The Outsider

AEON BAYFRONT STUDIOS Hamilton

While running the Etobicoke-based Studio 550 in 2018, Mike Bruce noticed an uptick in demand for filming space in the GTHA. So, with the help of his partners, he purchased a manufacturing warehouse in Hamilton’s Bayfront industrial district and converted it into an 80,000-square-foot facility, which opened earlier this year. It’s one of the few studios in the province that can accommodate large-scale set builds, like the side of a mountain cliff or a Boeing 747 fuselage.

KNOWN FOR: Firestarter, the film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1980 horror novel, starring Zac Efron.

FUN FACT: Bruce is working with the City of Hamilton to develop a 15-acre creative district, which could cost upwards of $500 million.