team that convinced HBO to film The Last of Us in 180 different locations across Alberta, including in both Edmonton and Calgary.
Calgary is Canada’s fourth largest film jurisdiction, and receives 80% of spending in Alberta for film, TV, and commercial production. Notable productions in Calgary include The Revenant, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Under the Banner of Heaven, Prey, the TV version of Fargo, and more. The city has easy access to diverse backdrops like the Rockies and the Badlands.
Azevedo said Edmonton has success, too, and that he plans to sing its praises more loudly at Edmonton Screen. “There’s been lots of productions that have gone through that have done unit shoots or done their entire production in (Edmonton),” he said. “I think over the years, because of the growth that was happening in Calgary, maybe (Edmonton) didn’t get the same kind of exposure.”
One way Azevedo is building the screen industries across Alberta, alongside various public-funding bodies, is with the new Screen Access Alberta platform. It’s a portal that helps people enter screen industries with an aptitude test, education resources, job postings, and more.
“We’re hoping that it becomes the de facto location for people that want to get into the industry or learn more about the industry,” Azevedo said. “We’ve never had anything like this in the province.”
Azevedo said his work with Edmonton Screen will also include him figuring out what Edmonton needs to grow. “We’re creating a balance between how we’re growing, and when it’s time to start going out there and actually recruit these major (TV and film productions) — if a show comes into the region, absolutely, we’ll take it on,” he said. “My job is to try to evaluate where we sit within that structure, and how we create a positive environment for growth locally, and then looking at the foreign market.”
Luke Azevedo says his move from economic development in film from Calgary to Edmonton means growing Edmonton’s strengths. (Supplied)
As an example, Azevedo pointed out that The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt, was filmed partly in Edmonton. Plus, Film Alberta Studios has housed Good Luck Chuck, Cut Bank, Blackstone and other big pictures.
Azevedo said part of Edmonton’s appeal for production companies is the opportunity to film in Fort Edmonton Park, the river valley, and downtown.
“We have to look at what we have as assets and capacity there, and I think the first stage of this is to ensure that the local content creators and filmmakers and storytellers have every opportunity possible to get their stories, Alberta stories, out to the world, and to really showcase what Edmonton can do,” Azevedo said.
One person bridging the gap between local talent and international investment is Kyle Edward Ball. The enormous success of his debut feature film, Skinamarink, got him a deal with the A24 production house for his next flick, The Land of Nod. It is filming in the region until April 24 and is the first time the critically beloved studio and distributor has run a production in Alberta. The producing team includes Josh Safdie, Elijah Wood, and others.
It’s not just film and TV that Azevedo will be working on in Edmonton, though. Edmonton Screen also develops interactive digital media, like video games and virtual reality experiences. This sector, despite recent layoffs and closures, is part of Edmonton’s secret sauce, he said.
“The gaming and interactive digital media sectors (in Edmonton) are the strongest that we have in Alberta, without any question, just based on the size and scope of what’s being done there,” Azevedo said. “My process has always been one of collaboration, of understanding, of getting a very clear picture, of whatever it is that we’re doing, where it exists today, where the market wants to see it happen, and then what is the trajectory to get there in a reasonable and sustainable manner.”