Nikolas Florez
“My main goal is to grow with Calgary in the film industry. I want Calgary to grow in film production and entertainment. We have the people, we have the talent and we have the place.”
“My main goal is to grow with Calgary in the film industry. I want Calgary to grow in film production and entertainment. We have the people, we have the talent and we have the place.”
Nikolas Florez—known as Niko—is a virtual production studio specialist at Bow Valley College. He works in the Production Hub, the anchor facility of the College’s Digital Entertainment Nexus (DEN). Supported in part by the $5.5 million Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, the DEN strengthens the College’s growing role in Calgary’s creative economy, supporting its strategic priority to be Calgary’s college with local impact and global reach.
The DEN connects education and industry through innovation, and the Hub is its centrepiece: a high-end studio for film, TV and digital content creation, featuring an LED volume wall, motion-capture systems and post-production suites.
The Hub expands Calgary’s capacity for high-level film and digital production, while also serving as a place where students can develop the skills needed for production and post-production careers.
For Niko, no two days look the same. He could be ensuring the Hub’s technology is ready for commercial shoots, TV episodes or motion-capture sessions. He might guide participants in Indie Ignition—a 12-week accelerator for creative startups—as they develop early ideas into teasers or trailers. He could also be supporting students with their capstone projects. Every day, he helps creators turn ambitious ideas into reality.
Niko’s journey began in the Advanced Visual Effects (VFX) and Virtual Production Diploma in the Centre for Entertainment Arts. The diploma brought him to Canada from Bucaramanga, Colombia. Already an experienced film director and screenwriter, he wanted to learn virtual production—a technology that goes far beyond traditional green-screen work.
“I decided to come here and study because most of my ideas were too crazy to make, and I needed to learn about this technology,” he says.
When Niko began his studies in 2023, virtual production was emerging globally, and the College was one of the early places offering hands-on training.
With support from Jeff Clemens, associate dean of the Centre for Entertainment Arts, Niko began experimenting with virtual production while still a student. Before the Hub existed, he set up green-screen demonstrations at open houses, then expanded to larger showcases like the Calgary Comic Expo. Those early projects evolved into complex scenes using rented LED walls—work that helped the College identify the equipment and expertise needed for the Hub.
Because of his blend of film, VFX and virtual production experience, Niko became an educational assistant and lab instructor, and later the ideal candidate to help build and run the new studio. He didn’t just study at the College—he helped shape what the Hub is today.
Now, Niko is one of the few virtual production professionals in Alberta. “I’m very glad to be part of this process of helping grow the film industry in Calgary, working here in the Production Hub and having the chance to play with industry-standard technology,” he says.
His work strengthens Calgary’s reputation for innovative filmmaking and supports an emerging workforce aligned with industry needs. By assisting commercial clients, he is advancing a technology still rare in Canada.
Outside of the Hub, Niko continues developing his own creative projects. He is currently working on Guardians of the Legends, a feature film driven by virtual production that began as his capstone project.
“My main goal is to grow with Calgary in the film industry,” he says. “I want Calgary to grow in film production and entertainment. We have the people, we have the talent and we have the place.”