!

June!13,!2014!

Laurel!Broten! C/O!Nova!Scotia!Department!of!Finance! 1723!Hollis!Street! Halifax,!Nova!Scotia!!B3J!2N3!

Dear!Ms.!Broten:!

The!Nova!Scotia!Motion!Picture!Industry!Association!is!pleased!to!present!the!enclosed!Position!Paper!on!the!past,!present,!and! future!of!the!Nova!Scotia!Screen!Industry.!!

The!Screen!Industry!represents!film,!television,!and!digital!media!companies,!workers,!and!support!infrastructure.!It!is!a!complex! community!comprised!of!diverse!enterprises!and!individuals!engaged!in!an!everQevolving!collection!of!activities.!!

Our!companies!are!entrepreneurial!in!spirit!and!spread!across!the!province.!With!support!from!government,!we!draw!considerable! investment!from!outside!the!province,!employ!hundreds!of!workers,!and!export!our!products!around!the!world.!We!are!adapting!to! new!market!trends,!embracing!convergence,!and!breaking!new!ground!in!the!use!of!digital!technology.!

Our!highly!skilled!workers!come!from!all!communities!and!backgrounds.!Many!are!immigrants.!And!with!a!broad!offering!of! education!and!training!programs,!we!are!poised!to!embrace!new!content!creators,!workers,!business!owners,!and!others!seeking!to! take!advantage!of!the!opportunities!available!in!this!growing!industry.!

We!also!serve!as!cultural!ambassadors!Q!enhancing!the!identity!of!the!province!through!our!work!and!our!presence!in!the!global! entertainment,!information!technology,!and!media!marketplaces.!Our!producers!Q!and!the!content!we!deliver!Q!are!showcased! worldwide,!winning!awards!and!thrilling!audiences.!

This!Position!Paper!reflects!a!truly!mature!and!wellQestablished!industry,!deeply!entrenched!in!the!Nova!Scotia!private!sector.! Thanks!to!the!labourQbased!tax!credit!Q!along!with!other!supportive!programs!–!we!have!developed!into!a!progressive!and!dynamic! community.!Along!with!the!talent!and!work!ethic!of!our!creators!and!crews,!the!support!of!our!businesses,!and!the!natural! attributes!of!our!locations,!the!tax!credit!program!is!a!cornerstone!of!our!foundation.!We!believe!it!is!an!imperative!tool!for! continued!stability!and!growth!in!a!marketplace!that!increasingly!requires!flexibility,!transparency,!and!stability.!

We!welcome!the!current!review!of!provincial!tax!programs!and!are!enthusiastic!about!working!together!to!secure!our!place!as!one! of!the!leading!sectors!in!the!province.!With!continued!support!from!both!government!and!our!partners!in!private!enterprise,!we!are! confident!in!our!ability!to!help!lead!Nova!Scotia!towards!an!exciting!and!prosperous!future.!

!

Sincerely,!

!

Scott!Simpson,!Board!Member! Nova!Scotia!Motion!Picture!Industry!Association!

! ! ! ! ! ! ! : Behind The Scenes AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NOVA SCOTIA SCREEN INDUSTRY ! Prepared for: The Nova Scotia Provincial Government Tax Program Review Prepared by: Nova Scotia Motion Picture Industry Association !June 9, 2014 INTRODUCTION

Once upon a time…

It’s a little known fact that Nova Scotia is the birthplace of Canadian cinema. In 1913, long before the Hollywood sign was built, the silent movie Evangeline was filmed right here, making it the first feature film ever made in !. A century later, our Screen Industry is a robust, diverse, and pivotal part of the province’s private sector, encompassing not only film and television production, but also digital media. It has grown to a $130M-plus per 1 !year business , stimulating millions more in economic spin-off, and employing thousands of Nova Scotians. The screen industry is also the mechanism by which many of our most talented visionaries express themselves. It allows a growing number of creators and storytellers to contribute to the long list of crowd-pleasing and award- !winning productions made in Nova Scotia, by Nova Scotians. We have played host to award-winning blockbusters such as Titanic, created homegrown heroes like the Trailer Park Boys, Mr. D and . We boast hundreds of Genies, Geminis, Emmys and even Oscars. Our digital media producers are making waves via cutting-edge technology using social media (Nickel Communications), augmented reality (Ad Dispatch), and voice recognition (Copernicus Studios). And our TV producers have helped inspire, entertain, and educate on every level – from pre-schoolers (Poko) to world leaders !(Counterfeit Culture). This exciting and dynamic industry continually proves its value, not only in its contribution to the economy, but also by providing the most effective means to reflect our culture and project our identity to the rest of the world.

Moving pictures…

Currently, Nova Scotia is facing a significant challenge to grow, diversify, and modernize its economy. As a resource-neutral, technology-based, innovative industry, this sector is an ideal candidate to help meet those !challenges, now and into the future. This document asserts that investment in the industry is prudent and necessary in light of the current analysis. Our !industry has many valuable assets. There are countless success stories. Opportunities abound. But the marketplace for both services and content is increasingly complex. Technology is constantly evolving. Mobile platforms, interactive content, and web-based distribution are revolutionizing the market. Meanwhile, production incentives are spreading across the globe. Competition is greater than ever. As a result, there is both tremendous potential and significant challenge.

The industry needs stable support in order to maintain investor confidence, maximize productivity and increase capacity. With that support, we can take advantage of our ideal position to help lead Nova Scotia into the future.

1 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia (2014)

!1 WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

Nova Scotia’s Screen Industry is a significant and diverse part of the provincial private sector. It represents not only film and television producers, animation studios, and digital media companies; but also equipment suppliers, unions and guilds, schools, festivals, production and post-production service providers, corporate communications firms, commercial production companies, and many more supporting firms and individuals who !contribute to the making of all our motion picture and interactive content. In broader terms, we are part of the Creative Industries. This umbrella sector:

• Contributed $50B to the nation’s GDP in 2009 and directly employs over 640,000 Canadians – double the amount of workers in banking or forestry - and more than a million when considering indirect jobs;1

• Adds roughly $1.84 in overall GDP for every $1 produced and generates $2.70 in revenue for every $1 in government investment;2

• Grew by 14% in terms of global trade of cultural goods between 2002 and 2008, even as overall global trade shrank by 12%3

On a provincial level, Nova Scotia’s Creative Industries contributed $950M to GDP in 2008, ranking ahead of 4 !agriculture, mining, and utilities The Screen Industry is the largest of these Creative Industries. On a national level in 2011, this sector:

• Supported 262,700 full time equivalent jobs and generated $12.8B in labour income • Generated $20.4B in GDP and $2.4B in exports • Returned $5.5B in tax revenue: $2.8B in federal taxes and $2.7B in provincial and local taxes5

In Nova Scotia, since the introduction of the labour tax Production Activity Quantity credit, we have seen the Screen Industry grow from $6 in Nova Scotia (in millions) 6 !million in 1993 to over $135 million in 2014. 2013/14 $ 139 All signs point to continued growth. The global filmed 2012/13 $ 125 entertainment market is forecasted to grow at an annual 2011/12 $ 115 compound rate of 3.6% between now and 2017. The overall global entertainment and media market will grow by 5.6% 2010/11 $ 112 annually over the same period.7 2009/10 $ 97

1 Statistics Canada, Feasibility Study for Culture Satellite Account (2013) 2 Conference Board of Canada, Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative Economy (March, 2008) 3 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, Strategic Framework For Growth (2013) 4 Statistics Canada. www5.statcan.gc.ca (2013) 5 Nordicity, The Economic Contribution of the Film and Television Sector in Canada (2013) 6 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia (2014) 7 Price Waterhouse Cooper, 2013 Entertainment Report (2013)

!2 Our Companies...

There are over 105 companies registered in Nova Scotia whose principal business is the production and/or support of film and television. Another 18 focus on digital media production and services.1 The sector is dominated by small, entrepreneurial firms spread across the province. ! These companies are owned and operated by dedicated entrepreneurs, many of whom are immigrants to Nova Scotia. There are few barriers to entry. No special license or designation is needed. The only resources required are intellectual property, access to capital, and skilled labour. This makes it attractive to anyone with the passion to !tell stories. The majority of these companies - 84 in total - are production companies. These are the content creators. They conceive, develop, design, produce, program, and distribute everything from television series, feature films, and documentaries; to e-learning software, interactive websites, and mobile apps.

COMPANY PROFILE: !Tell Tale Productions Tell Tale Productions was founded in 2003 and specializes in producing one-off documentaries, non-scripted series, and interactive digital content. During the past decade, the company has grown from one person working from a !home office to eight full-time employees and a 5,000 square ft. company owned building. The growth of the Film & TV sector during the past two decades has both surprised and impressed company founder Edward Peill. When he graduated from Acadia University in 1989, he couldn’t find the type of work he wanted to do in Nova Scotia so he moved away and spent the next six years working throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. During a visit home in 1996, he met one of the founders of Salter Street Films !who suggested he should explore working in Film & TV. The result was the founding of Tell Tale. In 2013, Tell Tale Productions had a production volume of $3.5 million and created 230 contract jobs on eight different TV and digital media productions. Their documentaries have been sold to more than 75 countries and their !export revenue during the past five years has surpassed $250,000. In addition to developing and producing their own IP, the company recently expanded into service production and was the Canadian producer for the hit U.S. TV series Cosmos and The Curse of Oak Island. Their production slate for 2014 includes TV series and documentaries for CBC, Discovery, Super Channel, Vision TV, and History as well as !a music video with Lennie Gallant and a mobile video game. “After graduating from university I never thought I'd live back in Nova Scotia. But once I started working in TV, my perspective changed completely. Our talented work force, reasonable cost of living, and industry support allows my company to compete anywhere in the world.” - Edward Peill

1 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Production Guide (2013)

!3 In 2012, NS producers engaged in the making of four feature length movies, 12 television series, 14 documentaries, five lifestyle series, five animation shows, and one web series.1 In fiscal 2013, we added another 2 !six features, 23 documentaries, 14 series, two lifestyle series, and five animation series. With numerous projects in development at each company, this province-wide profile is expected to remain consistent over the coming years. In fact, with committed support from the provincial government and !private sector, it is expected that these numbers will rise. As technology, consumer demand, and market conditions evolve, companies are increasingly investing in convergence – diversifying and combining products and services to create media-rich, value added, multi-screen content. Film and television makers are developing interactive content. Digital media producers are collaborating with filmmakers. The information technology age has opened up a world of infinite possibilities for product development and exploitation. Our companies are flexible and proactive and ideally suited to take advantage of these opportunities.

COMPANY PROFILE: !Copernicus Studios Copernicus Studios Inc. exports kids entertainment to every G7 and NAFTA economy. The company’s revolutionary !production pipeline has been used to produce television and interactive content for virtually every screen and format. Founded in 2003 with the belief that computer-based productions were a path to produce content for clients anywhere in the world, the company has accumulated a number of achievements including: • Providing animation for the #1 rated show in the U.S. in 2013, Teen Titans Go (Cartoon Network) • Awarded the Best Children’s Drama at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for “Roy” (2012) • Receiving a 2009 Daytime Emmy Nomination for Artopia • Producing music videos for Nelly Furtado, Weird Al Yankovic, Jack Black and more. This including Turnaround for ! Jimmy Swift Band, which in 2006 was voted the #6 Best Flash Short in History according to Cold Hard Flash The studio is made up of 50+ technical artists, with an average age of 25. The majority of these have been employed without interruption since they finished college. 50% of them are graduates of Nova Scotia educational !institutions. The rest have arrived from Ontario, Quebec, BC, , , China and . Most recently, Copernicus has opened a new satellite studio in Halifax where their expanding interactive content is now hosted. Utilizing cutting edge voice-recognition technology, the studio has raised over $1M in federal funding to develop interactive products and create even more jobs. This funding, secured under the Canadian Media Fund’s !Experimental Stream, was twice the amount awarded to the average project by that same agency in that year. “Armed with nothing but our computers and our wits we are able to attract and retain clients and audiences in the most competitive markets around the world. With the continued support from our provincial government we hope to double our size within the next five years.” - Juan Cruz Baldassarre

1 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, 2012 Annual Report (2013) 2 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, Milestones for the Nova Scotia Film Industry (2013)

!4 ! Content creation can take the form of both guest production – in which a Nova Scotia company acts as the local producer for a foreign partner in exchange for fees - or local production - in which a Nova Scotia producer maintains part or all copyright in the final product. This intellectual property is then exploited in other markets !throughout the world. Many producers are active in both categories. In 2012, $22M was spent in Nova Scotia via guest production. This number is expected to grow as, in that one year alone, the Guest Local province’s Marketing and Locations Department responded to over 50 specific requests and many other general inquiries about 1 !shooting in the province. Since the introduction of the provincial tax credit, the percentage of local production has increased from less than 50% of overall production in 1994 to 88% in 2014.2 This demonstrates how instrumental a predictable, stable financing tool is in building a strong foundation for the sector. Intellectual property is now universally accepted as the key to generating wealth in the evolving !media and technology sectors. With a rich culture of storytelling, an above-average number of post-secondary graduates, and a skilled !workforce, our sector is ideally positioned to take advantage of this increasingly valuable commodity. No industry can survive without considerable infrastructure support. In addition to the above content producers, there are companies dedicated to servicing the production community. These companies and organizations:

• Rent and sell specialized lighting and camera equipment (SIM Digital, Panavision, William F. Whites, Production Services Atlantic - the latter two having served the industry for 20 years). • Offer post-production services (The Postman, 902 Post, The Hideout Studios, Delicate Machines); • Cast actors and extras (Filmworks, Hennessey Casting); • Represent and manage talent (Cassidy Group, Atlantic Talent); • Compose and record music (Village Sound, The Shire, Blaine Morris Productions); • Provide accounting, financing, legal, and IT services (RBC, BMO, Stewart McKelvey, Boyne Clarke, KPMG, Lyle Tilley Davidson and many more); • Manage labour relations (Directors Guild of Canada, IATSE, ACTRA, Writers Guild of Canada); • Showcase work (Atlantic , Halifax Independent Film Festival, Out East Film Festival).

1 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, 2012Annual Report (2013) 2 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia (2014)

!5 INDUSTRY PROFILE: !Filmworks Filmworks is a 30 year-old company recognized for its work as Casting Directors. In 2006, Sheila Lane, Principal !Casting Director, was nominated for the first ever Gemini Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Casting.” The company has placed local actors in prominent Hollywood films shot in NS such as Titanic, Simon Birch, Dolores Claiborne and The Shipping News; countless TV movies including seven Jesse Stone films (starring Tom Selleck), The Pilot’s Wife, Memory Keeper’s Daughter, The Elizabeth Smart Story and Hunt for the BTK Killer. Filmworks has !also cast prominent Canadian series Black Harbour, The Trudeau Years and . Filmworks takes great pride in having cast the Canadian series Pit Pony, introducing Ellen Page to the world as a promising young actress. A few years later, Filmworks introduced Ellen to the makers of the Cape Breton-set film !Marion Bridge – an important step toward her international acclaim. Having just helped cast Book of Negroes, Filmworks is currently casting the series Haven, now in its fifth season; the !local hit series Trailer Park Boys, for its ninth season; and CBC’s Mr. D, returning for a fourth season. Filmworks has been engaged to cast a U.S. made-for-television movie Big Driver and has been in talks for an independent feature film. The company has ventured onto the international stage, working with Studio Hamburg of !Germany, Titanic for the BBC and The River King a British-Canadian feature film, among others. Filmworks has placed tens of thousands of people on sets as background performers, ranging in age from six months to 80 years. The company has helped thousands of actors gain employment in speaking roles, with rates !between $450 to $700 per day - performers are from all walks of life and all areas of the province. “As one of the first companies contacted by producers interested in Nova Scotia, we often ask why a production company would film here. In 95% of the cases the reason is a combination of the tax credit, our highly skilled crews, and our locations.” - Sheila Lane

INDUSTRY PROFILE: !The PostMan The PostMan Post-Production Studio was founded in 2006 and has quickly grown to become the largest post- production company east of Montreal. In 2011, The PostMan launched a state-of-the-art 4500 sq ft studio in !downtown Halifax. The company services the film and television industry as well as corporate/commercial clients. With major investments in the latest technologies, the studio is able to compete with much larger facilities across the !country and to retain locally produced projects in addition to attracting out-of-province projects. With 20 full time highly skilled employees and numerous part-time and contract staff, the company is able to handle projects of all sizes. Recent work includes series such as Seed, Clay’s P.O.V. and Call Me Fitz, the two children’s series You & Me and The Moblees as well as the feature films The Disappeared, Charlie Zone and Copperhead. Strategic partnerships with local companies Ad-Dispatch and Current Productions has seen The PostMan expand its corporate/commercial division providing post services on projects for Loblaws, The Home Depot, Clearwater, !Natural Resources Canada and Immigration Canada. Most recently The PostMan was recognized for its promotional work that it created for the winning Best in Show at the Ice Awards which celebrates the best in advertising in Atlantic Canada.

!6 Our Workers…

Film, television, and digital media production is a labour intensive industry. The credits at the end of any production !display the number of people required to complete a film. We depend on a vast pool of skilled workers. The labour tax credit has facilitated the development of a robust and dynamic crew base, enabling Nova Scotia to grow and compete internationally. There are currently 1,200 Nova Scotians working full time in the industry, a total that grows when including spin-off full-time equivalent jobs. This number fluctuates 1 !depending on the production cycle in any given year. The average annual salary is approximately $52,500. The majority of full time workers are represented by unions and guilds. These organizations represent skilled and technical positions, such as actors and extras (ACTRA); directors, production managers, editors, set designers !and others (DGC); camera operators, licensed electricians, carpenters, and more (IATSE); and scriptwriters (WGC). In digital media, where the average age is under 35, the labour force is growing exponentially. The typical !animation studio employs 30 to 60 highly skilled, well paid workers on any one project. When taken as a whole, this labour force is a remarkably diverse group:

• Many have immigrated to Nova Scotia, attracted by the opportunities afforded by the industry’s stability and growth. In addition to hundreds of crew members who have moved to the province, producers David MacLeod, Christopher Zimmer, , Jay Dahl, Donna Davies and more now call Nova Scotia home. Business owners Marc Savoie (The Postman), Doug Woods (902 Post), and all four partners in Copernicus Studios, along with many more have also moved here to establish successful companies that support the industry and employ dozens of Nova Scotians. • They live all over the province. The various unions represent members from Margaree to Lunenburg, Bridgetown to Truro. Our shoots engage contract workers from every region that hosts a camera crew. • They encompass all ages – from child actors on Mr. D, to animation studios dominated by 20-somethings, to multiple producers with 30-years experience. ACTRA’s youngest member is five. Their oldest is 94. Nearly half of the current union membership is under 45. • Women in Film and Television (WIFT) currently represents 95 members in Nova Scotia, including acclaimed writers, directors, and producers like author/filmmaker Shandi Mitchell (The Disappeared), documentary director Donna Davies (Nightmare Factory), producer Johanna Eliot (Ocean Entertainment), and award- winning artist/filmmaker Andrea Dorfman (Parsley Days, How to Be Alone, Flawed). • The province boasts award-winning filmmaker representing the Aboriginal and African Canadian communities. African Nova Scotian Cory Bowles has a resume that includes acting (Poko, Trailer Park Boys), music (Hip Club Groove), dance, and filmmaking (Heart of Rhyme, Anatomy of Assistance). Recently wrapped miniseries Book Of Negroes employed a cast and crew from the African Nova Scotian community, three of whom were students from NSCC and four of whom were new to the industry and hired on union permits. And we work hard! The average working day for a live-action film or TV show is 12 to14 hours.

1 Nordicity, Profile 2013: Economic Report on the Screen Based Media Production Industry in Canada (2013)

!7 ! To meet the growing demand for our labour force, the province has made significant investment in educational infrastructure that supports the film, television and digital media industries:

• Since 2003, Nova Scotia’s high schools have offered Film and Video Production 12 “to offer students increased opportunities for hands-on experience and for using technology to expand and develop their learning and skills.”1; • NSCAD University offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film, with enrollment ranging from seven to 33 over its eight year history, including local, Canadian, and international students; • The Nova Scotia Community College offers Screen Arts (52 students), Radio and Television (60 students), Recording Arts, and Digital Animation programs; • Both Dalhousie University and Acadia University offer a Theatre Program that includes production, acting, set design, and stage management. Dalhousie also has a dedicated Costume Studies Program; • Centre for Arts and Technology has programs in Animation (20 graduates in 2013) and Digital Film (14 graduates). In addition to the 75% who hail from across the province, the school currently has students from St. Lucia, China, Jordan, and New . Registration has increased by 37% over the past seven years. And over half of graduates find work within six months of graduation; • The University of King’s College graduates dozens of journalists every year, many of whom go on to build careers in film, television, and new media where their education and skills have direct applicability. ! For those considering a career in the industry that choose not – or cannot – attend these programs, the barriers to entry are still comparatively low. Mentoring and training opportunities are present throughout the industry. For example, each of the unions and guilds hold workshops and offer mentorship programs. The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, and Women in Film and Television !(WIFT) offer mentorship programs that support emerging Nova Scotians each year. In addition to the accredited post-secondary schools, Nova Scotia also has numerous training institutions:

• The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, where many local filmmakers get their start via the Film 5 Short Film Program as well as master classes and workshops in all facets of production; • The Centre for Art Tapes, active for 30 years and with a membership of over 130, hosts numerous workshops and provides a media arts scholarship program; • Viewfinders Film Festival, which holds youth video and animation camps run by local filmmakers. These workshops connect the industry to the community and inspire a new generation of filmmakers. 35% of youth participants have gone on to pursue post-secondary education in the screen arts, many of whom have !already had their films screened internationally.

1 Nova Scotia Department of Education, Film and Video Production 12 (2003)

!8 Post-secondary institutions across the province are also producing a wealth of graduates with IT and computer science credentials, along with new writers, marketing consultants, business administrators, graphic and architectural designers, lawyers and accountants all of whom are finding opportunities to collaborate with the film, television, and digital media sector.

In 2011 in Halifax alone, there were over 1,856 graduates from arts programs - including 220 from NASCAD, 247 from NSCC, and 111 from King’s, all with skills and interests conducive to the Screen Industry.1

The presence of these programs provides significant opportunities for young Nova Scotians - as well as !international students - to enter the industry and build careers. Given the current condition of outward migration from the province, the Screen Industry provides an ideal opportunity to retain talented, educated, skilled young workers.

INDUSTRY PROFILE: !Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative !AFCOOP turns 40 years-old this year! Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative (AFCOOP) is a member-run centre that offers one of the largest slates of filmmaking workshops in Canada and training programs that are some of the most comprehensive in the country. The organization also offers production programs, mentorship, production grants, equipment rental, screening !opportunities and networking events. AFCOOP runs the FILM 5 program, a professional development and production program for aspiring writers, directors, producers and crew. For eight years, AFCOOP has presented the Halifax Independent Filmmakers !Festival, showing a mélange of films celebrating the best independent cinema from Nova Scotia and beyond. These activities serve filmmakers and media artists at all experience levels and all ages, including under-served and Aboriginal artists through various outreach programs. AFCOOP also offers dynamic programs for artists of other disciplines to try filmmaking for the first time, and provides outreach programs to develop new audiences and new !artists. AFCOOP’s events are diverse, challenging and engaging. Membership is about 150 people with workshop enrollment steadily increasing over the years to about 500 people. The large majority of new members are young (20 to 30 years old). There has also been an increase in women in recent years, likely due to the activities and high profile of the organization Women in Film and Television. A large proportion of new members are also recent graduates of institutions such as NSCC, NSCAD, and the Centre for !Arts and Technology. AFCOOP provides a necessary and helpful link between school and industry. Membership and program alumni include some of the most talented, successful and prolific filmmakers in the region – Thom Fitzgerald, Andrea Dorfman, Shandi Mitchell, Andrew Bush and Marc Almon.

1 Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, Culture: Nova Scotia’s Future (2014)

!9 OUR IMPACT ! The Nova Scotia screen industry reaches far beyond our provincial borders. By necessity, content creators look to outside sources for additional financing. Our products are consumed around the world. And within the province, !we require inputs from an endless variety of suppliers. At the same time, with a focus on information technology, we represent an environmentally friendly option for industrial development. Ours is a zero-impact activity. Creativity is a 100% renewable resource.

Attracting investment…

Investment attraction is a critical component of every economy. Recent studies by the Conference Board of !Canada clearly indicate Nova Scotia is lagging behind in this important area. The Screen Industry attracts and generates considerable investment. The labour tax credit program provides, on average, 20 to 25% of a project’s overall financing. This is an extremely valuable incentive. It represents “first !money in”, enabling Nova Scotia producers to trigger additional investment from out-of-province sources. To illustrate, in 2013, the approximate $25M dispersed in provincial film and television tax credits generated !$124M in production. This translates into $99M in triggered capital. That’s a 396% return on investment. Additional investment comes from many sources, including federal tax credits, the Canadian Media Fund (a public- private partnership), Telefilm Canada, broadcast television licenses/sales, distribution advances, and other private !investment sources (including private funds offered by national media companies such as Bell and Rogers). It also comes from international partnerships. Canada currently has co-production treaties with 55 countries. Nova Scotian companies have partnered with the U.S., Germany, France, Ireland, UK, , , Venezuela, and Australia, to name a few. This underscores the global nature of the industry and facilitates international !investment. Highlights of investment attraction include:

• Copernicus Studios is currently engaged in partnerships with leading French, British and American media and tech companies and recently completed co-productions with both Mexico and Ireland. These partnerships have enabled the studio to hire more employees, expand its capabilities and develop new areas of business - including the development of interactive learning technology supported by the largest investment from the Canadian Media Fund’s Experimental Fund over the last two years. • Book of Negroes is a $16.8M mini-series co-production between Canada and South Africa. By leveraging provincial and federal programs, the production has generated investment from several production companies, two broadcasters and a distribution company. It will air on the CBC and broadcast to 90 million viewers in the United States through the Black Entertainment Network (BET).

!10 • Haven is a successful and long-running television series co-produced by Chester-based Big Motion Pictures along with U.S. and Ontario partners. During the last five years, the series has injected approximately $50M into the provincial economy. • The Jesse Stone series, starring Tom Selleck, resulted in significant repeat business, including eight installments of the series, plus Bag of Bones (starring Pierce Brosnan) and Lizzie Borden Took an Axe (starring Christina Ricci) which were brought here by the same producers. The Jesse Stone series alone has spent $20M in the province. The producers are currently planning more installments to be shot in Nova Scotia. • LEXX - a science fiction series co-produced by local company Salter Street Films with U.K. and German partners - ran for four seasons, resulting in 61 episodes, which were produced in Nova Scotia. The series drew the attention of the German media industry and has resulted in a number of subsequent partnerships with German co-producers and broadcasters.

COMPANY PROFILE: !Arcadia Content This May, Arcadia delivered its first dramatic work, a two-hour drama/documentary about the Battle of Bannockburn !for HISTORY UK. It will air in the U.K. and U.S. on the National Geographic Channel. Arcadia also recently delivered its 65th episode of Hope For Wildlife, finishing Season 5 of the series, along with the !final shows for Canada Over the Edge Season 3 to air on Smithsonian Channel Canada. In 2013 alone, these series have drawn over $4M to Nova Scotia that would not have come otherwise. It invested in good jobs that create great shows, share our stories, our ideas, our characters, our wildlife, lands and waters with !the world. Over 100 jobs, 28 hours of TV and sales in 27 countries… But it’s the future that has Arcadia most excited: • Canada Over The Edge has been commissioned for another season, completing a 360 degree four-year aerial circumnavigation of Canada's borders. There will also be a two-hour Canada Over The Edge theatrical special. • Hope For Wildlife has been commissioned for two more seasons and is adding more international sales every month. This coming season will see Hope using her international donations and local volunteers to build a new wildlife compound in Nova Scotia. • The company is about to deliver its second children's series to BBC kids, Tattle Tails - all about Nova Scotian animals. • They are also developing a drama-doc for the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion and a four hour special for National Geographic on the lives the Apostles. • In 2015, Arcadia will be developing a new ocean series with Discovery Channel International to virtually explore the seas using new SONAR techniques, combined with the best Computer Generated Imagery the Nova ! Scotian digital media community can produce. “We have built an international content creation company based here in Halifax. This was the year Arcadia came of age with new leaders stepping up in all aspects of creative production. What will we do with this new confidence and potential in the coming year? Just watch us!” - John Wesley Chisholm ! !

!11 COMPANY PROFILE: !Ocean Entertainment Ocean Entertainment is an award-winning production company that has created 400 hours of original television !series and documentaries. Johanna Eliot is Executive Producer and President. Incorporated in 1997, Ocean includes Ocean Digital, a full-service editing facility. Ocean employs 10 full-time people !and five to six part time as well as crews of 10 to 50 people. Annual budgets have ranged from $2M to $9M over the past 10 years. Ocean series have sold in over 40 countries on five continents with sales for lifestyle series totalling approximately $2.5M. Lifestyle series continue to be Ocean’s !lifeblood, from 65 episodes of Resourceful Renovator in the mid-1990s to today’s food and renovation series. !Company highlights include: • The Candy Show – five seasons for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, reaching into the Native community to foster new talent and provide on-set mentorship. • Crime documentary series To Catch A Killer commissioned by OWN Canada. • Numerous series and specials co-produced with PEI’s Cellar Door Productions featuring host Chef Michael Smith for Food Network, including three seasons of The Inn Chef, five seasons Chef At Large, six seasons of Chef At Home; and 26 half-hour episodes of Chef Abroad - all among the network’s highest rated programs. • 78 episodes of French Food At Home and special The Chateau Dinner—with Laura Calder – for Food Network. • Documentary series Family Renovation won two licenses – DIY US and HGTV Canada. • Spice Goddess, with Bal Arneson, for Food Network and featured on Cooking Channel US. • Gemini Awards for music, direction and host; James Beard Award for Best International Television Special (Saturday Night); and multiple-award winning films – Minyan on the Mira, The Moody Brood and Breakaway.

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Extending our reach…

The tax credit provides a maximum of 65% of eligible Nova Scotia labour. Some of the additional investment that makes up each project’s financing plan goes to offset the remaining local labour costs. Another portion of that investment is spent on supporting companies, such as equipment rental houses, casting directors, and post- !production facilities. Another significant portion of this investment is spent on associated businesses and individuals indirectly tied to the screen industry. Every year, millions are spent on food, vehicle rentals and gas, security firms, hotel rooms, construction materials for sets, costume rentals, art supplies, furniture and other sundry items for set decoration, location rentals paid to both private and public owners, computer purchases, office supplies, and a seemingly !endless list of goods and services that support every production.

!12 Each production has its basic needs – crew, camera, lighting etc. Each also has its unique requirements that spread investment dollars throughout the province:

• Haven, produced by Big Motion Pictures, is one of the largest employers on the South Shore, specifically in the communities of Mahone Bay, Chester and Lunenburg. • The six-part series Book of Negroes filmed in four communities across the province - including Cape Breton and Shelburne - injecting $5M into the local economy. • The current and previous seasons of Trailer Park Boys are based in Truro. • Call Me Fitz - the award-winning hit series from Nova Scotia creator Sherry Elwood - spent its four seasons in New Minas and other parts of the Annapolis Valley. • Movies such as The Shipping News, The Scarlet Letter, Marion Bridge, New Waterford Girl, The Disappeared, Two if By Sea, Dolores Claiborne, Just Buried, Charlie Zone, The Corridor and countless others !have spread production throughout the province. Beyond our borders… Digital technology, the Internet, and a growing and voracious consumer base has resulted in an explosive expansion of the market for our products and services. Copyright holders are able to exploit their work beyond !their initial financing contracts. As a result, producers are increasingly export focused. 1 !Between 2004 and 2013, Canadian exports in film, video, and broadcasting grew from $1.7B to $2.3B. Studies such as the Now or Never report from the One Nova Scotia Commission led by Ray Ivany indicate that Nova Scotia needs to be more export-oriented. As the percentage of our income-generating population declines, it !is imperative the province develop more export oriented businesses. Ours is an export business. Our content is showcased and sold in markets all over the world:

• Arcadia Content has sold over 300 hours of TV to the likes of National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History, Smithsonian, and the BBC, in 120 countries, employing 30 people over 14 years in the process.

• Local production Trailer Park Boys has been sold around the world and recently struck a deal with Netflix that will see all of the previous season, the three feature films, and an additional two seasons, available globally through the subscription-based media streaming site which features over 40 million international subscribers.

• DHX Media is Canada’s largest supplier of children’s entertainment, exporting the world’s most recognizable youth entertainment brands including Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Teletubbies, Inspector Gadget and the multi-award winning Degrassi franchise.

• LEXX has been broadcast in over 100 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Africa, , Japan, Russia, and Australia and resulted in numerous fan websites and a presence at sci-fi conventions.

1 CMPA, Profile of 2013 - Economic Report on the Screen-Based Media Production Industry in Canada (2013)

!13 • Our support companies are attracting business from other production centres. Delicate Machines - based in Dartmouth - has done effects work on Hollywood movies Transformers, Sucker Punch, and Final Destination. The Hideout Studios co-engineered the opening and closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics.

• Digital media producer Ad Dispatch has collaborated with Disney, Warner Brothers, Toyota, and others; producing Augmented Reality content for blockbusters like The Avengers, Superman, and Spiderman. Their work has been featured prominently in Walmart and other major retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

COMPANY PROFILE: !DHX DHX is a leading global entertainment company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia - where it recently opened an expanded and renovated production studio - and operating worldwide including offices in , Vancouver, Los !Angeles, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Milan, Munich, and Paris. DHX owns the largest independent library of children’s video content in the world. Many of the most popular titles included in the library have been produced in Nova Scotia, such as the new Inspector Gadget, Doozers, Animal !Mechanicals, and Canada’s longest running comedy, the award-winning political satire This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Titles from DHX’s catalogue are broadcast in Canada and exported around the world to every major market throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. DHX has over 1,500 distribution agreements with more than 270 television networks, including CBC, Treehouse / YTV, TVO and Teletoon in Canada, CBS, !Nickelodeon and Disney in the U.S., and BBC, Channel 5, and France Television in Europe. In addition to exporting content to linear broadcasters, DHX is also a major supplier of creative content to Netflix. Other new domestic and international digital partners include: Teletoon (Mobile & VOD), Telus, Amazon, Virgin !Media, Tesco-owned Blinkbox, Dailymotion, Canal, Media and more than a dozen others. DHX has also partnered with Google/YouTube in launching three DHX-branded subscription YouTube channels, !further extending the reach for our shows. DHX Media has also applied to the CRTC to acquire Family Channel and three other channels. This acquisition means that for the first time in history, a national network will be owned by a Nova Scotian-based company. ! Our producers regularly attend the Cannes Film Festival, MIPCOM, MIP TV, the Banff World Media Festival, Kids Screen, Real Screen, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW and numerous !other conferences and markets. Under the leadership of Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia, we have also participated in trade missions to !Los Angeles, New York, Australia, the U.K., Germany, and France. Right here at home, we host one of the world’s pre-eminent co-production programs. Strategic Partners attracts the most influential producers, broadcasters, distributors, and financiers in the world here to Nova Scotia during the Atlantic Film Festival. One of the main attractions for these international delegates is the support of the province’s labour tax credit – a source of stable financing so valuable to the complexity of co-productions.

!14 INDUSTRY PROFILE: !Strategic Partners Strategic Partners is Canada's preeminent co-production/co-financing market. It offers an intimate, organized forum for projects looking for financing and partnerships. Its linear program is designed to provide unparalleled access to !international co-production possibilities, all under one roof and set against the backdrop of the Atlantic Film Festival. Top Canadian and international industry players are selected to attend, including producers, investors, sales agents, funding agencies, broadcasters and distributors. Recent feature films such as The Grand Seduction, All the Wrong Reasons, Relative Happiness, and Cas & Dylan, as well as television series Book of Negroes, Bomb Girls, and Combat Hospital, all credit their participation at the conference as being integral to their success. Attracting the international best, Strategic Partners is the place to discover and develop compelling projects, kick-start long-term !business relationships and attract investments. Annually, Strategic Partners includes an average of 20 countries and focuses specifically on developing relationships between different global regions. Over the past five years the conference has highlighted co-production opportunities between Canada and Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Germany, South Africa, Australia and India. In !each and every case, successful collaborations have been announced within two to three years. Strategic Partners is also part of “Trans Atlantic Partners” - a two-module International co-production/co-financing training program that brings together seven Canadian, seven USA and seven European mid-senior level producers. Module 1 takes place in Berlin, Germany and Module 2 takes place in Halifax leading into their !participation at Strategic Partners. !UK Financier, Hilary Davis (Bankside Films) writes: “Strategic Partners is brilliantly organized and conceived. I'm really impressed with the calibre of people attending on both sides. It's about the future - it's about consolidating relationships with people you already know and forging new relationships.”

The pride of a province…

Exporting does more than generate revenue. Nova Scotia’s film, television, and new media producers are cultural ambassadors. Our reliance on foreign investment and export sales means we are constantly travelling the world, !representing the province wherever we go. As the work we produce gains more attention beyond our borders, we help solidify Nova Scotia’s position of prominence on the pop-culture map. Our films, TV programs, and digital media offerings have introduced the province to potential tourists, immigrants, and business partners in other sectors. Our films, TV shows, and digital media products collectively serve as a marketing campaign for the province, helping to draw thousands of visitors every year. For example, the number one rated show on the U.S. History Channel last year was The Curse of Oak Island. It has since returned to film it’s second season on the South Shore and is !attracting tourists to the famed island.

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FILMMAKER PROFILE: !Thom Fitzgerald - writer, director, producer Thom Fitzgerald is one of Nova Scotia’s greatest success stories. Originally from New York, Thom moved to Nova !Scotia where he quickly made his mark as one of the most exciting filmmakers in the nation. Thom’s films include: • His debut feature, The Hanging Garden won over two dozen awards - including at the Toronto International Film Festival and several Academy of Canadian Cinema Awards - and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer; • Beefcake, which was one of the highest grossing documentaries of 1999 worldwide; • The Event, which was awarded at Berlin; • , which was presented at The United Nations; and • Cloudburst, which won 30 festival Best Film awards worldwide and had a successful Canadian theatrical ! release including a 12-week run in Toronto. Thom works with major international entertainment companies like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Showtime, HBO, IFC, Warner, Chum, Astral and many more. His television series Sex & Violence is currently the top rated drama on OUTtv !and will shoot its second season this fall. He is a three-time premiere guest at Sundance, and was awarded the Emerging Master Award at the Seattle International Film Festival. He holds the record for the most film festival opening night films at the British Film Institute, with four. His films have been recognized with over 50 awards including recognition from the U.S. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, major and niche festivals across !Canada and around the world from the U.S. to . Although independent in scale, the projects of Thom’s company Emotion Pictures bring much of their financing into Nova Scotia. Cloudburst, for example, was financed with pre-sales of $1.2M and private financing of $500K. The series Forgive Me is financed through Super Channel and the Canadian Media Fund. ! Our contribution to the province’s identity goes beyond our international partnerships. We are Nova Scotian storytellers. We share our stories with the world... And the world has applauded:

• This Hour Has 22 Minutes - with an unprecedented 21 seasons - has won 35 Gemini, Canadian Comedy, and Canadian Screen Awards and has been nominated for 42 others. It is a mainstay of Canadian television. • Nova Scotian native Ellen Page has been nominated for an Oscar, received international recognition for her work in Juno, X-Men, Inception, Whip It, and Hard Candy and is considered an “A-List” actor in Hollywood. • Copernicus Studios is providing the animation for Teen Titans Go - the number one rated program in its time slot among kids two to 14. The series is watched by more than 1.7 million viewers in the U.S. each week. • Jason Buxton and Marc Almon’s film Blackbird won Best Debut Canadian Feature Film at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Ecrans Juniors, a youth-focused film festival held in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival.

!16 • Three of the five comedies nominated for this years high profile Canadian Screen Awards - Call Me Fitz, Mr. D, and Seed - were produced in Nova Scotia. • Halifax documentary filmmakers Edward Peill and Geoff D'Eon from Tell Tale Productions were invited by U.S. government officials to present their documentary Counterfeit Culture to the U.S. State Department at an event focusing on counterfeit goods. • Web developer Jason Nickel won a daytime Emmy award, three SXSW awards, and was nominated for a Webby award for his interactive app Take This Lollipop, which scored 12 million “likes” in one month and reached over 100 million views. Co.Create listed it among 'The 5 All-Time Best Facebook Campaigns' • Andrea Dorfman’s How to be Alone has over 6.5 million hits on YouTube and was praised by Roger Ebert. Her follow-up animated short Flawed was nominated for an Emmy award. • Ashley MacKenzie and Nelson MacDonald of Grassfire films (Cape Breton) had their first short film Rhonda’s Party chosen as one of Canada’s top 10 by the Toronto Film Festival, and their second, When You Sleep, showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. ! Nova Scotia even boasts numerous Oscar connections. Films and filmmakers with Nova Scotia connections have claimed 18 wins and 40 nominations, including a recent win for Michael Donovan and nominations for Ariel Nasr !and Ellen Page. The Atlantic Film Festival (AFF) has become a major attraction in the province. Now in its 33rd year, The AFF is a fixture on the global film festival scene and draws considerable attention to our films, the industry, and the province.

NOVA SCOTIA AT THE AFF - 20 YEAR COMPARISON

1995 2013 2011-13 Nova Scotia Feature Films 3 7

Nova Scotia Short Films 26 57

Average Attendance to NS films 5200

NS Films as % of overall screenings 25

NS Films as % of overall box office 30

(Source: Atlantic Film Festival) ! The AFF has spawned new festivals like the Out East Festival, and Outlier Festival. The new Devour Film Festival - which is based in Wolfville - has already developed a reputation as a premiere food-themed festival, and has brought international recognition to the province’s food, wine, and cinema. !

!17 ! What’s more, our community offers a universally accessible means for expression and communication. Through film, video and digital media, underrepresented groups within the province are telling their stories.

• This year’s Book of Negroes – the mini-series adaptation of the acclaimed book was co-produced by Bill Niven (Northeast Films). It tells the story of African American immigrants to Nova Scotia following the War of Independence. It also marks African-Canadian director Clement Virgo’s third time filming in Nova Scotia - including One Heart Broken Into Song, written by noted African Nova Scotian author George Elliott Clarke. • The Candy Show - the Aboriginal created/written/produced and performed series starring self-proclaimed “gay, native, and funny” host Candy Palmater - just completed its fifth season. • Thom Fitzgerald’s Cloudburst - a movie adapted from his own play - has received over 40 awards and honours at festivals around the world, drawing rave reviews as well as valuable attention to the fight for same- sex marriage. Fitzgerald is one of the most important cinematic voices for the LGBT community. • The work of filmmakers John Walker (Passage, Arctic Defenders) and John Houston (The White Archer, Kiviuq), and others addresses the issues around sovereignty in Canada’s north, it’s indigenous people, and ! their lives. More than a business, ours is a truly inclusive community, representing cultural diversity, opportunity !and the freedom of artistic expression.

An incubator for talent…

Successful production companies have historically proven to be a valuable breeding ground for new startups. Emerging producers like Jessica Brown, Marc Tetreault, Lora Campbell, Nelson MacDonald, Colin Davis and others began their careers working for other producers. Every year, new content creators emerge. Having learned !on the job, these filmmakers are now striking out on their own, bringing new business to the province. The screen industry also provides support and services to other creative industries. Filmmakers have a long history of collaboration with musicians, theatre companies, designers and other artists. We produce music videos, electronic press kits, show reels, and other media-rich promotional materials that showcase the work of others, often leveraging out-of-province investment through programs such as FACTOR, BravoFACT, MuchFACT, and the Canada Council for the Arts. We option local books, plays, and other literature. And we !license music and other art, thus offering a valuable revenue stream to those creators. Nova Scotia is also home to a number of companies that focus on advertisements, corporate video, and public relations content. Our creative and technical personnel also offer video and multimedia services to community organizations and advocacy groups, contributing to hospital fundraisers, public service announcements, and social-awareness campaigns. This work is often not reflected in industry analyses. However, these organizations and companies depend on our support infrastructure and skilled labour force - both of which have developed as a result of support programs like the labour-based tax credit.

!18 PRODUCER PROFILE: !Jessica Brown - Peep Media Inc. By the time she had finished her BFA at NSCAD University, Ontario native Jessica Brown knew Halifax had become home. So on completion of a second BFA from Concordia, it was a given that she would return. With no experience on her resume, she pounded the pavement, knocking on every door, and volunteering for any production that would give her a chance… And it happened! She landed her first job as Production Coordinator for the documentary !Come On Down: Searching For the American Dream. Jessica eventually moved on to Arcadia Entertainment where she produced the award-winning documentary Chasing Wild Horses (BRAVO, CBC, OASIS), the 3-hour documentary Temple Mount (VisionTV), and the 26- episode comedy series TV with TV’s Jonathan Torrens (Shaw Media), which was nominated for a Banff Rockie Award and a Gemini Award. She also served as producer on Templars Last Stand (National Geographic, !Smithsonian), I Prophesy (VisionTV), Go Deep (History), and Dreamwrecks (Discovery). In 2012, Jessica and award-winning actor, writer, filmmaker Jackie Torrens, spearheaded a new company: Peep Media Inc. Their first documentary, Edge of East, will be airing on CBC. Currently, Peep is developing a feature film with partners based in New York, multiple documentaries with CBC and the National Film Board, and a number of !exciting interactive media projects. Along the way, Jessica has been fortunate to encounter many that provided valuable mentorship. Now, she gives back in kind - mentoring aspiring producers and working collaboratively with many of the companies in Nova Scotia !in a ‘team-effort’ philosophy that prevails in the industry. “The infrastructure and the talent in Nova Scotia is what make this province my location of choice.” - Jessica Brown

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!19 CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES: !MAINTAINING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The Nova Scotia Screen Industry - and the community it represents - has become deeply entrenched in the social !and economic fabric of our province. But it is not without significant challenges. The global film, television, and digital media industry is highly competitive. Production and development is project- driven. This means that business owners are constantly developing new properties, fundraising, and marketing !and selling their products on a constant cycle. This also means our companies must have the ability to adapt quickly to market changes and evolving technologies and customize workflow to suit the needs of our clients. We are, by necessity, innovative. The !market demands it. We can do business with anyone, anywhere in the world, at anytime. !But we cannot do it alone. Location, location, location…

Located on the east coast of the continent, Nova Scotia is isolated from the media hubs in which much of the world’s entertainment financing is based. We have a proven ability to create content that is equal to - if not greater than – anything in the marketplace. But we do not have broadcasters, distributors, and entertainment financiers in !our neighbourhood. With shrinking budgets, many broadcasters, distributors, and co-production partners are searching not only for quality production partners, but also the most attractive financial incentives. This is the reality of our industry as it stands today. Most provinces in Canada - and increasingly, many states in the U.S. (including California) - offer financial incentives like labour tax credits to attract business. In order to compete, our goal is to not only keep !pace with other jurisdictions; our goal is to be a world leader in attracting investment. With an attractive financial incentive base, we can and do compete with other production communities in the world. And given our other comparative strengths - our skilled labour force, our dedicated support infrastructure, !and our standard of living - there is no question we will see our industry flourish in the coming years. Access to secure and stable capital…

Due to the project-driven nature of our industry, our businesses operate in a constant “start-up” mode. We are always raising money. Companies have slates of projects that are in various stages of development, production, !and/or distribution. Financing is always a challenge.

!20 Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia’s equity and loan programs are a key component in meeting that challenge. So is the labour tax credit. Flexibility is one of our key assets as a sector. It requires some form of predictable, universal, transparent capital to stimulate activity. Therefore, stable financial tools like the labour tax credit are essential. With that “seed,” our producers are able to cultivate additional investment that leads to !industry growth. In addition to the fiscal foundation offered by the tax credit program, an aggressive strategy aimed at attracting more capital - exploring additional loan options, creating private investment incentives, and expanding access to !venture capital - will contribute to that grown. !We can increase the size of the “pie”. This is what we excel at. And this will allow us to continue to move forward. Selling ourselves…

We are also in need of marketing support. The role of Film and Creative Industries Nova Scotia is instrumental in marketing the province’s Screen Industry - our companies, crews, infrastructure, and products - to the rest of the !world. Support from NSBI, ACOA and other organizations is crucial to building our “brand.” To continue to compete, we need to build upon this - forge partnerships with other jurisdictions, lobby for regional incentives and draw additional attention to our work and our industry. A progressive approach to public-private partnership is necessary to further secure our reputation as a global leader in film, television, and digital media !production. Market and Technological changes…

The marketplace is evolving. Quickly. A general decrease in ad revenues and the global economic slow-down has led to shrinking production budgets. Cuts to public entities like the CBC and NFB put additional strain on the !industry. At the same time, digital distribution enables content creators to consider alternative forms of distribution. Web video and mobile technologies have opened up the floodgates to new producers and new forms of media. In the first quarter of this year alone, online video consumption increased 57% from 2013, reaching that’s 35 billion viewings. “The overt message here is that online video content… is growing at a monster rate.”1 We have more !competition. We also have more opportunity. And we welcome both. Increasingly, we are seeing companies diversify their core activities. Producers are evolving and adapting, exploiting opportunities to converge technologies and mediums. The rapid pace of these changes requires !flexibility and mobility.

1 Nick Krewen, “Online Video Viewership Exploding”. Stream Daily (June 9, 2014)

!21 That means our support system must also adapt. Our supporting mechanisms - financial and otherwise - must take into consideration this evolution. We need flexible qualifications, quick and efficient turnaround, and the !freedom to adjust - or even drive - ever-changing consumer trends. Developing talent…

Much has been written about Nova Scotia’s shrinking population. In 2013, the province lost 4,000 working-age !citizens. It is a trend that needs to be reversed. !Our industry is part of that solution. We have the jobs. And they are jobs that young people want. Yet despite the proliferation of education and training opportunities in the screen industry, we have a shortage of skilled workers. While Nova Scotia has the highest number of graduates per capita in ICT supporting fields, there is expected to be a shortage of skilled labour if supply does not increase. Animation studios are hiring above !average level. And the unions are heavily recruiting new talent to replenish our crew base. The jobs are here. There is no ceiling. In an environmentally zero-impact industry like ours, capacity is only limited by access to capital. A long-term commitment to the growth of the industry, via a combination of tax !credits and other incentive and investment programs, is crucial to creating more employment. In addition, a stronger commitment to “above the line” professional development - affording writers, directors, and producers the opportunity to hone their craft - will go a long way to building a sustainable sector. These are the !creators and decision makers who influence the where, when, and how of any given project. !

!22 CONCLUSION: !TO BE CONTINUED… The film, television, and new media has become an entrenched part of Nova Scotia society. Since the introduction of the labour-based tax credit 20 years ago, it has developed into a mature and enterprising sector. We have built successful companies, generated jobs and wealth, won awards, and inspired audiences all around the world.

More importantly, our companies, labour force, and supporting infrastructure comprise individuals who are committed to the health and sustainability of their communities and their province.

We are dedicated to our craft. We are ambitious, inventive, and resilient. And we are poised to do even better in the next 20 years.

With a strong commitment from all levels of government, along with enhanced partnership with other members of the private sector - both at home and abroad - the Screen Industry represents an opportunity for stable, !expansive, dynamic growth. We are Nova Scotian business owners, workers, and storytellers. We are proud of our !accomplishments. And we are excited to help build a prosperous future for all of Nova Scotia. ! !

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