Hollywood North is following in the footsteps of other film production centres with the creation of the Vancouver Film and Media Centre and the appointment of David Shepheard as Vancouver’s first film commissioner.
As film commissioner, Shepheard will have two major roles. He will be responsible for both attracting film productions to Vancouver as well as working with local film production companies to further develop and grow the industry.
“It’s not just about attracting Hollywood to our door,” said Shepheard. “It’s about how we can work with local businesses, local producers and domestic productions as well.”
The aim is for the commissioner to be a connecting point for the industry to find work and talent. Shepheard has a 16-year history in the film industry and has had worldwide experience in the film commissioner role. Shepheard was responsible for running the Film Commissioner services in London, England. Prior to that the government of Abu Dhabi recruited him to develop its Film Commission and serve as its director.
Vancouver City Council and the Vancouver Economic Commission worked to create the Film and Media Centre. Together they dedicated $200,000 to creating the centre and hiring its team.
Vancouver is the third largest film production centre in North America, after New York and Los Angeles. Vancouver has 1,000 different studios and companies serving the digital and interactive entertainment industry, which employs over 40,000 people in Metro Vancouver.
Vancouver’s film industry has experienced large growth in recent years. The industry has become one of top ten contributors to the province’s GDP. According to the Vancouver Economic Commission, 2015 was a record year for Vancouver with pilot production filming increasing by 67% from 2015 to 2016.
At the announcement, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson touted the benefits of the film industry.
“From the small modest productions we have to the great big productions that we’ve seen in recent years like Dead Pool and Star Trek Beyond, film has been an enormous boost to the economy,” said Robertson. “Beyond what shows up on the actual financial statements, the influx of dollars that occurs for all the related industries, it has all kinds of spin off benefits. That’s why we want creative industries—that are inherently low carbon—to succeed.”
