News
November 30, 2015
Weekly Update from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative: November 27, 2015
It has been both informative and a pleasure to meet and speak with so many Ontario producers who have been in Los Angeles for AFM over the last few weeks. This time of year is always a whirlwind but this year seemed particularly busy and the presence of Ontario stakeholders at and around the market seemed more pronounced than in years past.
With regards to service production, the article below from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette serves as a stark reminder of how quickly uncertainty in a jurisdiction can derail millions of dollars of planned production spend. As detailed below, the $50 million upcoming Starz series American Gods has opted not to film in Pittsburgh due to Pennsylvania's state budget impasse, which is delaying approval of the project’s film tax credit.
http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2015/11/17/Pittsburgh-loses-TV-series-American-Gods-over-state-budget-impasse/stories/201511170223
It was just about a year ago that Hollywood and the industry in general was rocked by the Sony hacking scandal. The Los Angeles Times this week had an in-depth interview with Sony chairman Michael Lynton about how fallout from the hack has changed the studio and the industry.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-sony-hack-year-later-20151118-story.html
Many thanks to an Ontario stakeholder for bringing this New York Times article on the rush to virtual reality to my attention: it is a trend I am hearing more and more industry chatter about. As detailed below, technology and entertainment giants are betting billions that virtual reality will revolutionize the way we experience movies, news, sporting events, video games and more.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/arts/a-virtual-reality-revolution-coming-to-a-headset-near-you.html?ref=arts&referer=https://t.co/Pr2SK3Gpa0&_r=0
There were a few stories out of Canadian media this week that gave some interesting perspective on Ontario's screen-based industries.
The Hamilton Spectator took an extensive look at how film and television production has facilitated industry and opportunity in that city.
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6117142-a-romance-starring-hamilton-and-the-film-industry/
And finally, the Toronto Star reported that the video game industry across the country is booming. As detailed below, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada on Monday released a report showing the video game industry’s annual contribution to Canada’s GDP has jumped to $3 billion.
http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/11/16/video-game-industry-catching-up-to-tv-and-film-production.html
You'll find the full text for the linked articles below my signature. Please feel free to distribute this e-mail widely and to get in touch with comments or links for inclusion.
I will be out of the office from next Tuesday until December 1st, during which time I'll be enjoying the American Thanksgiving holiday with my family. This report will return on Friday, December 4th.
Warmest regards,
Kelly