HOLLYWOOD NORTH AND THE HST

In the middle of 2010 the HST and the film crews hit the streets of B. C.
Coincidence? Purely.
Did the Film Industry come back to B. C. because of the HST?
Highly unlikely, though Gordon Campbell would surely love you to think so, to hide the fact that it was he and his Liberal party that killed the Film Industry three years previously.
Is the Film Industry back?
Not really. In 2005 the Film Industry brought TWO BILLION DOLLARS into the province. More than tourism, more than forestry.
Though the Film Industry was busy over the past year it was nowhere near as busy as it was five years ago.
So, if the HST brought the Film Industry back to B. C. why isn’t it as busy as it was in 2005?
A lot of people say it is because the American dollar is lower than the Canadian dollar.
Let me ask you this?
Does Seattle have a similar climate to that of Vancouver? Yes.
Does Seattle have similar topography to that of Vancouver? Yes.
Does Seattle have HST or PST? No.
Does Seattle have the same dollar value as Vancouver? NO. But it is the same as Hollywood.
Does Seattle have Hollywood North? – NO.
Hollywood North is in Vancouver and Hollywood producers film here despite the stronger dollar and not because of the HST.
As an example, the series `Eureka’ was originally planned to be filmed in Nelson, B. C. but it was deemed to be too far from Vancouver. They liked the town for the back drop but they changed their plans and filmed the pilot in Victoria. However when it came to be filming month after month, year after year, they moved to Vancouver.
Hollywood North is where the film companies want to be because we have branches of the Las Angles rental companies where they can get cameras, film, lights, etc. quickly,
We had trained, and experienced; crews, carpenters, welders, hairstylists, model makers, scuba divers, etc. We had the transportation equipment and the experienced drivers to get them from location to location, quickly, and efficiently.
Notice I said HAD! During the lull in production over the past few years, because of the Liberals meddling in the Film Industry, we lost several major studio facilities and, literally. hundreds of skilled employees.
The HST did not bring the Film Industry back. Only time will rebuild what the Liberals destroyed. Time to build new studios, Time to train new employees. And time for the film producers to learn that we can supply them with what they need, when they need it.