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February 27, 2023 - 6:00 AM
The Thompson Nicola Regional District is looking at ways to entice film industry investors into building a permanent full-size studio.
There's already some interest, but a completed land study might be just what investors need to commit to the Kamloops area, according to film commissioner Terri Hadwin.
A full-size studio would give production companies a space to produce TV shows, rather than movies which are more temporary.
"That would be an ongoing sustainable job that people working in crews would know they have a job day-to-day," Hadwin said at a Feb. 24 regional district meeting.
READ MORE: Movie-making reached new heights in the Okanagan in 2022
While production companies are interested in have a space to use in the Kamloops area, Hadwin said, developers are also looking for an opportunity here.
"There's definitely a group of investors interested in seeing these opportunities, and interested in the film studio in particular," Jim Anderson with Venture Kamloops told iNFOnews.ca.
Anderson said that interest is from developers who aren't in the Kamloops area, but he couldn't share details of who might be considering buying into a film studio.
The regional district has been floating the concept of a film studio for more than a year, as production companies come to the area more and more frequently.
"Film has been booming in our area, especially in the last three years," Hadwin said.
READ MORE: Film soundstage facility could be economic boon to Kamloops region
Hallmark films, the CBC film Bones of Crows and even a big-budget Jurassic Park film were shot in the Kamloops area in recent years, but the concept of a film studio doesn't mean the regional district wants to invest taxpayers money.
"There are avenues that are similar to Calgary where it's public-owned, but we're leaning very much more to it being private," Hadwin said.
The Thompson Nicola Film Commission had a feasibility study look at industrial properties in the Kamloops area to estimate costs for each site.
READ MORE: Film industry brings record investment to Kamloops region
One Tk'emlups-owned property wasn't fully analyzed, but the other three were in or near Kamloops, and would cost from $2.6 to $3 million to prepare for construction for with utilities and roads.
None of them are regional district-owned properties, but give investors an idea of how much they'll spend to set the foundation for a local film studio.
In concept, it could include a 20,000 square-foot studio space, according to the first half of the study completed last year.
While Hadwin said the studio would give permanence to full-time industry jobs in the region, there hasn't been any studies on just how many jobs it would give the region.
The full studio concept and feasibility studies are available on the film commission website here.
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