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Mike Palafox joins Westside Studio
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The director and cinematographer brings a focus on food filmmaking, with experience spanning commercial work and unscripted storytelling.
Westside Studio has signed director and cinematographer Mike Palafox for representation in Canada.
The signing follows a recent McDonald’s campaign made with the Toronto-based production company.
Palafox’s work moves between commercial food and beverage filmmaking and unscripted food storytelling. He created and directed Al Chile, a food docuseries nominated for a James Beard Award, and has also been shooting a food series for National Geographic. With more than 20 years of experience on commercial sets, Palafox often directs and shoots his own work.
“We really enjoyed working with Mike on a recent McDonald’s campaign. He brings a lot of care to the work, especially the details that make food feel alive on screen. The collaboration felt like a natural fit, and we’re excited to have him join Westside Studio and see what we can cook up together,” says Jonathan Lajoie, Executive Producer at Westside Studio.
“The best way to find out if you actually want to work with people again is to make something together. We did that on McDonald’s, and it worked. There was trust, ambition, and a healthy amount of obsessing over the details most people may never consciously notice but absolutely feel. That’s pretty much how I’ve spent my career: chasing the shot that makes food look hot, messy, beautiful, and impossible to ignore. I direct, I shoot, I get very close to the food, and I probably care far too much about steam, texture, and the exact way sauce falls off a sandwich. Having a partner in Canada who understands that level of madness feels like a very good fit,” says Palafox.
