Big expectations for Sudbury in 2024 as far as film is concerned

The Hollywood strikes have been solved and industry experts are expecting big things for filming in 2024 as far as Greater Sudbury and northern Ontario are concerned.

“You know 2024 should be a great year in terms of production across northern Ontario – you know the strike in 2023 did impact things to a certain extent but we saw that there was still resilience and that’s been the amazing thing to watch this industry bloom over the years,” said Patrick O’Hearn, associate executive director of Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION).

O’Hearn told CTV News that once the workforce developed, with it came a passion to tell some great stories and the resourcefulness to get things done.

“There’s going to be no barriers for productions to shoot, we’re looking ahead and we’re seeing that the planning has to take place and you have to coordinate schedules. It’s a very complex, kind of apparatus to move through but people have had the time,” he said.

“We’re ready to go, crews are lined up, people are working with locations managers to give stories the great looks they need so we should have no issues,” he said.

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It's a similar tone from the president of the largest union that represents crews and many of those behind the scenes.

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 634 President Tiffany Boivin-Brawley said there was a trickle-down effect for some productions that reached as far east as northern Ontario.

The bulk of her 280 members work out of Sudbury and North Bay.

“We are anticipating an increase in work in 2024 compared to the last year that we had,” said Boivin-Brawley.

Boivin-Brawley told CTV News that there is usually a healthy mix of returning producers and new producers that reach out to them to check out crew availability.

“The industry always does ebb and flow and unfortunately last year in 2023 with the strikes that happened in Hollywood, it did sort of trickle down to us a little bit and now that those strikes have been resolved, we are hoping for an increase in our jurisdiction,” she said.

“We are seeing more and more people joining our industry, looking to make it a full-time job, or a full-time seasonal job and we have had the work in the last few years to be able to maintain that and offer that to people.”

She added they have seen such busy years recently, they’ve had to recruit people into the fold and they are anticipating it could happen again and have been working with CION in a bid to train those people in positions.

“Everyone is optimistic now that the strike is over that we’ll be able to get the same flow of work that we’d been getting in the past,” said Boivin-Brawley.

Industry officials in the area said January and February tend to be slower months but they do anticipate things will start to ramp up in February.

Lara Fielding is Greater Sudbury’s manager of Tourism and Culture.

While there was a labour disruption in the film, Fielding said the city was able to maintain roughly 19 productions in 2023.

“Due to the strike, there was limited productions based on the restrictions facing production, actors and actresses,” she said.

“We did well because we still had films that were confirmed, that were able to maintain their timelines and we welcomed them into the city.”

The City of Greater Sudbury has since (in the last two years) hired a film officer whose job is to help put our city on the map in terms of TV and film.

Fielding said they owe a lot of the city’s credibility to mainstay producers from companies like New Metric Media who chose the city as a site to film popular TV shows like Letterkenny and Shoresy.

“We do have a very healthy crew base here in Sudbury and across northern Ontario and we work with CION,” she said.

“We work on developing and training opportunities to train up our crew as well as working with post-secondary and secondary to showcase the opportunities in the film industry.”

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While it’s difficult to predict how much filming will happen in the city, as some can come in with as little as six weeks notice – but Fielding said she is expecting big things.

“I anticipate it could be the same, even busier,” said Fielding.

“We are going into a time where we’re going to be going to a couple industry conferences which helps secure productions coming to your location. The next 3-4 months is a time where we’re securing those relationships to film in Sudbury.”