Today, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley Bond, announced $20,000 in funding for the “Creative Corner,” a new addition that focuses on skilled trades and career development at this year’s Northern FanCon.

Bond was joined by Norm Coyne, director of UNLTD Media & Events, to make the announcement.

The Creative Corner will be based on a career-fair model, and will feature a selection of guest speakers who are film industry professionals, including screenwriters, directors, sound engineers and special effects designers. Visitors will be able to freely ask questions to the professionals at various booths, as well as attend a number of workshops led by industry experts. Special guests include Aaron Harrison, a prop maker and armour designer specializing in leather pieces who works on the series Arrow, among others.

In addition, the Creative Corner will also focus on key trades such as lighting specialists, costume design, and carpentry, among others, in order to give visitors a broad exposure to the many career opportunities within the film industry.

Northern FanCon is a film and television fan convention and entertainment expo, which started in Prince George in 2015 and has grown steadily, with 19,000 visitors attending the show to date. Now entering its third year, Northern this year’s FanCon will take place in Prince George May 5-7, 2017. 

With 297 film and television productions, and direct spending of $2 billion in 2015-16, British Columbia is one of the top production centres in North America, recognized for its outstanding infrastructure of studios for physical production and extensive pool of experienced cast and crew.

Known for excellence in original content, physical production, post production, interactive gaming, visual effects and animation, B.C.’s motion-picture industry supports approximately 25,000 direct and indirect quality jobs that make up a talented, highly experienced and knowledge-driven workforce.

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour –

“Northern FanCon continues to attract people from around B.C., showcasing the strong creative sector in British Columbia’s north. This funding for the new ‘Creative Corner’ will provide young people from northern B.C. with an opportunity to learn about careers in the growing film and television industry. I wish the organizers of Northern FanCon the best of luck for continued success and recognize their effort to showcase the jobs in the creative sector as a viable career option.”

Norm Coyne, director, UNLTD Media & Events, and lead organizer, Northern FanCon –

“ ‘The Creative Corner’ is a significant step towards building a capacity for film production in Northern B.C. We are absolutely thrilled to launch it to our regional audience at Northern FanCon.”

Quick Facts:

• With 297 film and television productions, and direct spending of $2 billion in 2015-16, British Columbia is one of the top production centres in North America.
• British Columbia’s motion picture industry supports approximately 25,000 direct and indirect quality jobs that make up a talented, highly experienced and knowledge-driven workforce.
• With over 60 studio facilities and over 2.5 million square feet (230,000 square metres) in stage space, B.C.’s motion picture industry can service over 50 productions at once and accommodate all sizes and types of production.

Learn More:

Film Northern British Columbia— http://filmnorthernbc.com/

B.C. 2025 Labour Market Outlook: http://ow.ly/ihWM304484I

Resources for job seekers and employers in B.C.: https://www.workbc.ca/

Creative BC: http://www.creativebc.com/