Following the success of the 2024 Team Canada Trade Mission to South Korea, the tech and film company will represent Manitoba’s creative industries in South Korea and Japan.
Seoul, South Korea, June 13, 2025 — Reid Valmestad and Austin MacKay, co-founders of CoPilot Co., have returned to Seoul just over a year after their first visit — this time for the 2025 Canadian Creative Industries Trade Mission to East Asia. This marks the second trade mission CoPilot has participated in, building on the success of the 2024 Team Canada Trade Mission to South Korea.
CoPilot, a tech-driven studio that specializes in extended reality (XR) virtual production, film production, and AI tool development, is one of only two businesses representing Manitoba.
"This trade mission is a great opportunity to build and grow valuable partnerships while showcasing Manitoba's creative sectors on a global scale," said MacKay. "Having participated in the 2024 Team Canada Trade Mission to South Korea, we're excited to return to the region to continue building the strategic relationships we developed during that first mission."
Both the 2024 and 2025 trade missions are strategic initiatives under Canada’s Indo-Pacific trade strategy. These trade missions give organizations like CoPilot the opportunity to expand their networks in the South Korean and Japanese markets.
The 2025 trade mission to East Asia consisted of two legs: the first in Seoul and Busan, South Korea from June 1 to June 6, and the second in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan from Jun 8 to 12. Along with representatives from 30 other creative businesses and organizations, MacKay and Valmestad spent two weeks attending meetings, networking dinners, and site visits to develop strategic partnerships with key industry players, potential buyers, and investors.
“This creative industries trade mission has been a testament to the creativity, resilience and global ambition of Canada’s cultural sector,” said H.E. Tamara Mawhinney, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Korea in a Canadian Heritage news release. “With 320 business-to-business meetings and multiple new partnerships formed, we are seeing real momentum that speaks to the strength of our industries and the depth of our bilateral ties. These outcomes, including the signing of seven memorandums of understanding, are not only encouraging milestones but also a reflection of the trust and shared values between our two countries.”
One of those memorandums was signed between CoPilot and LG Electronics. This agreement represents years of partnership between the two organizations and a shared vision for the future of virtual production.
“In our tight-knit virtual production industry, building strong relationships is everything,” said Valmestad. “From showcasing LG's MAGNIT LED tiles at InfoComm 2023, to visiting LG during our first trade mission in 2024, to hosting LG at CoPilot HQ in Winnipeg later that year, this milestone is the result of years of collaboration.”
Another trip highlight was a visit to the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. At the Canadian Pavilion, Valmestad spoke on a panel about the use of AI in creative industries and showcased CoPilot's flagship AI tool, FlightDeck. Other panelists included Debi Wong of DigiBC, Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Paul Ruskay of Studio X.
About this organization
CoPilot Co. is a tech-driven studio committed to redefining the future of visual storytelling. Whether it's consulting on international virtual production studio builds, creating AI tools for XR environment building, sharing our expertise on our YouTube channel, or producing stunning content, we empower our partners to realize their boldest ideas without limitations. To learn more, please visit www.copilotco.io.
For more information, please contact:
Angel Pangilinan
Communications & Media Specialist
431-877-1050
press@copilotco.io