B.C.’s creative industries haven’t all suffered equally during the pandemic.
Although the film and TV sector initially instituted a shutdown in the spring, productions began rolling again in earnest over the summer.
Since then, data from the Directors Guild of Canada’s B.C. chapter reveals 70 productions were running simultaneously by the week of September 20, 2020, beating the previous record of 57 simultaneous productions set in September 2016.
Other creative industries were not as equally blessed and require additional support to ensure they come out of the pandemic intact.
Funding for the Amplify BC program dries up at the end of the year. The grant program, which was introduced in 2015, provides support for B.C.-based live events, artist sound recordings and training programs for music industry professionals. The funding is also meant to keep the local recording sector competitive with Ontario, following concerns in previous years that West Coast recording artists were being lured away by that province’s music grants.
Lindsay MacPherson, executive director of the Music BC Industry Association, is calling on the province to extend the funding three years with annual support of $7.5 million.
She’s also urging Victoria to consult with the sector before making any significant changes to health orders amid the pandemic.
The publishing sector, encompassing both books and magazines, was dealing with a rapidly changing business landscape even prior to the pandemic.
About 20 B.C.-based magazines have folded since the outset of the pandemic, while 300 to 325 remain in publication.
The Magazine Association of BC (MagsBC) is urging publishers reliant on the traditional print advertising model to diversify revenue streams and increase digital offerings. Cost savings can also be realized by changing publishing schedules and combining issues to reduce postage and printing expenses.
Executive director Sylvia Skene said monetization campaigns based on authentic outreach and engagement have been successful for a number of magazines. A wider effort to embark on campaigns such as memberships that offer exclusives to loyal readers would provide a boost to the industry as a whole.
MagsBC also wants policymakers to ensure controlled-circulation magazines are eligible for the Canada Periodical Fund and to increase funding for publications seeking to upgrade their websites as they shift to more digital offerings.
“Some people have gotten by with a fairly bare-bones web presence and this just doesn’t work anymore,” Skene said, adding that government should also expand outreach efforts to educate publications about available grants as well as offer assistance in the application process.
Book publishers, meanwhile, are facing not only the loss of sales — down an estimated 30% to 40% year-over-year in 2020 – but the loss of international rights sales events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair
Heidi Waechtler, executive director of the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., is calling on the province to renew funding for publishers under the B.C. Book Publishing Tax Credit for five years.
She said West Coast lawmakers should also push to encourage the purchase of B.C.-published books for schools and libraries.
“It’s important that students see … their communities and themselves reflected in the books that they read, and we think incentivizing that throughout the curriculum and purchasing mandates [would] reinforce the value of locally produced content.”
Waechtler added that ongoing provincial support via Creative BC and the BC Arts Council is also needed for her sector.
Although B.C.’s film and TV industry is benefiting from wider shutdowns in competing jurisdictions such as California, a number of policies can still be enacted to help it maintain its high-performance status amid the pandemic.
Peter Leitch, chairman of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC, said it’s imperative the industry maintain its current safety protocols.
The industry is also working on strategies aimed at increasing diversity within its workforce, and Leitch said he looks forward to seeing those deployed soon.
“Whether it be physical concerns or mental health, [those] concerns are an issue that have to be addressed and dealt with,” he said.
“We’re looking at bringing new people into the industry and making sure that they’ve got the proper training. We’re also looking to diversify the workforce here. You know, in some ways it’s challenging times to do all those things but that’s a priority for us.”
Note: An earlier version of the story stated the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. is calling for renewed funding under the Canada Book Fund. It is in fact calling for renewed funding under the B.C. Book Publishing Tax Credit.
