When I started Wild and Light I was in my university apartment neglecting my criminology degree. This business was built out of pure passion for a creative lifestyle. The work consumed me as I tried to climb to a level of professional creative that I could be proud of. The weeks of late nights turned to months, and now here I sit over five years later, typing in our new studio.
I shifted from working in Mississauga to collaborating with Electric Mango Film Company in Hamilton. That move helped support some cross country work, while also allowing me to focus on directing at a high level. Hamilton was a rad community, bustling with start-up energy, youthful optimism and a rough-around-the-edges vibe that I still miss. Ultimately, while it was an incredible place to learn and grow, I knew that I had to move on.
Milton was the interim office space, out of the basement of my home at the time. The benefits to a home office were immense, but also came with challenges. I no longer had a professional setting to share work, and there was no barrier between work and life. Paired with an intense year of constant work, after a while the whole work from home thing really started to grow old.
Earlier this year, a great friend/collaborator/partner of Wild and Light approached me about an opportunity to put down professional roots in Oakville. My pal was shifting his studio space and offered to split the unit into a space for both of our businesses. This meant that we would once again have a post-production suite, a boardroom, gear storage, and a spot to hang our hats.
Fast forward to the fall, and we are finally unpacking in the new space. Projects have been edited, music mixed, coffees drank, and plants neglected. The space has a vibe of it’s own – a personality that is inspiring us to dream big, get organized, and evaluate how we can make the best impact with our skills and tools.
After a year of cross country travel, long nights, and weekends full of work, it’s nice to take a breath and celebrate this milestone. I think Oakville is going to be our home for some time to come. We have a lot of hopes for what this space represents and the culture that naturally pours out from it.
As a team, we are eager to make this a place of passion, acceptance, relationship, and service. We want this office space to be founded on the idea that people come before projects, and our relationships transcend the granular details of each project. Looking for advice outside of a film project – swing by for a coffee. Looking for a space to be inspired by a short film viewing on the big screen – come sit on the couch. Looking to vent about the awful week you just had – let’s talk.
We’re looking forward to sharing the space as it evolves. We still have acoustic panels to hang, gear to upgrade, storage to organize, and art to hang. As we continue to arrange and rearrange we’ll be happy to host you and show you what’s up. Here’s to an exciting new chapter of our service level, our community of partners and clients, and to big dreams.
Come visit
Shawn
