British Columbia, and Vancouver specifically, has for decades had the nickname Hollywood North. But the industry could be finding itself at another point on the compass amid shifting trade winds.
Industry insiders acknowledge the industry has faced several difficult years, first with the COVID-19 pandemic, then the Hollywood writers’ strike.
Actor Ryan Jinn said the difference in the production schedule has been noticeable.
“Vancouver was once a bustling hub, with you know, you couldn’t get a crew to shoot anything. But nowadays, just less productions going around,” he told Global News.
In 2022, production spending in B.C. was worth about $3.3 billion, a sum that fell nearly 30 per cent in 2023, according to industry support organization Creative BC.
Things have been picking up again, the organization says, with a number of tentpole TV series signing on or returning to the city.
But that rebound now faces a new threat: growing discord between Canada and the U.S., and overt threats by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on the film industry.
While Trump has yet to follow through on that threat, the B.C. film industry is already pivoting — with eyes across the Pacific.
“Asia Pacific really offers up some really great opportunities, not just in South Korea, but in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, for example,” Creative BC vice-president Robert Wong said.
“A lot of it actually happened when the streamers came on board. It really opened up the avenues for consuming international projects and international media and really enabled us to access projects from Korea, from Japan, and Asia Pacific in general.”
The B.C. industry is already making inroads with some major players in Korea, signing deals for four productions with television studio SLL.
This week, Vancouver played host to its third East by Northwest summit, drawing together producers, funders, agents and talent from across the Pacific, opening the door for future partnerships.
Barbara Lee, founder of the Racial Equity Screen Office and the creator of East by Northwest, said Canada is in a unique position to combine its production expertise and its global connections.
“We have a demographic of Canadians who have strong ties to many, many countries outside of the U.S.,” she said.
“The U.S. wants to hear their stories and get Canadians to help them tell their own stories. But I think Canada, being a certain size, can partner up with many similar-sized countries, and together we can build something probably bigger.”
It’s an opportunity British Columbia may not be able to afford to miss.
The province is already facing a glut of studio space, with several massive new facilities still coming online.
If business with the U.S. stagnates further, budding partnerships like those with SLL could pay dividends, given the studio produces between 20-25 television shows every year.
And the interest from the other side of the Pacific already appears to be there — especially given the uncertainty about doing business with the United States.
“In my previous company, we were all focusing on the U.S., but I think if it’s an English language, we can tend to have more partners like Canada and maybe Australia, but Canada was my first choice,” said SLL international producer and business manager Yoori Kwon.
It’s a bet that, if it pays off, will keep the province’s studio hubs humming, even if the finished product looks and sounds just a little bit different.