From the North to Alberta
Breaking Ice Productions tells the human stories inside organizations. We started in Norman Wells in 2022, and today we work from Stony Plain, Alberta and Norman Wells, NWT.
Why we stay
Breaking Ice began in Norman Wells, on the Mackenzie River, as a one-person studio with minimal gear. The first year brought sixteen projects: recruitment films for a northern airline, a winter road documented for a land corporation, a cultural film made with a local crew, tour promotion for outfitters.
What we learned there still shapes everything. In small communities you can’t parachute in, grab a soundbite and leave. People need time, respect and a reason to trust you. So we stay: through the safety briefing, the shift change, the long coffee before the interview. That’s when the real story comes out.
Today we make films, photographs and social stories for operators, airlines, school boards, towns, Indigenous governments and outfitters, and we bring the same patience to clients across Alberta.
Two places, one way of working
- 2022Founded in Norman Wells. Sixteen projects in the first year, from airline recruitment to a winter road.
- 2023A traditional-skills film with the Sahtú Renewable Resources Board, covered by Cabin Radio, and the NWT Film Commission takes notice.
- 2024Became Breaking Ice Productions. Long-form films on the Mackenzie Valley Highway for the Sahtu Secretariat.
- 2025Northern Development Program profiles for Imperial, and twelve days on the Keele River with Canoe North.
- 2026Growing Through the Sahtú across the region’s communities, and a new base in Stony Plain, Alberta.
Listen first
- 01
Listen
We start with your people, not a script.
- 02
Earn trust
We take the time a story needs before the camera comes out.
- 03
Find what matters
We look for the true line, not the polished one.
- 04
Craft the film
We cut it with care, and we hit the deadline.
Josh Ferguson
Founder & creative directorJosh is a filmmaker, photographer and drone pilot who founded Breaking Ice Productions in Norman Wells, NWT. He has made films for North-Wright Air, Imperial, the Sahtú Divisional Education Council, the Town of Norman Wells, the Sahtu Secretariat and Canoe North Adventures, often in fly-in communities and cold-weather conditions.
His work is documentary at heart: candid interviews, real moments and a light footprint. He works from Stony Plain, Alberta and Norman Wells, and brings in trusted local collaborators when a project needs a bigger crew.
Past the surface.
Listen first
Every project starts with a conversation, not a camera. We ask what success looks like, who it’s for and what shouldn’t be shown, and we write it down together.
People over polish
A real voice beats a perfect script. We’d rather film the honest moment than stage a slick one, and we never push anyone onto camera.
Respect the place
We work with a light footprint, follow safety and cultural protocols, and remember that the communities we film are people’s homes.