A pair of Toronto film companies are pairing up to capitalize on the continued success of North Bay's burgeoning film production sector.
Eggplant Picture & Sound (EPS) has entered into a strategic partnership with Grande Camera Toronto to launch a new shared facility on Booth Road in the city's south end.
The new facility, when fully operational, will enable both companies to provide state-of-the-art rental equipment for clients in the region while attracting new business from both local and international productions.
"It's great news," publicist Lowell Schrieder told BayToday from his Toronto office. "The whole film and television industry is expanding up there and this will make sure that filmmakers have greater access to better tools and training in the region."
The new location offers a synergistic combination of services including processing of camera dailies, data backup, provision of assistant video editorial services, video and sound editorial suites and pre-mix services according to Schrieder.
Both companies have hired locally based staff and plan to utilize existing facilities at Canadore College for ADR services (automated dialogue replacement ) and all final mixes as needed. They will also provide on-site training and mentorship to students wishing to make a career in camera work and post-production.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the award-winning team at Eggplant in offering a single-source solution to producers wishing to continue to take advantage of the attractive grants offered by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund,” said Jason Kennedy, general manager of Grande Camera Toronto.
“Our collaborative expansion into North Bay allows us to combine resources, package services and grow our client base while offering greater access and convenience to their enhanced needs in the region.”
“Over the last three years, EPS has increasingly been targeting sales efforts toward the feature film and dramatic television series marketplaces, and we believe that North Bay is the perfect place to grow this area of our business,” explained Paul Moyer, partner and executive producer at Eggplant.
“With the recent spike in production activity here, joining forces with Grande Camera enables us to broaden our offerings while focusing on the big picture and we’re excited to be partnering with them in establishing our northern footprint.”
“We’re excited to be part of the growing post-production scene in North Bay,” adds Bruce Fleming, partner and lead audio at Eggplant. “Northern Ontario has become a real hub of activity and we see tremendous opportunity for additional growth.”
EPS has provided expert services to a growing number of feature films, including “Grand Isle,” starring Nicholas Cage, and “Tammy's Always Dying,” soon to debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Grande Camera’s recent credits include multi-cam reality productions such as "Top Chef Canada” and feature films “Isabelle,” “Big Gold Brick” and Babe Nation’s "The Rest of Us," shot in North Bay and also premiering at TIFF this year.
This story originally appeared on BayToday.ca.
