Tanya Bedard spoke of promise in front of an attentive crowd at the Nipissing University Theatre this afternoon.
The City’s Economic Development Officer plays a key role in communicating and working with out of town film producers who are flocking to North Bay and area in record numbers.
Bedard says 2016 was a tremendous year for the film industry in the North Bay area. She estimates nearly a $9 million economic impact on the region during the 127 filming days in the area.
Some of those unique locations around the city include the old DND underground complex, the city of North Bay Active Waste Treatment Plant, the active runway at YYB and even the North Bay Regional Health Centre Morgue.
And the future looks bright as well as the fourth and final season of Hard Rock Medical is being shot in North Bay as we speak while other projects that have, and will call North Bay home in 2017 include Christmas Inheritance (March & April), A Song for Christmas (March & April), Discovery Channel - Mighty Planes 4 (April), Her Stolen Past (in production), Cardinal: Blackfly (Late May to December 29th) and Call Carter, which begins shooting in June and ends in September.
Bedard noted that well known Australian actress Eliza Taylor thanked North Bay for its hospitality in a tweet that went out to more than 400,200 of her twitter followers last month.
Bedard says getting to where they are hasn’t been easy but film tax credits and convenience for producers including no film permit fees make things easy and practical for the industry.
“The city saw an opportunity in 2009 and city explored the industry and decided to pursue it,” said Bedard.
Bedard says the new post production studio which is being built at Canadore College will allow producers to do a lot of post production while up in the north which will add to the appeal of the North Bay area.
Bedard, whose presentation was part of the FONOM conference taking place in North Bay this week, added that plans are already in the works about more winter filming in late 2017 and early 2018.
