“Priscilla” producer Chris Hatcher is based in Toronto and LA

Toronto Film School President Andrew Barnsley and alumnus Chris Hatcher share why Canada's largest city is a prime location for film and television productions.

“Toronto is probably the most attractive place to shoot in North America,” Chris Hatcher says as he settles into a chair in Studio B at his alma mater, the Toronto Film School. He began discussions with the school's president, Andrew Barnsley, about Toronto's rapid rise as a prime location for film and television.

Hatcher notes that the city has been the first choice for producers and directors, who often outgrow the traditional appeal of New York or Los Angeles. Industry magazine MovieMaker this year Listed Toronto as the #1 city in North America to live and work as a filmmaker, ahead of 24 other cities.

“The crews here are world-class,” Hatcher continued, “with the best equipment in the industry.”

Hatcher would know. His resume reads, “Pain reliever,” “Sex/Life” and “Designated Survivor”. Most recently, he served as an executive producer on the 2023 biopic Priscilla. All of these performances were filmed in Toronto.

“The joke about Los Angeles is that you move there to meet the right people, only to be sent to Toronto,” Hatcher says.

As one of Canada's most successful executive producers, Barnsley began his career in Toronto, overseeing Canadian series such as Shitt's Creek.,” “Children in the Hall” and “Son of Criticism”, to name a few. “I had absolutely no Hollywood aspirations,” says Barnsley, an Emmy and Golden Globe winner. “LA was such a beacon of entertainment, and the general consensus was that you had to be in LA to have a career in the industry, and I never bought that.”

“Of course there are great people in L.A.,” Hatcher says. “I love the history of the city and the ocean. But I feel like I've benefited from staying in Toronto. Toronto feels a little organic, like a real city, a real place. You have the opportunity to find out who you are, what you want to do, and what you don't want to do.”

Barnsley nodded in agreement. “I'd say we have a Hollywood career, just from here. I've found a really good balance of being able to go to Los Angeles every month to have my meetings, build my relationships, do the business I need to do and get out and get grounded.”

Toronto saw historic investment in 2021, with more than $2.5 billion spent directly on film, television and digital media productions. About 1,500 works were filmed in the city this year. The need for filming space is so great that massive new studios are currently being built to meet the global demand, one of which will be Canada's largest.

“More and more American productions are looking for Canadian directors, Canadian writers,” says Hatcher. “I've seen it from my friends who have made a short film or a low-budget film. Then they get a chance to film an episode of a Hollywood TV series. They do one successfully, then do another, and then another, and build this amazing resume.”

At the same time, this super-growth has led to a serious problem in the form of a skills shortage: trained and experienced post-production supervisors, network producers, lighting technicians, accountants, sound mixers, 3D modelers, animators and grippers are just some of the roles. it became more difficult to fill. This can mean opportunities for those who want to specialize in these areas.

“I think film schools are very important in making sure that there are enough people to make all the movies that are being made,” Hatcher says. “And you know, networking.”

Barnsley admits he fears the starting line-up. “When I started out, I was terrified of networking, so the whole concept was something I wanted to avoid,” she says. “Here at our school, our teachers remain active in the production – working on scripts and productions when they're not teaching. We also host exclusive industry events that connect students with career role models. This ensures that graduates leave not only with important skills, but also with a network ready to expand.”

Hatcher added, “Toronto Film School was an incredibly immersive experience—I had a camera in my hand on the first day. Some of my first opportunities to take tests came from instructors I met at school.”

Finally, Hatcher wrote “Picture Day,” It was released in 2012. “I was lucky enough to have the film premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and that's when the reviews started coming in,” he says. “Then never give up. Know that change is permanent. There are moments of great highs and there are moments of great lows. So try to find a way to be rooted and grounded in yourself and don't measure your success on those highs and lows.”