A motion picture production centre with three new soundstages is being built in Winnipeg, adding to the city’s growing reputation as a production hub for North America’s film and television industry.
Situated on close to nine acres within Winnipeg city limits, Big Sky Studios is a full-service motion picture production centre that will open in two phases starting this fall. The large property, which houses a 137,000 sq. foot building, was previously a creative design facility. It was purchased by a Vancouver-based partnership group in February and is now being transformed for new use.
New Soundstages
Retrofitting is underway to transform existing interiors into a soundstage, production offices, meeting rooms, workshops, and on-site equipment rental and specialty areas for different film departments. Shared common spaces such as the bright and spacious atrium and expansive outdoor courtyard provide a unique film-making environment. In addition, construction will soon begin on two new soundstages that will add another 30,000 sq. feet of clear-span filming space beyond the building’s existing walls.
Big Sky Studios is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2021, designed to meet growing demands for production space by producers, studios, networks, and streaming services. Discussions are currently underway with filmmakers across North America to bring their projects to Winnipeg.
The Partners
The partnership group behind Big Sky Studios is made up of real estate developers, and design and construction professionals from the west coast, and a film executive from the prairies. Led by Eighth Avenue Development Group from Vancouver, the team brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit in business, real estate development, finance, technology, and motion picture production expertise.
“We’re pleased to be introducing this impressive facility into Manitoba’s filmmaking market,” says Ed Kolic from Eighth Avenue. “Big Sky Studios will incorporate three state-of-the-art sound stages and all necessary support spaces to accommodate multiple productions concurrently, along with long-term tenancies for industry-related services like equipment rentals, VFX, animation, and editing.”
“We believe Big Sky Studios will be an ongoing catalyst for economic growth for both Winnipeg and Manitoba. With its central location on the continent, its respected film production crews, iconic architecture and landscapes, and favorable tax credit regime, Winnipeg and Manitoba are the perfect place to make this long-term investment in film and TV production,” says Kolic.
Ian Dimerman, President of Inferno Pictures, was instrumental in bringing Eighth Avenue Development Group into the Winnipeg market and believes this facility is the perfect complement to Manitoba’s first class film and television crews. “Infrastructure is something that has been in short supply for our growing industry. This private sector investment represents confidence in our industry and will help to grow our labour force.”
