Mycelial Media

08/25/2026

One of the first things we like to do when we start working with a new marketing client is a content shoot.

Not because every business needs a folder full of posed photos. Quite the opposite.

For us, good marketing starts with understanding the business we are being trusted to represent.

A content shoot gets us out from behind our computers and into our client’s world. We get to see how the team works together, how they speak to clients, what makes them laugh, what happens during a normal workday and, usually, a few things that would never come up during a marketing meeting.

Canadian Mortgage Professionals Inc. is a great example.

On paper, they are a Calgary mortgage brokerage. They crunch numbers, compare rates, work with different lenders, coordinate with lawyers, manage strict deadlines and help clients navigate some pretty big financial decisions.

Spend some time in their office, though, and you quickly see that they are a relationship business.

We see how Bob, Jackie, Jason, Christy and the rest of the team work together. We hear the conversations with clients. We see the care that goes into solving a complicated mortgage problem. And through our shoots outside the office, we have also been able to photograph their involvement with organizations including Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society - AARCS, Distress Centre Calgary and Ronald McDonald House Alberta.

Those are the things we want their marketing to communicate.

It is also why we put time into getting to know our clients before deciding what their content should look like.

Once we understand the people, the business and the story, we can build a library of original photography and content that actually belongs to that company. Those assets can then work across social media, websites, Google Business Profiles, blogs, newsletters, advertising and future campaigns.

That is a big part of how we approach marketing at Mycelial Media.

We do not want to guess at what makes a client interesting from behind a screen. We want to see it, understand it and then figure out how to turn those real details into marketing that helps the right people find them, recognize them and remember them.

Sometimes that starts with strategy.

Sometimes it starts with a camera.

Usually, it is a bit of both.

P.S. If you are ever looking for a mortgage brokerage in Calgary, we would recommend Canadian Mortgage Professionals in a heartbeat. They have almost 500 five-star Google reviews, and after spending time behind the scenes with their team, we understand why. They care about the people who walk through their door, give their clients personal attention and genuinely care about the Calgary community they have built their business in.

08/11/2026

08/11/2026

Stampede this year was busy in the best possible way, and we are incredibly grateful to the clients who trusted Mycelial Media to be there with cameras in hand and very little concept of what day it was. 🤠📸

Over Stampede, we photographed two JLL Calgary events, including Bullbustin’ and a property management lunch, plus events for Cushman & Wakefield, Title Properties, CREDA and Team Ken Richter. We shot two parades, a wedding, corporate breakfasts, lunches, networking events and rodeo action across a very full Calgary Stampede calendar.

Our unofficial Stampede stats:

• 20,000 to 30,000 steps on an average day
• Many random bites of food whenever there happened to be three free minutes
• One injured knee
• One completely missing voice
• One VERY full external hard drive
• Thousands of photos
• And a very full heart ❤️

Some of these photos are from the events.

And some are of Shannon grabbing whatever food she could find whenever a spare minute appeared. 😂

The only thing missing from the photographic evidence is the near-constant coffee in her hand, which may deserve partial credit for getting us through Stampede. ☕📸

Both feel like a pretty accurate representation of the week.

There were early mornings, late nights, cowboy hats, sore feet, animal drool, quick wardrobe changes and cameras working overtime.

But this is one of our favourite parts of what we do.

We get to be right in the middle of some of Calgary’s biggest events, documenting the people, businesses and moments that make Stampede what it is. Then we get to turn those photos into content our clients can keep using long after the boots have been put away.

Event photography is one of the parts of Mycelial Media we love most because the photos do not end when the event does. They become social content, website assets, LinkedIn posts, sponsorship thank-yous and marketing material our clients can keep using long after the day is over.

A huge thank you to JLL Calgary, Cushman & Wakefield, Title Properties, CREDA, Team Ken Richter, and everyone else who brought Mycelial Media along for the ride.

We came out of Stampede tired, grateful, slightly limpy, and with thousands of photos that kept our hard drives working overtime for a while. 😂🤠

08/10/2026

Social media is one of the services we handle for our clients at Mycelial Media, and we do a lot more than fill a content calendar.

We manage the planning, writing, posting, photography direction, content ideas, brand voice, scheduling and day-to-day strategy behind it.

The goal is to keep your company visible, recognizable and easy to understand.

Because social media is often where people go to check you out before they call, email, book or buy.

It also supports the bigger digital picture. Search engines and AI tools are increasingly pulling information from across your online presence, including social platforms, websites, reviews and business profiles. The clearer and more consistent your company is online, the easier it is for people, and search tools, to understand what you do.

We also refuse to make every client sound the same.

We learn how your team talks. We look for the stories behind the projects. We pay attention to the little details that make your business interesting. We write content that sounds like it belongs to your company, not something copied out of a generic marketing template.

And yes, staying visible matters.

Think about McDonald’s billboards. You see one, then another, then another. You might ignore them for weeks, and then one day fries become a very convincing idea. 🍟

That familiarity works in business too.

If your company needs help with social media strategy, content creation, photography, writing, scheduling, engagement and keeping the whole thing consistent, that is part of what we do at Mycelial Media.

Because your social media should be doing more than proving your business still exists.

Want social media off your plate?
We can handle the strategy, content, writing, scheduling and the ongoing “what the heck are we posting this week?” part too.

📱 Shannon: 403-554-4266
📧 [email protected]

Mycelial Media
Social media that sounds like your business, not everyone else’s.

07/29/2026

One of the things we love most about photographing events like this is getting to witness how Calgary grows, not only as a city, but as a community.

In April, Mycelial Media had the opportunity to photograph ULI Alberta’s fireside chat with Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas at the Werklund Centre.

The conversation focused on Calgary’s future as we move toward a population of two million, including housing, infrastructure, public safety, essential services, arts and culture, and the partnerships needed to support that growth.

What stayed with us most was the care in the room.

People from different industries and backgrounds came together because they genuinely care about Calgary and the people who call it home. They were there to listen, ask thoughtful questions, share ideas and take part in shaping what comes next for our city.

That is one of the things we love most about Calgary. People here are willing to show up, be curious and have real conversations about how we grow well.

There is a reason so many people love this city, and we believe it comes down to the people. The people who care deeply, contribute their time and experience, and want to see Calgary continue to grow in a thoughtful and connected way.

Thank you to Kat Hedges, MA, and the ULI Alberta team for bringing this conversation together, and to Mayor Jeromy Farkas, Jasmine Palardy and Brennan Yadlowski for creating such a thoughtful discussion. We were grateful to be there to document it.

Proud to be a Calgary-born company. 🖖

07/11/2026

There are Stampede events we enjoy photographing, and then there is Bullbustin'.

For Shannon Gallagher-Burt, this one always feels a little like coming home. She spent many years riding Western and running around the barn getting into the safest kind of trouble, so the arena, the riders, the boots, the animal drool and, this year, getting hit with something that was definitely not mud all felt very familiar.

JLL Calgary also knows how to host a Stampede event properly. Their clients, colleagues and friends come together for a night that feels relaxed, welcoming and genuinely fun. It is one of those events where people are catching up, laughing and building real relationships without the usual networking stiffness.

Rhonda, Cody and their girls put on an incredible event every year. They take care of their crew, pay attention to every detail and somehow make a huge production feel personal, even with bulls, cameras and a few flying barn-floor surprises involved.

A big thank you to the Snyder family for welcoming Mycelial Media back, and to JLL Calgary for trusting us to photograph one of their biggest Calgary Stampede events.

Still one of our favourite nights to shoot. Slightly messier than expected.

Here are a few of our favourite moments from Bullbustin’ 2026.

06/23/2026

Meet the owners of Mycelial Media: Shannon Gallagher-Burt and Cale Reader.

This business did not start in a boardroom.

It started with two high school computer technology nerds, a shared love of making things, and the kind of dry humour that somehow turned into a 22-year relationship.

Shannon and Cale met in high school doing a very early version of the work they still do today: photography, websites, branding, digital design, and making ideas look good on a screen.

They fell for each other pretty quickly, despite Shannon’s best efforts to resist Cale’s dry humour, good smile, and fellow nerdy love of making things.

Unfortunately for Shannon, the dry humour was persistent.

Over 22 years together, a few cats, one recent engagement, and yes, 21 years before Cale proposed, they built a life around creativity, technology, problem-solving, and an inability to leave a project “good enough” if it could be better.

Some people call that attention to detail.

Others call it being a menace to your own free time.

That same mix is what shaped Mycelial Media.

Today, Mycelial Media is a Calgary-based creative marketing studio working with businesses across Western Canada. We help businesses show up clearly through social media, photography, SEO, content writing, websites, digital ads, branding, design, and AI-supported systems.

Some projects are strategic.

Some are time-sensitive.

Some start with, “Can you make this sound less boring?”

We respect all three.

At the heart of Mycelial Media is a simple idea: good marketing should make your business easier to find, easier to trust, and easier to remember.

For us, the work is still what it was back in high school computer tech class: making things, solving problems, and caring a little too much about whether it all looks, sounds, and works the way it should.

Only now, the tools are smarter, the files are bigger, and the work has moved far beyond the computer lab.

Mycelial Media

Creative marketing for Calgary and Western Canada businesses.

Built to connect. Designed to grow.

06/16/2026

Photographing HKCBA Calgary events always gives us a front-row look at a business community built on real conversation, strong relationships, and meaningful connection between Calgary, Canada, Hong Kong, and international markets.

Their Asian Heritage Month Celebration, AGM, and Cocktail Reception had a little bit of everything: live entertainment, prizes, snacks, great conversations, and drinks from XOXO Beverages.

And yes, the drinks deserve their own moment.

XOXO Beverages brought their “Tech empowered cocktails” setup with AI-powered robotic cocktail-making machines for weddings, banquets, parties, business events, and merchant machine rentals. It is not every day you photograph a Calgary business event with a robotic cocktail machine working in the background, but it fit the room perfectly.

A special highlight was the performance from Master Mo Fan, a national and international Tai Chi champion. Watching that kind of balance and control in the middle of a networking event was pretty incredible.

A huge thank you to the HKCBA Calgary Board of Directors for continuing to welcome us into these spaces and trusting Mycelial Media to capture the people, details, culture, food, drinks, and in-between moments that make these events feel genuine.

We are grateful to be part of it, and after a few hours behind the camera, Master Mo Fan made a very convincing case for better posture, balance, and maybe stretching more than twice a year.

06/13/2026

We got to be right in the action shooting this year’s Futsal Canadian Championship for Canada Soccer, and by “right in the action,” we mean close enough to question our life choices more than once.

Futsal is FAST.

The balls move quicker than they look from the stands, the players do not slow down for your camera settings, and yes, I have the bruises to confirm that sports photography sometimes comes with light bodily consequences.

There were a few moments where Cale and I looked at each other like, “Cool cool cool, this is how we go out,” while still trying to get the shot and not get absolutely flattened.

But honestly, what an experience.

The level of talent on the floor was incredible. Fast footwork, quick decisions, big reactions, and that very specific indoor sports chaos where everything is happening at once and somehow everyone knows where they’re supposed to be.

Calgary showed up in the best way. Hosting alongside Tourism Calgary, our city once again proved why it makes sense for national events like this. The vibe in the building, the intensity of the games, and the volunteers and professionals keeping everything running smoothly made it easy to get pulled right in.

A huge thank you to Wai Chung Wong for the invite and for showing us the Futsal Canada ropes. Learning the game, dodging shots, chasing moments, and trying not to become part of the highlight reel for the wrong reasons made this one we won’t forget.

We’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Preferably with shin pads.