Born and raised in Lethbridge, Nick Bohle (BFA - Dramatic Arts (Performance) ’17) left the city for Vancouver after high school to study audio engineering.  

Bohle’s move to the West Coast took him down several paths. He fronted a rock band, worked as an audio engineer in the city’s famous film industry, walked dogs and even tried selling life insurance before deciding it was time to return to southern Alberta so he could go back to school.  

Bohle upgraded his marks at the University of Lethbridge before enrolling in the Dramatic Arts (Performance) program as a mature student — a decision he said launched his career in film and creativity.  

“I had always been the kid putting on plays in my parents’ kitchen,” he says. “I’ve always loved film and the power it has to communicate and transform people.”  

Life-long relationships with professors and fellow students  

Bohle calls the professors who taught and guided him — and continue to teach students today — “exceptional.” 

“I've come and taught in Doug MacArthur's acting class at the University multiple times now. I even cast one of the students from the last round of teaching that I did in a pilot that I recently produced,” he says.  

Bohle said he loved the breadth of the Performance program. It was a good fit for someone like him, who likes pursuing multiple interests at the same time.  

“The atmosphere really helped me build my creative muscles,” he says.  

The openness of the curriculum helped him grow into roles onstage and behind the camera. Before graduating from the program, Bohle said he had the chance to build a business plan and a creative vision for his work, both of which gave him a runway to launch his career after graduation.  

Putting Lethbridge on the map for filmmaking  

Today, Bohle is running a local production company and works across film and television as an actor, producer, post-production specialist and creative lead.  

“In my work, I do editing, coloration and everything in post-production,” he says. “I’m also on set, in front of the camera and behind the camera.”  

In his role as treasurer of the Lethbridge Independent Film Society, Bohle is working on building up the region’s film infrastructure to attract investment and nurture homegrown talent in Lethbridge — especially Performance students graduating from the University.  

He created a 51-minute pilot, There Are No Squirrels in Lethbridge, with former classmate and fellow alumnus Conner Christmas (BFA – Dramatic Arts ’17). The project, funded by a $25,000 Telus STORYHIVE grant for original scriptwriting, is scheduled to be released in December.  

The duo is currently busy submitting the film to major film festivals across North America.  

“It’s a pilot, so we’d love to turn it into a season,” Bohle says.