September 03, 2026

Answering the Call with the Alberta Ghostbusters and Make-A-Wish

Most days at Digital Media Integrations revolve around audio and visual Installations, event management, stage production, and making sure complex technology runs seamlessly. Every once in a while, a project lands on our desk that transcends everyday production and taps directly into why we love bringing big ideas to life. 

When Make-A-Wish Canada reached out with a special request for a seven-year-old boy named Brent, saying yes took about a microsecond. Brent’s wish was straightforward and sweet: suit up as a Ghostbuster, wear a proton pack, snap a few photos with the Alberta Ghostbusters, and eat chocolate cake – who wouldn’t love that day?! 

For our founder, Dustin, a long-time member of the Alberta Ghostbusters, a simple photo-op didn’t sound like enough. We decided right then to take that spark of an idea and build a full-scale cinematic adventure. After making a few calls to some friends and other contacts, this wish turned into something EPIC!

Transforming Historic Downtown Calgary into Ghostbusters Headquarters

Pulling off an immersive story required weeks of coordination, hundreds of emails, and an incredible amount of community generosity.

The City of Calgary entrusted the team with the keys to historic Fire Station No. 1 downtown, a heritage building from 1911 that looked like it walked straight off a movie set. With support from local partners, film industry pros, and friends in the community, the space was dressed into a functioning ghost-busting precinct.

Turning an idea into reality took a dedicated village of local contributors.

• Custom-tailored uniform: Traci, a member of the Alberta Ghostbusters, got Brent’s sizes from Brent’s family and hand-crafted an authentic, miniature flight suit complete with custom nametags and movie-accurate patches.
• Specialized prop gear: Brent was kitted out with a custom modified proton pack, ecto-goggles, and a movie-grade PKE meter engineered with remote controls so the crew could guide him toward “paranormal activity,” made by more Alberta Ghostbusters members, Steve and James.
• Film-set staging: Friends at Modern Event Rentals supplied period-accurate lobby furniture, and PrintBrosYYC helped with vinyl window coverings and signs to make the exterior look like a true Ghostbusters office. Sony Pictures contacts and prop Builders helped bring the interior details to life, filling the walls with PKE (Psycho Kinetic Energy) Readers, Ecto Goggles, Proton Pack, and RTV (Remote Trapping Vehicle), and Historic maps of Calgary and Edmonton.

Answering an Official Call from New York

Brent’s day did not start with a casual meet-and-greet. It kicked off with a surprise voicemail for his mom from Egon Spengler at Ghostbusters headquarters in New York, calling on Junior Ghostbuster Brent to report immediately to the Calgary firehouse for urgent assistance.

Upon arrival, Brent stepped into an interactive story alongside Calgary first responders and Alberta Ghostbusters members in character.

• The intake briefing: Brent explored the firehouse garage, met working members reading paranormal lore, and took in the fleet of real-life Ectomobiles.
• The 3D intake scan: A local tech partner placed Brent in full uniform inside a 3D scanner to officially register him into the Ghostbusters digital database.
• The mission downtown: Brent’s Intake was quickly interrupted as members of the Calgary Police Service and Alberta Emergency Health Services EMS were queued to burst into the Ghostbusters office on order of Calgary Mayor Jeremy Farkas to get Brent over to City Hall to meet with him. Once at City Hall, the Mayor asked for Brent’s help in solving some unusual ghostly sightings around Calgary, as the mayor said: “He wasn’t going to be known as the Mayor to have the most city west of Winnipeg!” Guided by reading spikes on his remote PKE meter, Brent tracked down paranormal signals, completed his downtown ghost-busting assignment visiting our abandoned Arrest processing facility and the Calgary Stampede grandstand, and successfully trapped Slimer, saving Calgary.

The Heart Behind What We Build

At DMI, we’re known for geeking out over high-end tech, seamless sound coverage, and live event production. We also believe that great technical execution only matters if it creates something unforgettable.

Bringing together Calgary police officers, paramedics, prop makers, and volunteers to create pure joy for a courageous kid was an experience our team will cherish forever. It was a powerful reminder that with the right people, deep passion, and a refusal to settle for ordinary, any creative vision is possible.

Bring Your Big Ideas to Life

Whether you are planning an immersive community production, designing a high-impact corporate stage, or building a world-class AV integration for your venue, our team is ready to help you pull it off without the stress or mystery charges. Connect with Digital Media Integrations today to start planning your next project.

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