Vince Commisso – President and CEO of 9 Story Media Group
Since the onset of the pandemic, people have been forced to social distance, cancel group activities and essentially, seek refuge at home. The result has been nothing short of a digital revolution, wherein people have turned to digital platforms like online video streaming services, in search of entertainment as an escape from the harsh reality of a global pandemic. In fact, in 2020, amidst the height of the pandemic, the number of streaming service subscriptions passed 11 billion worldwide for the first time ever – 2Netflix, for example, attracted 15.77 million new subscribers in the first quarter of 2020, up 23% from the same period in 2019 and by the end of 2020, had more than 200 million paid members globally.
This insatiable demand for video content has had a seismic impact on the Canadian TV, film and video production industry, which is experiencing the highest level of content demand in its history. At 9 Story Media Group, an award-winning creator, producer and distributor of animated and live-action kid’s shows, our production volume is at a new high: we are on track to produce 78% more episodes in 2022, as compared to 2021. Over the last 18 months, we have secured the highest number of green lights in the company’s history, starting production on 18 new shows, including Ridley Jones (Netflix), Ada Twist, Scientist (Netflix), and Get Rolling With Otis (Apple) and Hello Jack! The Kindness Show (Apple). Moreover, our recent show Karma’s World, which launched last fall, was created in partnership with Chris Bridges (the Grammy-winning rapper, known as “Ludacris”) reached Netflix’s Top 10 ranking in 42 countries. It is now set for a second season drop on March 10, 2022, clearly demonstrating the global appetite for well-produced content with a positive message to share.
Canada has always been a popular location for both local and international companies to film, produce and create content due to the government tax incentives, a stable exchange rate and proven track record of superior quality of production. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has caused unprecedented levels of disruption for live-action productions. It is only through the combined efforts and commitment of all production industry stakeholders that creative solutions, including stringent COVID-19-related protocols, government relief funds, enhanced tax credits, removal of funding caps and the Federal government’s $50-million Short-Term Compensation Fund (STCF) to help film and TV productions insure against COVID-19-related shutdowns, that we have been able to safeguard against a prolonged live-action production industry shut-down.
Why the Canadian production industry is thriving amidst the pandemic and showing no signs of slowing down Share on XThe animation industry, however, remained quite stable during this period because of its ability to transition quickly to remote and flexible working practices. As an industry that relies on computer-generated imaging and talent that is not geographically limited to specific shooting locations, the animation sector remained strong despite the lock-down restrictions of the pandemic.
The results of the increase in demand for at-home video content, a resilient animation sector and the combined efforts of the live-action production sector to return to “business as usual”, are the primary reasons the Canadian production industry as a whole has witnessed a tremendous boom over the past two years. Not only is demand for animated content at record highs, live-action productions have also experienced meteoric growth – 3In 2020, Ontario hosted a total of 25 scripted series, representing a whopping 66% percent increase over 2019.
With the US and global filmmaking industry operating at varying rates of recovery and content demand and consumption being at an all-time high, the thriving Canadian production industry is a testament to what is possible when people work in unison and are supported by all stakeholders, including government, and technological advancements.
