A strategy is rolled out to save BC’s film industry

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A new three part plan to hopefully revive Hollywood North has been unveiled.

More than two thousand workers listened to the strategy at a town hall meeting held at North Shore Studios last night.

The aim is to bring major productions back to Metro Vancouver and get thousands of unemployed workers back on the set.

Peter Leitch with the BC Motion Picture Industry says a consultant has been hired to determine the economic impact.

He says it will help the BC government understand how important the business is to the province and consider implementing tax credits and other reductions when the PST comes into place in order to stay competitive.

“We are sitting down with government to make sure we agree on the numbers. There are different numbers depending on who you talk to, and we want to make sure we’re all on the same page,” says Leitch.

Looking forward, he says the industry wants to build a new creative provincial ministry or its own corporation.

“We think our relationship with government is going to grow and we’re confident that we’re going to do something. We’re not exactly sure the structure, if it’s going to be a crown corporation or potentially a separate ministry, but we’ll work with government to make sure we have that interface which is more effective than what we have now,” he explains.

But it’s not all about the numbers, but also about “stories”.

Film Manager Garin Josey says a new Facebook campaign has been launched in order to put a “face” behind the industry and educate others who may not know much about the business.

“We Create BC is going to help us tell our story, that’s really what it’s about. It’s about getting engaged from the public level and the government level. It’s going to be a tool to help government show just how important we are and it’s going to show the public just how much we contribute to the communities,” says Josey.

Workers say they’re ready to roll up their sleeves and try to get people on their side.

“This isn’t just hand outs, we actually are people that live and breathe here, we have rent, we have mortgages, we buy food, we buy cars,” argues Bonnie, an actor.

“We need to have government understand it’s not just the tax benefits but the benefits to the community. I’m a buyer for sets and I spend 10 thousand dollars a week in the economy,” adds Jen.

“I think we contribute to the bottom line, and that’s the message that should go out to politicians. They make the decisions,” says Jonathan, a director.