Canadians value the ways in which global studios and streaming services contribute to Canada
For years, the MPA members – including Disney, Netflix, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO) – have been making movies and shows in Canada, helping drive growth while creating opportunities for Canadian talent to develop their skills and work at the top of their craft. Today, global studios and streamers account for just over half of all production spending in Canada. In 2022/23 global studio projects like The Good Doctor, Fargo and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and more contributed to a total of $6.86 billion volume in Foreign Location Service (FLS) production across the country, an increase of 2.3% from the previous year, and supported the employment of over 137,000 Canadian creative workers.
And now that our members are leaders in the streaming services business, films and series made in Canada now enjoy more access, more easily than ever before, to a worldwide marketplace. The opportunities for Canada to succeed are enormous, and we are happy to be partners and deeply invested in the future together.
In survey after survey, Canadians express significant appreciation for the production work that streaming services and global studios do in Canada. People see both economic and cultural benefits and want policies that encourage more of these projects as a result.
Canadians believe the definition of Canadian content should not hinge on whether a film or show is owned by a Canadian production company – they prefer to see a broader set of benefits for Canadians used to frame policy in this area, including recognizing productions that hire locally, feature Canadian locations and use Canadian studios.
Canadians are skeptical of the argument that streaming services push American products at the expense of Canadian and international productions – more Canadians now say they watch international content on streaming services than on broadcast television.
Jobs, Jobs and More
When looking across a sample of representative productions made by MPA members in Canada over 2021-22, on average 97% of jobs are filled by Canadians with 87-89% of those wages paid to below-the-line workers. From cinematographers, to lighting technicians, make-up artists and more, Canadians help craft some of the world’s most-watched content, right here, in Canada.
Si l’on examine un échantillon de productions représentatives réalisées par les membres de la MPA au Canada au cours de 2021-2022, en moyenne 97 % des emplois sont occupés par des Canadiens, avec 87 à 89 % de ces salaires versés à des travailleurs en dessous de la moyenne. À la direction de la photographie, aux éclairages ou aux maquillages, des Canadiennes et des canadiens aident à réaliser ici même au Canada certains des contenus les plus visionnés à travers le monde.
Movies & Shows Make Us…
Movies and shows make us laugh, cry, imagine, dream …
Whether it’s special effects, makeup, sound editing, or carpentry, a wide range of Canadian creatives collaborate with global studios and streamers in Canada to make the content we love.
Le cinéma et les séries nous font rire, pleurer, imaginer, rêver…
Qu’il s’agisse d’effets spéciaux, de maquillage, de montage sonore ou de menuiserie, les créatrices et créateurs canadiens collaborent à la création des films et émissions des studios mondiaux et les services de diffusion en continu que nous adorons.
Check out The Credits for more behind-the-scenes interviews with Canadian creators, including:
- Dressing misfits, robots & superheroes with The Umbrella Academy’s Costume Designer, Christopher Hargadon
- Star Trek: Discovery’s Art Director, Jody Clement, gives you the VIP tour
- How Dark Phoenix’s Key Costumer, Catherine Gélinas, handled a mutant wardrobe (version française ici)
- Good Boys Script Supervisor, Patti Henderson, on the joys & challenges of comedy
- Editor, Gordon Rempel, on the music of editing
- Future Man’s Cinematographer, Sylvaine Dufaux, on Hulu’s hilarious time tripper (version française ici)