Shanghai, China, October 11, 2026 — Trade missions are starting to look like an annual tradition for Austin MacKay and Reid Valmestad, co-founders of creative technology company CoPilot Co., as the pair fly to Shanghai for the 2026 Canadian Creative Industries Trade Mission to China. This is the duo’s third mission in just as many years, following the 2024 Team Canada Trade Mission to South Korea and the 2025 Canadian Creative Industries Trade Mission to East Asia.
“We’re honoured to be representing Canada on the international stage again,” said MacKay. “Just like our previous two trade missions, we’re excited to learn from and build relationships with industry leaders in the region.”
CoPilot is a creative technology company that specializes in extended reality (XR) virtual production, film production and AI tool development. China’s rising investment in R&D – which ranked them 10th on the 2026 Global Innovation Index – is especially attractive to the creative tech studio as they aim to expand their network of international partners.
“Canadian creative professionals and entrepreneurs have much to offer on the world stage,” said Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller in a Canadian Heritage press release. “Building new strategic partnerships, including with China, will unlock shared opportunities, amplify our stories, and strengthen our economy. By working together, we can fuel growth in our creative industries at home and abroad.”
The mission, led by Miller, is an initative to strengthen creative collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region under Canada’s Creative Export Strategy. China is already a major market for Canadian creative work; in 2023 it was Canada’s fourth-largest creative export market, worth $734.1 million.
Spanning from October 11 to 15, 2026, the trade mission includes stops in major innovation hubs Shanghai and Shenzhen, where the delegation will have the opportunity to meet with, tour, and pitch to potential partners in the region.
“We know from experience how invaluable the relationships we form on these trips are,” said Valmestad. “The connections we fostered on our previous two resulted in a couple coproductions with major Korean broadcasters and a Memorandum of Understanding, so we’re excited to see where the relationships we form this time around will lead.”
Miller announced the mission during his visit to Beijing and Shanghai earlier this year, where Canadian and Chinese officials agreed to continue negotiating a television coproduction treaty.
In addition to the official itinerary, the two co-founders plan to visit long-time collaborator AOTO Electronics at their home office. The two companies have partnered on a few projects, including a showcase at the 2025 National Broadcasters Association Show in Las Vegas.
“New connections are exciting, but a trip like this is also a chance to nurture our relationships with the partners who already help make our work possible,” said Valmestad.
About this organization
CoPilot Co. is a creative technology and production 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
Brand & Marketing Specialist
431-877-1050
press@copilotco.io