Canada’s ‘Hollywood North’ hurt by twin strikes in US

Vancouver – Rare twin strikes by Hollywood actors and film and television writers are casting a pall over British Columbia’s creative industry, which has become a hub for American film and TV production.

Known as “Hollywood North”, the Canadian province and the city of Vancouver comprise one of the largest production centres in North America, with more than 50 animation studios alone, employing up to 88,000 people, according to a provincial agency.

It generated an estimated C$3.6 billion (S$3.59 billion) in revenue in 2022.

Hollywood actors last Friday joined writers on the picket lines

for the first time in 63 years.

The unionised workers are demanding higher compensation in an era when streaming of movies and TV shows has reduced royalties for working-class actors.

Film production in British Columbia is down to a trickle, says Ms Gemma Martini, chair of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association and chief executive of Martini Film Studios.

Creative BC, the government body responsible for promoting creative industries in the province, says in a statement it is concerned for the workforce, companies, industry and people.

Since the 1990s, different levels of government have offered tax credits to the industry, adding to its appeal as a destination for movie production.

Over the years, Vancouver, with its proximity to Los Angeles and prized locations, has emerged as an alternative hub for production and post-production activities, production executives say.

Vancouver and the surrounding areas have attracted popular shows and movies, including Supergirl (2015 to 2021), The Flash (2014 to 2023), Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018).

Taking a toll

Reverberations that started on May 2 with the writers’ strike grew in British Columbia, where most productions have American components.

In a given week, British Columbia-based film location management company Location Fixer could have 15 active productions.

“Now,” says co-owner Synnove Godeseth, “we have zero.”

Ms Godeseth estimates about 75 per cent of her company’s business comes from United States productions.

First, the business was hit by the writers’ strike. “Because no scripts are being written, people aren’t coming to scout our locations.”

Now, the actors’ strike is taking a toll. Commercial shoots are helping – “that’s what’s keeping us afloat”.

Ms Godeseth says she supports the striking workers “100 per cent” and hopes for a swift resolution.

“I hope the big studios can meet the requests of the unions. We want humans to be fairly compensated and for their creativity to be paid for accordingly,” she says.

In 2022, the Vancouver Economic Commission described the film industry as an “economic lifeline” for industries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, such as tourism, accommodation, hospitality and transportation.

British Columbia’s film industry is largely based around gig work, Ms Martini says.

People are hired for a specific production. If there are no productions, they do not get paid. This can leave thousands of people looking for work outside the industry if the strike drags on.

“It’s one of our biggest assets in British Columbia... the talent and experience of our crew. It’s very hard to replace,” she says.

The Hollywood strike could affect the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), set to open in early September.

Tiff, seen as a launching pad for the Oscars, says it will continue planning for the festival with the hope of a swift resolution to the strike in the coming weeks.

“The impact of this strike on the industry and events like ours cannot be denied,” says a spokesman for Tiff. REUTERS