Creative BC’s Prem Gill on selling B.C. to Hollywood—and the future of Canada’s creative economy

Just named one of the most powerful women in Canadian entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter, Prem Gill has a monumental task: selling B.C. to Tinseltown. As the CEO of Creative BC, the organization tasked with growing our creative sector—including movies, music, digital media and magazine and book publishing—Gill has a goal of expanding our creative economy, which supports tens of thousands of jobs. As she celebrates her 10th anniversary at the helm of Creative BC this fall, we sat down and chatted all things entertainment.

Donald Trump recently threatened to put a 100 percent tariff on films created outside the U.S. How does B.C. brace and respond to that kind of threat?

Creative BC is working closely with provincial and federal partners to understand the potential impact of proposed film tariffs. While there is still uncertainty, we are committed to keeping B.C.’s motion picture industry informed and supported.

Our multibillion-dollar film industry took a beating during COVID and then the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes. How is recovery going?

The uptick has not been as quick as we would like. We’re fortunate that the provincial government increased the tax incentives, so that’s attracting more interest. It’s not been an easy time—we fully recognize that—but we’re optimistic that people are very interested in B.C. and we’re getting calls daily from people looking to bring something here or people here already who are looking to get a show up and running.

Motion pictures and TV series are down, project-wise, from previous years in B.C.

There’s been a general contraction in global content production. It’s becoming more expensive, and everybody’s bottom lines are changing. Back in the day, a TV series could be 26 episodes. Now there’s 10. So instead of working for X number of months you might be working for a shorter period. So it’s been slower.

But there are massive domestic success stories too

We are proud of the domestic sector, and of B.C. with shows like Allegiance, Family Law, Wildcards, Sight Unseen. We’ve had scripted series that are placed here in B.C. and it’s Vancouver—or, in the case of Allegiance, Surrey—that’s on the screen, and that’s a real testament to the domestic sector. The Last of Us season two [filmed in Vancouver] is massive. To produce a show like Shogun is another example. People don’t realize it was shot here. People really thought it was Japan. It’s the artistic and technical talent that we really developed here so we can compete globally.

How does the current U.S. political situation and low dollar affect how B.C. attracts productions?

It’s all part of the conversation. It starts with: Do you have the people who can make stuff? Yes, we do. Do you have a competitive tax credit program? Yes. We have amazing locations; we have purpose-built studios. We have a currency that can sometimes be beneficial. The cost of things can still be high though—that’s the reality—but I do think B.C. and our film commissioner is pushing strong on all of these elements.

The Juno Awards came to Vancouver this spring at an interesting time for homegrown pride

What I felt at the Junos was that something really interesting is happening in Canada—a sense of pride that goes beyond “we won the gold medal hockey.” It’s crossing demographics. It’s this whole message of Canada strong. And the arts are an important part of it. That’s where we see our expression. How we can express our pride or nationalism—I hate to use that word—but, like, how do we express why we are unique? We value the diversity, and we value the different perspective and voices. Part of what we get to do is support the creation of that, whether it’s music or film or television series or documentary or a book publisher or a video game creator. We’re so fortunate that we get to enable that because it’s more important than ever.

How do you think media will change in your next 10 years on the job?

As you see Gen Z and Gen Alpha grow up, what are their habits are going to be? Everyone will still be looking at a screen. Most of us growing up, we had one TV in our family homes, and now most family homes probably have eight screens. Things will look different now that we have new tools, or we might be scared of some of those tools at first but we will adapt like we always have.

Resilience is an overused term but it’s so true. People have music to write, they have stories to tell, and I think the supports will continue to be there for people in whatever forms are needed. I feel very positive about domestic media and people supporting B.C.—in a way we haven’t seen before. Despite what’s happening politically, we are a global world.

Quick Hits

Pet Peeve

When someone parks their car and takes up two spaces

Hobby

Gardening

Recent TV binge

The Franchise on Crave/HBO Max

Most memorable concert

Beyoncé

If I had a superpower, it would be

Teleportation

Favourite place in B.C.

Naramata

Last book I read

The Rise and Fall of Magic Wolf by Timothy Taylor

First job

Shelving books at the Burnaby Public Library, McGill branch