The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Gordon Whittaker to take on Nova Scotia Soundstage Project
“I am honoured and excited to take on this role and work with Screen Nova Scotia, the industry and other stakeholders to move this project to completion.” Gordon Whittaker Senior director, Soundstage Project
The Soundstage Project bringing a new movie and television production facility to Nova Scotia now has a familiar face at the helm.
Veteran Atlantic Canadian film industry figure Gordon Whittaker has been named as the project’s senior director, to oversee the development of the soundstage which will provide indoor space for sets and filming as well as production offices on a to-be identified property. With a two-to-three-year timeline, Whittaker will lead the project through industry consultation, sourcing a location, developing a business plan and design and construction of the soundstage itself.
In March, the Nova Scotia provincial government pledged $8 million out of a $23 million investment (later raised to $41.4 million) in the region’s film industry towards the creation of a new soundstage. The facility will boost the industry’s ability to support homegrown and visiting productions year-round, increasing capacity and creating more local jobs in film, television and digital media.
“Gord is an incredibly well-connected industry veteran, innovator and strategic thinker, with many years of transferable experience to lean on as we work towards establishing a soundstage in Nova Scotia,” said Screen Nova Scotia’s executive director Laura Mackenzie in the announcement of Whittaker’s appointment.
“I’m confident that he will lead us to the development of a soundstage that is technically specific and thoughtfully crafted with the future of the production industry in mind.”
Formerly an executive director of the Atlantic Film Festival (now FIN Atlantic International Film Festival) and a regional director, feature film executive, with Telefilm Canada, Whittaker was most recently the senior director, operations with Halifax-based music connection platform Side Door, and previously led the design and build of DHX Media’s (now Wildbrain) Halifax animation studio.
“The soundstage is a critical piece of infrastructure which positions Nova Scotia’s growing industry for a prosperous future,” said Whittaker. “I am honoured and excited to take on this role and work with Screen Nova Scotia, the industry and other stakeholders to move this project to completion.”
Whittaker was also president of Oakport Limited from 2014-2020 — handling real estate acquisitions, finance, asset management and development — and has served on the boards of NSCAD University (as a life governor), the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, the Atlantic Film Festival and Devour! The Food Film Festival.
With a projected cost of $20 million in total for a 4,645 square-metre (50,000 sq. ft.) facility, the new soundstage will be essential for maintaining the increase in production that has taken place in Nova Scotia since the start of the pandemic, with U.s.-produced series like Chapelwaite and The Sinner joining locally-shot CBC shows like the awardwinning Diggstown and Moonshine, and the upcoming CTV series Sullivan’s Crossing, based on the work of Robyn Carr (Virgin River).
“With the development of a soundstage, we will be equipped to welcome our share of the tidal wave of production that has been coming across this country. It’s an essential piece of infrastructure for a successful production industry,” explained Mackenzie in March when the funding was announced by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.
By extending the production calendar throughout the year, crew members, actors and other production support staff would be better able to work through the winter rather than seek out shows shooting in Toronto or Vancouver, and also bring back film industry workers who moved away after the provincial film tax credit was cut in 2015.
“As we enter into one of the most significant workforce transitions in history, a soundstage will be a major tool in assisting the industry in creating upwards of 500 highly skilled jobs in the next five years,” said Mackenzie in March.