With increased tax credits and recently announced investments like a new Netflix production hub, Vancouver, British Columbia, has emerged as the place to be for pilot season, signaling good news for Canadian actors.
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Vancouver is slated to host 10 television pilots this season—an increase from six last year, according to Deadline. The city will see two ABC pilots, three from CBS, one from Fox, another from NBC, and three from the CW. Hotly anticipated titles set to film in Vancouver include “Batwoman,” starring Ruby Rose (“Orange Is the New Black”); CBS’ loose adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”; drama “The Haunting of Nancy Drew,” starring newcomer Kennedy McMann; and “Stumptown,” starring Cobie Smulders. Only one CW pilot this season will be shot in Toronto—Vancouver’s sibling city in the industry—which is a decrease from last year.
Though pilots are only short-term viability tests for studios, the burst of activity is good news for a country that has often struggled with the stigma of an inferiority complex when compared to American entertainment epicenters. As “Northern Rescue” producer David Cormican recently told Backstage, “There used to be a negative connotation when people would watch it and go, ‘Oh, it’s Canadian.’ I think people [now] realize that we’re competing with some of the best in the world.”
In 2018, New York took the crown as host to the most pilots. This year, it’s landing in second place with nine: two from both CBS and Fox, three from ABC, and one from both NBC and the CW. Los Angeles is hosting only five pilots this season—one from ABC, three from CBS, and one from the CW.
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Georgia is continuing its strong presence in the industry with four pilots in Atlanta and one in Savannah. The state’s Southern rival, Louisiana, has seen a drop in its pilot slate, with only one project from Fox being shot in New Orleans.
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Memphis, Tennessee; and the New Jersey region will be home to NBC pilots, and ABC is shooting a pilot overseas in New Zealand.
Pilot season can be a stressful and dizzying time for writers, showrunners, and actors as industry newcomers try to convince studios to take a chance on their ideas and invest in their projects. The financial benefits of having a television show shot in their city have motivated local and state governments to offer tax credits to entice producers to their regions.
For actors in these cities, keep an eye out for casting, including day play and background, on backstage.com/casting.
Ready to get to work? Check out Backstage’s Canada audition listings!