B.C. TV, film productions see slowdown as U.S. writers strike looms

Workers in Vancouver’s film and television industry are waiting to see if a looming strike in the U.S. will impact the local industry or not, something that one actor says is already happening.

This comes as The Writers Guild of America has voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with almost 98 per cent of voting members saying if the deal with studios and producers expires May 1, they will walk out.

The guild is currently negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a deal aimed at addressing pay and other changes brought on by the dominance of streaming services.

If the strike happens, it could shut down a large chunk of Hollywood.

Related article: B.C. film and television workers struggle to find work

Vancouver actor Brad Harder says he has been booking fewer gigs in recent months as production slows down in anticipation of the possible work stoppage.

“It’s really impacted all the work that has come to the Lower Mainland in the last year,” he told CityNews.

“The amount of projects that I’m reading for, and have read for all year, generally, I would do in less than a month.”

He says the last few months have been quieter than normal.

“Especially, March, April, May — very busy months, and it’s quieter than a graveyard up there,” he said.

However, he says part of life as an actor includes sporadic work. He says those being hit the hardest are people that work in production

“[It] doesn’t feel so abnormal to us, it just feels quieter. But for folks that work behind the camera and in pre or post-production, this has a huge effect,” he said.

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This isn’t the first time people in the industry have reported a slow-down, as Patrick Macht, the props coordinator for The Good Doctor, told CityNews last month that’s tough to find work.

“From what I’ve seen with my peers, for getting film work right now in Vancouver it is a bit of a barren landscape,” Macht said.

“I have friends that were working nonstop for years alongside me, and now they’ve been looking for shows for the past few months, kind of since January, and they’re not finding anything.”

Prem Gill, the CEO of Creative BC, says although things are slower than usual, she is still expecting a busy summer as pre-production work continues.

“I think there’s a bit of a pause in bringing on crew to a production. There is a lot of pre-production going on,” she said.

Regardless of the outcome, Gill adds that there are many productions coming to Vancouver from Los Angeles.

“It’s a great community that’s is very supportive of each other, that we’ll get through this time right now together because we have all these strong factors in place,” Gill said.

She adds that she hopes the situation will be resolved quickly.

With files from Kier Junos and The Associated Press