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TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Industry News

Massive film and TV production hub heading to Hamilton, Ontario

From a media release:

Aeon Studio Group (ASG) announced today a plan to build Hamilton, Ontario into an international hub for film, television, and digital media production.

The cornerstone of the plan is the Hamilton Studio District, a live-work-play development that will include:

  • Film and television production campus with purpose-built modern soundstages, production offices, support facilities, backlot
  • Other studios for post-production, animation, visual effects, game development, music
  • Crew training facility, HQ for the local talent pool and job creation effort
  • Office buildings for film industry suppliers, and media, digital and tech companies
  • Collaborative, affordable and creative workspaces geared towards the enrichment of the artistic and creative industry community
  • Residential/retail space, including two residential towers, and public open space that is pedestrian oriented and provides community connectivity

ASG, through its affiliate Hamilton Studios Ltd., and the City of Hamilton have signed a City Council ratified memorandum of understanding that lays out the business framework for the purchase and sale of the City-owned Barton-Tiffany lands, which are located by the intersection of Barton Street West and Tiffany Street, and abutting the new West Harbour Go Train station near the bay in Central Hamilton.

ASG partner Mike Bruce told media industry stakeholders at a press conference today that “Hamilton is the perfect place for a production hub in the west-end of the Greater Toronto Area because of its proximity to diverse filming locations, thriving arts and culture workforce, limited traffic congestion and because productions that film there qualify for additional provincial tax credits.”

“This film and production hub will create high-value, high-paying jobs for people in the film industry right here in Hamilton,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger.  “It will see the rejuvenation of a brown field located in the heart of our City, and see this area transformed into a beautiful, campus-like environment, fully accessible to the community and conveniently located next to the West Harbour GO station and near our future LRT.”

The Hamilton Studio District will be designed consistent with the City’s economic plan for the Barton-Tiffany lands area.

“This is a win-win for the community,” said Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr. “Not only are we getting a new investment worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but we will be remediating a former industrial site that has sat vacant for years.  Fantastic news for this area!”

Today’s announcement is the result of the shared vision and hard work of a coalition that includes Hamilton City Council, NABET 700-M UNIFOR, the Director’s Guild of Canada – Ontario, Mohawk College, McMaster University, Workforce Planning Hamilton, Ontario Creates, Interactive Ontario, and the Government of Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, among others.

The ASG plan will contribute to the existing dynamism and rejuvenation underway in Hamilton. It will clean up and develop the Barton-Tiffany lands and add new vitality to the West Harbour area. And it will create hundreds of local construction jobs and thousands of local jobs in the media, digital, and supporting industries. To that end, ASG and its coalition partners are working to build a pipeline of talent from local schools into full membership in the industry unions.

“Creative industries are very much one of our key focuses in Hamilton and this investment means new jobs, new taxes and new focus on this city,” said Hamilton Economic Development Director Glen Norton. “We look forward to finalizing this purchase agreement and start the development process as soon as possible.”

ASG plans to build 500,000 square feet of stage space in Hamilton, the first 150,000 of which will be operational within a year.

About Aeon Studio Group (ASG)
ASG is developer and operator of film & television studios and related spaces. Its principals are Robbie David, Mike Bruce, Jeff Anders, Phil Lefko, Stephany Mandin and Mark Sakamoto.

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Featured, Hudson & Rex, Republic of Doyle

Hudson & Rex: Tony Butt reveals the secrets to scouting locations

After a few weeks away, Hudson & Rex returned to Citytv last week on a new night. Now airing on Thursdays, Charlie, Rex, Sarah, Joe and Jesse are back at it, taking a bite out of crime (I know, I’m sorry) in and around St. John’s, Newfoundland.

This week’s new episode is “Fast Eddies,” and Rogers Media has this to say about the storyline:

After a reviled restaurateur’s food truck explodes, killing one of his employees, Charlie and Rex find themselves with a few too many suspects. Plus, a flirtation has Charlie torn between a possible new love interest and Rex, who makes no secret of his feelings on the matter.

The return of Hudson & Rex also marks the return of our behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew. This week we caught up with locations manager Tony Butt.

A man and a woman face each other, standing on a boat.How did you get into the industry in the first place?
Tony Butt: I had spent my 20s in the oil industry and I quit because I didn’t like what I was doing and didn’t know what I was doing. I went on a motorcycle trip and was sitting in a theatre in New Orleans, watching a film festival and said, ‘That’s what I’ll do.’ So, I came back to St. John’s and started dabbling in the incredible co-operative called the Newfoundland Independent Film Co-operative. I walked in one day and they were training for films and the only job left was locations, so I took it. I’ve spent a bunch of years doing that.

I’ve worked in other departments and have been out of the industry for six or seven years and then I [joined Hudson & Rex].

Where does the location manager fit into the production schedule? You’re somewhere between the initial script and the filming.
TB: The script comes down and the art director vets it. We sit down together and bring in the director as soon as possible and we look at everyone’s vision. I then go out and scout locations, keeping in mind practicality, aesthetics and the needs of both the director and the production. And then I present as many options as I can get. And you try and cluster locations as much as you can. There were some challenges on Hudson & Rex because they wanted a cosmopolitan feel with a lot of modern buildings. We don’t have a lot of that, per se, so we had to work with those restrictions. And we shot in winter but they didn’t want to see snow. That didn’t have much to do with me, but it did have some. Everyone pulled together and I was really impressed.

Have you got locations in your back pocket for reference so you have an idea of a place as soon as you see it in a script?
TB: Absolutely. And, also, St. John’s is a small city that has developed in segments. You know the neighbourhoods. This one was developed in the 80s, this one was developed in the 60s, so you can really narrow down your search. And then, you try to build a day around one location without having to move the unit, ideally. And you have people to help you, like real estate agents and people who manage properties. So, yeah, you have properties that you go to first and then go further if you have to.

Hudson & Rex airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Citytv.

Images courtesy of Rogers Media.

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Mary Kills People

Link: The Mary Kills People EPs on what shaped the final season

From Melissa Girimonte of The Televixen:

Link: The Mary Kills People EPs on what shaped the final season
“Ben is in a different state of mind after what he went through, and is at a different point in his life. As much as we were able to strip Mary down to who she is with Ben, the reverse is also true. He’s stripped of being a cop, so he meets Mary again on very raw terms.” Continue reading.

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Blackstone, Tribal

Link: Blackstone creator Ron E. Scott filming First Nations crime drama Tribal in Calgary

From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Link: Blackstone creator Ron E. Scott filming First Nations crime drama Tribal in Calgary
There are worse dilemmas for a television creator.

But Ron E. Scott’s previous project, the Edmonton-shot TV drama Blackstone, was so dark and singular that it’s hard to imagine how he might top it with a followup. The series ran for five seasons on Showcase and APTN, offering an unflinching and often harrowing look at the corruption, addiction and violence that plagued a fictional Alberta First Nations reserve. Continue reading.

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Mary Kills People

Link: Richard Short talks the series finale of Mary Kills People

From Melissa Girimonte of The Televixen:

Link: Richard Short talks the series finale of Mary Kills People
“There wasn’t a single guest actor who came in for a day or a season who didn’t knock it out of the park. They were so great right across the board. They really were. I’d stand there and think, ‘Wow. How lucky am I to be a part of this.’” Continue reading.

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