Tour Toronto film studios? Bell Media is eyeing it
Tour the Star Trek set. Be part of the studio audience at Jann Arden’s new comedy show. Ride the Cardinal police car.
If Bell Media President Randy Lennox has his way, Canadians will have their own version of the studio and set visit tours popular in Hollywood. Bell, which owns CTV, purchased a majority share in Pinewood Toronto Studios earlier this year, and is set on expansion.
“Our ambitions are huge for this,” Lennox said. “It would absolutely be a dream for me. We didn’t buy Pinewood to keep it the way it is. There is so much potential. People are always intrigued at what happens behind the scenes. Maybe you can go on the Star Trek: Discovery set and then go take your picture in the transporter room. We can do that.”
But first things first: Lennox says the studio plans to build 170,000 square feet of space, in addition to the existing 330,000 square feet, which features Canada’s largest sound stage, to meet existing demand. Toronto surpassed the $2 billion mark in movie and television production in 2017 for the first time. Ground will be broken likely this summer, Lennox says.
“We have to be pragmatic. Let’s get the studio space to meet demand first, and making sure we do our productions before we evolve to golf carts,” Lennox says. “But I’m positive all this could happen. Why wouldn’t there be a tour? It’s a great opportunity.”
The template of course, is Disney. The media behemoth owns it’s own intellectual property, has its own studios, television station (ABC) and theme parks in a seemingly never ending revenue stream. Lennox of course, would be the first to acknowledge that Bell is nowhere in that league, but as the largest media company in Canada, it is the one ideally situated to take advantage of integration where consumers watch a show on CTV, that happens to be produced on a Bell studio set, and then go out and buy a T-shirt at the studio tour.
Lennox, considered a legend in the music industry when he headed Universal Music Canada, had never run a broadcaster before he was promoted to president less than two years ago. But he has quickly made an impact, including programs with musical roots. That includes venturing into musical theatre production with Jim Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell, singing competition The Launch, and now a decision to create a television show for musician Jann Arden that will debut this fall. Titled Jann, the comedy series will be a fictionalized version of the artist’s life.
CTV announced its fall and winter slate Thursday that, in addition to Jann, included a fourth season renewal of North Bay-shot drama Cardinal. The broadcaster also announced a multi-year agreement to broadcast Canada’s Walk of Fame, which previously aired on Global.
Canada’s largest private network, CTV isn’t afraid to wave a big cheque for Hollywood acquisitions, and that includes a reboot of Magnum P.I.
CTV has long been criticized for not producing quality Canadian content. That dynamic may be shifting under Lennox and Bell Media content and programming president Mike Cosentino, with high quality serialized shows such as Cardinal and The Disappearance.
CTV also announced a rebranding of its specialty channels: Space, Bravo, Comedy and Gusto will become CTV Sci-Fi, CTV Drama, CTV Comedy and CTV Life.