The footprint of “Hollywood North” just got a lot bigger.
The U.S. media conglomerate CBS has officially launched a massive, 260-square-foot ultra modern production facility in Mississauga.
Originally announced a year ago, the development, called CBS Stages Canada, is located at 1850 Matheson Blvd. E, near Dixie at the 401.
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David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios, noted that “CBS has a strong production history in Canada.”
CBS now becomes the first-ever major U.S. networks to open a branded production site in this country.
Six sound stages, production offices, support facilities, and auxiliary services for large-scale television and film production are all part of the project, according to CBS.
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Local politicians are anticipating that the new studio will result in hundreds of new jobs. Construction, facility management, production and crafts are expected to create work for local talent. CBS has stated that the 12-acre facility should inject close to $200 million annually into the GTA economy as a result of local production and labour services.
Speaking at the official groundbreaking ceremony, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said that she “couldn't be more delighted to be opening the doors to CBS Stages Canada right here in Mississauga."
Crombie noted that Mississauga is the second-busiest filming location in Ontario, and is now known as “Studio City North”.
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Mississauga, the second largest city in the GTA, is home to over 60 of the Fortune 500 companies who have located their global or Canadian head offices there. The city is also experiencing a boom in condo development.
CBS Stages Canada will be used to film programs for CBS Television Studios which now produces more than 70 different series for CBS, The CW and other networks outside the CBS family.
Star Trek: Discovery and In The Dark are currently filming in Toronto.
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CBS’s line-up of more than 60 televisions shows includes notable programs such as Criminal Minds, Young Sheldon, Survivor, and The Price is Right. The site in Mississauga will now provide extra production space for some of those shows.
According to ScreenDaily.com, Toronto-based production executives John Weber and Frank Siracusa, executive producers on Discovery, will oversee the development and ongoing management of the new facility.
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Earlier in September, plans were announced for a large studio complex in Markham, the fourth largest city in the GTA. That project, backed by private investors, will be called First Studio City and is to include 20 sound stages. Bell Media recently purchased a majority stake in Pinewood Toronto Studios. Pinewood is the GTA’s biggest production facility. Bell Media said it plans to add new sound stages to the 11 already available.
The studio building announcements reflect the current All of this continues the high-end TV and film boom in the province, with total production investment topping $2 billion.
“The Toronto area specifically has provided our series with diverse and appealing locations as well as production infrastructure and crafts expertise that cannot be easily found,” Stapf said. “These new stages will provide valuable resources and additional capacity for our company’s growing production slate.”
