VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver and Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC) recently announced that David Shepheard — formerly London’s film & TV sector lead — has come on board as Vancouver’s very first film commissioner. At the same time, they announced the creation of a new Film & Media Centre, whose mandate is to raise the profile of Vancouver on the global stage, advocate on behalf of the Vancouver industry and work towards attracting investment to the city.
The Vancouver Film & Media Centre will grow industry collaboration and business development across the entire digital entertainment & interactive (DE&I) spectrum by acting as the connecting point for the industry to find work and talent and continue the years of work by the VEC and other industry stakeholders that have led to a sustained boom of the DE&I industry.
Vancouver is the third largest film production centre in North America, behind New York and Los Angeles. In recent years, Vancouver experienced exponential growth in film and TV production, and the industry has emerged as a top contributor to British Columbia’s diversified economy, creating jobs, services and tax revenue.
“As one of Vancouver’s high growth industries, film and media has been a big contributor to our nation-leading economic growth and has tremendous positive impact in our city,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “David Shepheard's expertise and experience – coupled with the new Film & Media Centre – will take our digital entertainment industry, already the third largest film production centre in North America, to the next level on the international stage. I look forward to supporting the film commissioner and Centre’s work in positioning Vancouver as the premier global destination for film and TV production, talent and investment.”
With over 16 years of experience around the world in film, Shepheard is well-qualified to position Vancouver as a premier place for film and TV production, talent and investment. Combined with the local knowledge and connections of executive director Nancy Mott, the pair will work to bolster the profile of Vancouver on the global stage and attract film and TV production, co-production and post production projects to Vancouver.