Hamilton to house new production studio

The City of Hamilton is planning to turn 16 acres of vacant land into a film production hub. Hamilton landmarks have been used in movies and TV shows for years but the property near Bayfront park could soon become the site of permanent production studios.

The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror, and Shape of Water all shot in Hamilton. Academy Award winning director Guillermo Del Toro is known to love the city.

The city is looking to continue to grow the industry here.

“There is a demand for film studios right now because of what’s going on in Toronto. Every studio is fully booked up for years in advance, so every little community around Toronto is trying to attract the overflow.” Glen Norton, city of Hamilton.

A lot at Tiffany and Barton has been vacant for 8 years. The city bought the land as a potential space for Ivor Wynne stadium to move but when it stayed put and became Tim Horton’s Field, they had to figure out what to do with it.

So when production companies showed interest in the space, the city agreed it would be a perfect fit.

The development of a typical film studio is about $100 million to be paid by private investors and the city hopes it would employ a couple of hundred people each time there is a production.