Hamilton film industry readies for a busier 2024 after weathering 2023 strikes

Hamilton's film industry is on a roller-coaster ride and one studio owner says he's looking forward to finding steadier ground in 2024.

Zack Zohr's Hamilton Film Studios has weathered the slow times of the pandemic and then a "huge" 2022 as shows and movies ramped up production, he said. 

"That would've been our busiest time for sure," Zohr said. 

His company provides studio space and film supplies from tape and pylons to camera bags and lighting rigs for major TV shows like Umbrella Academy and The Boys.

But 2023 brought another sudden shift as the U.S. strike of unionized writers and actors had a chilling effect on business. The Hollywood actors' strike ended in November.

"It's been an awful year for us," he said at the end of December. "It's been really slow." 

Shows returning for 2024

It appears 2024 will pick back up again for his company with productions like Reacher readying to film in Hamilton, said Zohr.

Many American shows come with "giant budgets" and when they come here there's an "overflow" effect for local businesses like Zohr's that supply a lot of the gear. 

"Hopefully this year is the year the film industry steadies," he said. 

While business was slower in 2023 than it was in 2022, the city's film industry overall helped create a lot of Canadian content not impacted by the U.S. strike, said Kim Adrovez, creative industries manager at the city. 

These productions include reality shows like Blown Away and Canada's Drag Race. 

In terms of what shows and movies directly spent on hotel fees, studio and equipment rentals, services and locations in Hamilton, the industry brought in about $50 million in 2023. The year before marked an all-time high of $72 million.

"Definitely this year wasn't a record breaker but it was still pretty solid," Adrovez said at the of 2023. "Fingers crossed it'll be a bit busier [in 2024] and everybody's back working at full capacity."