Our history

From humble beginnings to the country’s leading provider of professional production equipment and expertise from coast to coast, William F. White has grown exponentially and continues to do so each year. Take a look back into our history and see how far we’ve come!

1963
  • William F. White Inc. is founded in Toronto by Bill White Sr. to provide motion picture, television and theatrical equipment.
1970
  • William F. White Inc. expands its operations to Vancouver.
1976
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. adds camera equipment to its inventory.
1989
  • Paul Bronfman founds the Comweb Corporation, as CEO and Chairman of William F. White Int’l Inc.
     
  • Comweb Corporation acquires William F. White Int’l Inc. as an entity.
1990
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. acquires Prolite in Vancouver and opens a location in Calgary.
1991
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. forms partnership with Vilmos Zsigmond and opens Sparks Camera & Lighting Ltd. in Budapest.
1994
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. opens a facility in Halifax.
1995
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. expands to include a facility in Regina.
1998
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. expansion continues with the addition of a facility in Winnipeg.
2006
  • The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) Clubhouse opens at Toronto office.
2010
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. launches a department specifically designed for new and emerging filmmakers.
     
  • Toronto office moves to the new William F. White Centre to serve as the company headquarters and a hub for William F. White Int’l Inc. across Canada.
2011
  • Launch of Education & Training, a new department committed to seeking out internal and external training initiatives.
2012
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. creates the Toolbelt, Canada’s first online mobile resource for professional production equipment.
2013
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. celebrates 50 years of supporting the television and film industries in Canada.
     
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. acquires Telescopic Camera Cranes Ltd. 
2014
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. purchases Location Equipment Supply Inc. 
     
  • William F. White Int’l Inc. opens an office alongside Northern Ontario Film Studios in Sudbury, Ontario.
2015
  • Purchase of Parallel Rentals Inc.
     
  • Launch of a new department dedicated to servicing live events.
2016
  • Launch of a new world-class camera department designed with an emphasis on technical services.
     
  • William F. White Int’l officially assumes anchor tenancy at the Calgary Film Centre, and provides funding and support to allow the Calgary film and television industry to flourish.
     
  • William F. White Int’l creates the inaugural William F. White/Vilmos Zsigmond Cinematography Scholarship and awards it to Adam Madrzyk.
2017
  • William F. White Int’l begins offering the Immersive LED Studio at the William F. White Centre in Toronto, an immersive, controllable and completely customizable environment for filmmakers.
     
  • Launch of an independently accessible boutique studio that features a three-sided cyclorama in a 7,000-square-foot space.
2018
  • Acquisition of Ironwood Studio in Vancouver, boasting 177,000 total square footage, including 7 sound stages.
     
  • Launch of Fraserwood Studio in Vancouver, boasting 119,000 total square footage, and 4 sound stages.
     
  • Launch of Riverwood Studio in Vancouver, providing clients with 97,430 sq. ft. of studio space and two 20-ft. clear height warehouse flex spaces with 50-ft. column spacing.
     
  • Sudbury office and warehouse expanded with new location.
     
  • Expansion of Camera offices in both Calgary and Vancouver.
     
  • Parent company Comweb Corporation, celebrates 30 year anniversary.
     
  • Announcement of $100,000 Jay Switzer Memorial Scholarship Fund for Indigenous Filmmakers in partnership with the Canadian Film Centre.
2019
  • Launch of Copperwood Studio in Vancouver, boasting 106,000 sq. ft., 31-ft clear height, three large, engineered sound stages and additional support space.
     
  • Launch of Lakewood Studio in Vancouver, a multipurpose space with four flex warehouses and seven private production offices comprising nearly 100,000 sq. ft. of space.
     
  • Launch of first Toronto studio property, Edwards Blvd. Studio, featuring over 150,000 sq. ft. of space, split between four sound stages and over 21,000 sq. ft. of production office space.
     

  • Launch of Creekwood Studio in Vancouver, a multipurpose flex space with 36,000 sq. ft., 23-ft. clear ceiling height and 45-ft. clear span of column spacing.
     

  • Halifax office and warehouse expanded to include camera department.
     
  • Announcement of MovieQuiet Eco series, a product line designed to bring clean, reliable, quiet and renewable power to set.
     
  • Comweb Corporation sells William F. White International Inc. to Ashtead Group, with the acquisition being made through an affiliate of Sunbelt Rentals of Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. WFW becomes a Sunbelt Rentals Company.
2020
  • Launch of Cantay Studio in Toronto, which was later renamed to Heritage Studio.
     
  • Launch of Century Studio in Toronto, bringing the company’s total studio footprint to over 1 million square feet nationwide.
     
  • WFW works with industry partners to establish a proactive response to the COVID-19 outbreak, supporting clients during the successful production restart across the country.
     

  • WFW becomes the official distributor of Airstar Inflatable Balloon products in Canada.

2021
  • Fortress Studio and Fortress+ Support Space opens in Calgary, boosting the company’s total studio footprint to 1.4 million square feet nationwide.
     

  • WFW Halifax moves into new space, which is Zero Carbon Design Certified.
     

  • WFW partners with Oscar-winning visual effects company, Pixomondo (PXO) for a multi-year commitment to build virtual production volumes in Canada.
     

  • WFW opens three new virtual production stages, including the world’s largest LED volume in Vancouver.
     

  • WFW partners with the City of Pickering to operate a 90-acre backlot complete with 30 storefronts, the largest in Canada.

2022
  • WFW joins forces with Movietech, PKE Lighting, Media Access Solutions and Alpha Grip in the UK, under the banner of Sunbelt Rentals Limited to provide integrated film and tv production services globally.
     
  • WFW, along with the Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Board, plays an integral role in the installation of two power drops at filming hotspots to help productions reduce emissions from diesel generators.
     
  • WFW partners with Big Sky Studios in Winnipeg, a full-service 187,000 sq. ft. studio owned and operated by Vancouver-based Eighth Avenue Development.
     
  • Acquisition of Studio City Toronto, one of Toronto’s busiest studio complexes for film and television production, boasting 148,000 sq. ft. of purpose-built studio facilities.
2023
  • Furthering our commitment to the Winnipeg market, WFW moves into a new Winnipeg office, a 56,000 sq. ft. flagship facility with improved loading areas, equipped to serve the local film industry and our partners at Big Sky Studios.
     
  • Launch of the TechLab, a space that offers a hands-on learning experience in all things virtual production. As part of the launch, WFW partners with Humber College to offer the space to students in the Film and Television program.