OTTAWA, December 14, 2017—Today, the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) released a new study summarizing the economic impacts of the newly-released Canadian horror film Pyewacket, starring Laurie Holden and Nicole Muñoz.

Production on the feature film, shot in Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding communities over 19 days, created $5.4 million in economic output and generated $3.7 million in GDP. Additionally, the study found that for every dollar in federal tax credits received by the film, Pyewacketgenerated an impressive $37.41 in economic output and $25.74 in GDP. Each dollar of federal tax credit received by the film also yielded $3.21 in tax revenue. A summary of the study’s findings is available here.

“It has been great to watch Northern Ontario establish itself as a new hotspot for Canadian production over the past few years,” said the CMPA’s President and CEO Reynolds Mastin. “This report shows that a single film, like Pyewacket, can make significant economic contributions while helping to further expand on the success story of Northern Ontario’s production industry.”

Production on Pyewacket had a significant positive impact for both the residents of Northern Ontario and local businesses. In total, the production contracted the services of 59 vendors in Northern Ontario, the majority of which were based in Sault Ste. Marie.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of filming in smaller communities is to see the local impacts firsthand,” said Jonathan Bronfman of JoBro Productions, which co-produced Pyewacket. “In addition to utilizing businesses from the area, we hired several skilled local crew members with little to no direct experience in filmmaking, who are now in a position to build careers in this industry, which is thriving.”

“In addition to the cultural impact our creative industries have, our sector also contributes significantly to the economy, both locally and nationally, through employment- and production-related spending,” said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. “Our country’s various cultural agencies, such as Telefilm and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, play a vital role in supporting independent film production, such as Pyewacket, and its economic benefits.”

Pyewacket, a TIFF 2017 Official Selection, was released in Canadian movie theatres on December 8. The film was produced by JoBro Productions and Just Believe Productions, and is distributed by Seville International (an Entertainment One company).

Economic analysis for this study was carried out by MNP LLP for the CMPA with financial support from Telefilm Canada. The full study is available here.

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ABOUT THE CMPA
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) is the country’s leading member-based advocacy organization for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema and digital media channels. The CMPA works to promote the continued success of the Canadian production sector and ensure a future for diverse content made by Canadians for both domestic and international audiences.  cmpa.ca

For more information:

Kyle O’Byrne
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
kyle.obyrne@cmpa.ca