Hans Dys is former executive producer at Apple Box Productions.

In the corporate world everything is evaluated as an asset, judged primarily by the balance sheet and categorized as core, or non-core. When Dr. Charles Allard sold his assets to WIC Western International Communications a dozen years ago, it was the first thing that I noticed moving from a single proprietorship, where entrepreneurship could easily flourish, to a corporate culture, where passion was as easily stifled.

Perhaps that was most unique about Apple Box Productions since its inception in 1991, evolving from Dr. Allard’s ITV Productions, it bucked the corporate stigma.

However, in April of this year it too succumbed to a corporate world that doesn’t judge a business by anything but a general ledger. Passion, conviction, longevity are simply swiped by the stroke of a pen. For many people in Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto, Apple Box Productions was their livelihood and it was a shock as it all came to an end on April 10.

In 1978, we shot a pool of spots for CN Rail and its Montreal-based agency. The project took us from sea to shining sea. It was one of those pivotal projects that raised the bar for us, helping us realize what we could accomplish. For me, it was the first taste of dreaming the big dream, as I had just started with ITV in July of 1978.

In the early ’80s, we shot a 30-second Esso commercial during the Oiler’s first Stanley Cup run. It was another pivotal project for us, raising the bar once more. In the commercial we transformed a Volkswagen Beetle into a full-sized, 10-foot-high ‘Gobot racer,’ to the bewilderment of not only the service attendant but also the utter astonishment of the customer in the car.

It would have been easy for our Los Angeles-based client to question the logic of shooting in Edmonton, when temperatures reached -30 Celsius and it was a chore simply getting from the hotel to the cab, never mind the studio. Yet, we faced a litany of those challenges and our clients kept coming back. Not because of the location, but rather the passion, conviction and commitment of the production team they worked with, a value-added component never seen on a balance sheet.

Every day was different, a challenge and a new setting.

Our crews traveled across the continent and across the pond, in locations as diverse as the sweltering heat of Mexico City to the stark and barren Arctic.

Agencies came to Edmonton from as far afield as Auckland, to shoot an Air New Zealand courier commercial requiring a Mitsubishi right-hand-drive truck, shipped to Los Angeles from Auckland and then trucked to Edmonton.

Edmonton was our birthplace, dating back to the founding of ITV in 1974. Our business grew beyond our wildest dreams, spanning three decades, evolving into Apple Box Productions with offices in Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto.

Yet it could have grown from any city in Canada, where entrepreneurship blossomed as it did through Dr. Allard. Where vision wasn’t simply next month’s projection, but rather a long-term view that understood the cyclical nature of our business.

We enjoyed 12 wonderful years building a business that emphasized the simple premise of delivering on promise.

In many ways we were like every other commercial production company in Canada, but with a difference, we wanted every project to be one where the agency and their client looked forward to working with us again. We prided ourselves on always paying our directors, crews and suppliers promptly, many times even before we were paid. We didn’t simply run jobs; we fostered friendships, trust and memorable moments. We respected our clients, the agency creative teams, our crews and even our competitors.

Unfortunately, the spiralling economic climate in the advertising industry today is far worse than we could ever have imagined. In 2002, we were faced with the departure of key personnel who chose to set up their own business and build their own equity, taking many of our directors in the process, leaving those remaining at Apple Box the challenge of rebuilding a company in a very volatile economic climate.

Our demise is as much the symptom of a larger problem in our industry, which has witnessed the demise of other productions companies. Clients and agencies have become less cognizant of their local market and the premise of supporting Canadian directors and companies. Especially in economic times when companies are trying desperately to exist and support not only their own staff, but also their local freelance crews.

Perhaps, too much emphasis is being placed on finding the ‘star’ director, when we have a multitude of very eager and equally talented directors and rising stars in our very own backyard. While clients are cutting their budgets, agencies are placing higher demands that challenge production companies to eat the cost on jobs, when there is nothing left to eat.

Maybe it’s time for the advertising community to re-evaluate the importance of a healthy and vibrant production industry in Canada. It behoves us to support our Canadian directors with the same passion and conviction that our American neighbors actively lobby in support of their industry. The world changed on Sept. 11, 2001 and it will never be the same. We need to support our brothers and sisters as they do, with great pride. It is sad to see what was once such a vibrant industry, now bares witness to crews, directors and producers working outside of their chosen craft, simply to survive.

The commercial production industry today is severely challenged; the model needs repair, and more than anything support from the advertising community, or we will see more companies like Apple Box close their doors.

Oddly, I’m okay with what has happened because I know we had a wonderful ride, made many lifelong friends, and we were blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the best in our industry. New opportunities will come along for all of us, yet some may wonder what could have been as we reconcile the loss of a dream.

Buy Canadian, it’s the right thing to do for our directors, crews and the surviving production companies.