City attracts slice of Hollywood
Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer coming downtown to film series for Netflix
Downtown St. Catharines will be transformed back to the 20th century this month when a film crew shoots scenes for a Netflix series starring Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer.
Road closures will be in place on sections of St. Paul and James Streets for two days but businesses will remain open to pedestrian traffic.
“It’s quite exciting,” said Tisha Polocko, St. Catharines Downtown Association’s executive director. “It fits in well with our architecture for the early 1900s.”
The limited series Madam C.J. Walker will tell the true story of an entrepreneur who became the first female African-American self-made millionaire. St. Catharines will fill in for Indianapolis.
There’s no word if Spencer, who won an Oscar for “The Help” in 2012 and received nominations for” Hidden Figures” and “The Shape of Water,” will be in the city for the shoot or if any of the main cast will be on location.
St. Catharines has worked in recent years to be a “film-friendly community” and developed a policy approved by city council in 2013 to streamline the application process for film productions.
“To be a film-friendly community means you understand the economic benefits of the film industry,” said St.
Catharines economic development officer Marco Marino.
“The film industry brings in billions of dollars, not only to Ontario but to Canada on an annual basis. We obviously want to be a part of that.”
Marino said it’s also good exposure for the city, especially when great talent is coming into the community. He said those working on the show may tell others the story of St. Catharines and make return visits to the city.
The Madam C.J. Walker film shoot is expected to bring in more than $100,000 in economic benefits to St. Catharines through permit fees, meals and lodgings for the crew and other expenditures.
Marino said there are substantial economic benefits with smaller productions as well because word gets out in the tightknit film community when a city leaves a good impression. Marino said he’s had calls from location scouts who have heard about St. Catharines via word of mouth from other film companies.
“It’s relationship building. It’s all reputation and referrals,” he said. “We hope the community sees the economic benefits of this. There’s obviously going to be irregularities by way of daily activities and daily routines being impacted for certain businesses.”
Marino said the film company and city will try to reduce the impact as much as possible.
The production crew will be doing prep work downtown beginning Tuesday next week. Filming will take place on Monday Aug. 12 and Tuesday Aug. 13.
During the two filming days, St. Paul Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Queen to Carlisle Street and James Street will be closed from St. Paul to King Street.
“All closure points will have signs to notify the general public that all shops and businesses will still be open,” Marino said. Pedestrians may be asked to wait a couple of minutes if they are walking in the path of a take.
St. Catharines has had other television film shoots in recent years. In 2017, Port Dalhousie stepped in for Trinidad for an episode of CBC’s Anne with an E while in 2013, a valley behind St. Paul Street’s commercial buildings were turned into Mumbai, India for the show Nikita. ABC shot part of its short-lived series Happy Town in Montebello Park in 2010.