Manitoba delegation jets to Hollywood to promote province as filmmaking hub

A delegation of Manitobans has jetted to Los Angeles on the first regularly scheduled direct flight from Winnipeg to promote the region as a hotspot for film and video production, the province announced on Sunday.

Manitoba government officials, economic development partners, industry representatives and Indigenous leaders will promote Manitoba to companies across a variety of sectors in California, with an aim of strengthening business ties in the sunny state, a news release from the province said Sunday.

"The hope is that we're going to see more film productions come and choose to be produced in Manitoba," Dayna Spiring, president and chief executive officer of Economic Development Winnipeg, told CBC on Monday.

Members of the delegation took off on the first flight of WestJet's new direct route between Winnipeg and Los Angeles on Monday morning, she said, and will be meeting with leaders from the film, video game and animation sectors over the next few days.

More members of the delegation are set to follow them to Los Angeles, she said.

Manitoba's film and video production tax credit and the new direct flights from Winnipeg to Los Angeles are two major attractions that Manitoba has to offer, she said.

The province has lost out on opportunities in the past because of the lack of a direct flight to Los Angeles, Spiring said.

The province's growing film, digital media and gaming industries will all benefit from the new direct route, Economic Development, Investment and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen said in the Sunday news release.

The delegation is part of Manitoba's flowering film industry, said Rod Bruinooge, executive officer and film commissioner of Manitoba Film and Music.

"When I was involved in the province 20 years ago, it was about a $30-million industry, and now it's over $365 million," he said Monday.

Bruinooge was on that first direct flight to Los Angeles from Winnipeg, which he called "exciting."

"They got the whole plane to cheer as they announced this was the first flight to L.A.," he said.

The Manitoba government gave $4.8 million to the Winnipeg Airport Authority to help it secure more flights from Winnipeg to international markets, the news release said.

The funding came from the province's $50-million long-term pandemic recovery fund to help boost economic growth and create jobs.

Film is a major driver of economic growth in Manitoba and employs many in the province, Spiring said.

"Anyone who's been driving around the city over the last few weeks has seen film productions happening."