By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Film-production veteran Albert Botha, who has lived in Northumberland County for 25 years, addressed Northumberland County council at its March meeting to urge a more co-ordinated – and more profitable – approach to hosting film crews.
Using local sites for filming is happening with increasing regularity. Shooting on the second season of the Netflix series Ginny & Georgia has just wrapped up in Cobourg. Shoots to turn out episodes of the CBC series Murdoch Mysteries are commonplace in both Cobourg and Port Hope. And it was a big splash when both instalments of Stephen King’s It were filmed in Port Hope.
Botha has been part of a volunteer group that has been working almost full-time over the last two years to create a Southeastern Ontario production-accelerator fund to boost original domestic and international screen productions while supporting the industry in Southeastern Ontario with everything from entry-level jobs to growth in those local businesses (like caterers and hardware stores) that provide support services.
Botha cited the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and their work as a model to emulate, fostering film and television production as a viable opportunity to bring growth and revenue to the north.
“Sixteen years later, their film-stream industry has grown into a $100-million-plus industry in the north,” Botha said.
His proposal is the establishment of a Northumberland County Film Office as a point of contact and a means of promoting the county to this industry. It would work on behalf of all member municipalities, and would make arrangements (and issue permits) that take into account the needs of both the film companies and the communities in which they hope to work.
It’s the kind of work that could otherwise be extremely difficult for smaller municipalities without the staff levels to handle this kind of request.
Precedents exist closer to home, he noted, with film offices now open (or opening) in Kingston, Peterborough and Quinte West, with all the opportunities for collaboration that they present.
And one thing that was proven in the Northern Ontario organization is the five-to-one return on investment.
“I think we are going to miss a great opportunity if we don’t act on this now,” Botha said.
Deputy Mayor Mandy Martin agreed.
“The consumption of film and production of documentaries has absolutely exploded,” Martin said.
“Providers can’t keep up with enough content. It’s a maw waiting for input, and I think we have the locations.”
Cobourg Mayor John Henderson said the town hosts filming throughout the year.
“I know we are booked already for three film shootings in Cobourg alone and, on top of that, we have many film festivals that have been part of our culture,” Henderson said.
“I do see tremendous success, not just for Cobourg but for Northumberland County.”
Asked about employment opportunities, Botha said he is aware of several dozen professionals living in the county already. Working with Loyalist College and Queen’s University, he said, they could help develop the potential to train future professionals who could work closer to home.
This becomes an important consideration, he added, when you consider that Toronto and Hamilton have virtually no further capacity to take on this work.
“The best logical place to expand, if we can get these funds, would be Eastern Ontario,” he said.
“We could be employing hundreds of people in the industry.”
With no other funding opportunities available yet, Botha was asked what would be required of the county. He said that the successful Kingston office was established with a $50,000 investment, and he would foresee a similar request for Northumberland (plus office space and a phone line).
“That would be the pilot seeding money and, after that, it should be revenue-neutral at least?” Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson asked.
“We start getting film production, yes, from that money which can go into funding the film office, as well as getting some payment from the film productions that are coming in,” Botha agreed.
“The goal is eventually revenue-neutral for the county, but it’s got to be looked at as a marketing opportunity.”
“Revenue-neutral, but Northumberland people will be making money as a five-to-one investment for every dollar,” Sanderson continued.
County Chief Administrative Officer Jennifer Moore reminded council that the request comes at the time when the first quarter of the new fiscal year is almost behind us on an item that was not budgeted for. She requested a detailed budget breakdown as soon as possible so some preliminary work can be done on looking at where the money might be taken from.
Botha said he would be willing to stretch the funds by staying on for about two years to get the office running, making the money go farther by supporting such work as location scouting and photography.
County council voted to receive Botha’s presentation for information purposes, and to refer it to the standing committee with the understanding that they would come back to county council with more specific recommendations on its implementation.
