Calgary hopeful for film, TV production growth in 2024 after meetings with major Hollywood studios

A contingent from Calgary, including the mayor, travelled to Los Angeles last week to further develop the city’s relationship with several major film and television studios and streamers in Hollywood.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek was in California on Thursday and Friday, along with representatives from Calgary Economic Development (CED) and members of unions and guilds representing talent in film and television.

They met with nine studios and streamers to discuss bringing more productions to the Calgary region.

Studios and streamers met include:

• Amazon;
• MGM;
• Disney;
• Fox;
• Apple;
• DMG Entertainment;
• Netflix Animation;
• Lionsgate; and
• Skydance.

“These types of trips are absolutely critical to reaffirming Calgary’s position as a film and television city,” Gondek said during a press conference Monday.

The mayor said she last travelled to Los Angeles in September 2022. Since then, productions have created 2,190 jobs and $325 million of investment in the Calgary region.

In 2023, the city approved more than 750 permits related to 140 productions, including student independent films, national commercials and major motion pictures and TV.

“We reassured senior executives that our locations are unbeatable," Gondek said.

"We demonstrated that many of our standing sets are run by individuals and families that work very closely together to ensure that the variety of vistas and buildings that are being sought by studios and streamers are available to them."

Luke Azevedo, the Calgary film commissioner with CED, said although 2023 was a slower production year in Calgary – largely due to actor and writer strikes – he anticipates an uptick this year.

Azevedo suggested Calgary could also see more announcements about new productions as soon as this spring.

“If these meetings that we just had in Los Angeles are any kind of a sign of what we’re going to see in ’24, I think we’re going to have a very positive year and see growth,” he said.

The Calgary team also attended an event celebrating Canadian talent leading up to the Emmy Awards.

Alberta-shot projects The Last of Us and Prey are nominated for 24 and six awards respectively at Monday’s Emmys.

While The Last of Us will be heading further west for the bulk of production for its second season, there is still hope Calgary can find ways to continue to contribute to the show.

“We can conjure a lot of things in Alberta, but what we can’t conjure up is the Pacific Northwest or the ocean,” Azevedo said.

“We anticipate and hope that we might see pieces of that season two back in Alberta, based on what they found here, what they were able to do in this province, and as we continue to move forward – if there’s a season three and others – we will absolutely be having those conversations if Alberta can be the location of choice for it.”