For many residents of the rural southeast, the wait for tangible proof of Niverville’s promised movie studio may have seemed interminable. However, the project is still very much going forward, even though there is little evidence on the ground—so far.
Over the years, Niverville’s town council has retained the services of Gord Daman to provide consult on economic development and act as government liaison for several ambitious projects undertaken over the years, including the CRRC as well as the upcoming $110 million wastewater treatment project.
To ensure the arrival of Jette Studios, first announced to great fanfare in March, Daman has again been contracted to put his expertise to use. He’s been working alongside the studio’s owner, Juliette Hagopian, to keep things moving in the right direction.
“It is something of significant interest to the community to make sure that this succeeds,” Daman says. “While it’s been delayed, like so many things post-COVID for a variety of reasons, the full intent is still to be moving forward with construction by mid-fall. [Hagopian is] disappointed by that herself, because she needs to have everything up and ready by early to mid-spring. There are folks that want to use the facility and start producing movies, so that’s something that she’s very much focused on. The timeline is tight, but she believes she can deliver that.”
Behind the scenes, Daman says, a lot of wheels and gears need to be greased before construction can begin.
While the land developer works through a mire of red tape for titles and subdivision rulings, Hagopian is faced with building local connections and making countless decisions while navigating the legal requirements for a type of project so new to Manitoba.
“Juliette is extremely excited about moving forward, but it’s just taking her a bit longer to pull together the broad range of items, from contracts to relationships related to… the film industry,” Daman says.
While many of the original plans for the studio remain intact from the spring announcement, some aspects of the project may be shifting somewhat.
Daman says there has been some reconsideration given to the inflatable tent-like structure, known as a popup soundstage. This facility was to mirror the one recently installed by Hagopian’s partners, Volume Global, in New York City.
Questions have arisen as to whether a different kind of structure might be more suitable to Manitoba’s tough climate.
But while these decisions slow the process, though, Daman says there is an upside to taking a bit more time to be thorough. He explains that the company’s reworked business plan is allowing them to consider the possibility of an earlier buildout for phase two of the project.
The state-of-the-art soundstage planned for phase one is to be followed by other on-site infrastructure which will make it possible for the company to provide movie production services from start to finish.
Originally expected to begin a year or two later, Daman says that Jette Studios has developed a plan to jump into phase two as soon as phase one is complete.
Daman says that he has been thoroughly impressed by Hagopian and her business model so far. Her wide-angle vision for this Manitoba studio puts less emphasis on her own success and more on the greater stage of the burgeoning Manitoba film industry as a whole.
“This is about developing a campus that will sincerely become a pinnacle for film development across the country that will, if she’s successful, rival the Toronto and Vancouver sites.”
Hagopian’s dream for film production in Niverville is indeed very big, and one that could change the look of the local industry.
Niverville’s production campus will be constructed as a one-stop shop for movie producers, providing office space, a carpenter mill, and a post-production facility that includes visual effects, picture, and sound editing bays. To top it off, a 50-seat Dolby Atmos finishing theatre is planned to allow producers to view the final product.
But that’s not all. Hagopian’s vision also includes the building of a labour force in this province that, until now, has mostly been transient in nature, flying from location to location as needed.
Hagopian’s plan is to create a studio where a good portion of the needed workforce is housed within the community on a short- or long-term basis. For this purpose, she has retained the option for an additional 14 acres of land next to the studio for the buildout of high-density housing if needed.
Training for this workforce is another component of the project—and one that has not been overlooked.
“Juliette has met with the province in regard to workforce training, acknowledging the fact that, if she’s going to realize the vision that she has, related to the outgrowth of a campus which potentially could have 600 to 700 workers, workforce training is extremely important,” says Daman.
The province has been receptive to working toward that goal, according to Daman, as they recognize the significant economic impact that can be made by smoothing the way for Jette Studios and the local film industry in general.
Daman says that in his line of business, people with Juliette’s level of selfless passion don’t come along every day.
“I have had the opportunity to work in municipalities across the province and I get to meet incredible folks that have profound visions for growing ‘common good’ in all of their communities,” he says. “But I have met few individuals like Juliette who sincerely did not need to do this. She has her own studio in Winnipeg and she could simply carry on and make $5- and $10-million movies and she would have been fine. But her passion is driven by the future of the industry and by a younger generation of filmmakers.”
There are countless lessons to be learned through experiences like this one, Daman says, not the least of which is the importance of relationship-building when it comes to paving the way to a brighter future.
In the case of Hagopian and Jette Studios, it all began with the lifelong friendship she’s had with Niverville resident Henok Gabre, owner of Negash Coffee.
From there, the spark was ignited.
“Never underestimate the unique nature of our community and the importance of connecting with neighbouring friends,” says Daman, “because one never knows how those conversations will actually connect to help deepen our community. At the end of the day, it’s about relationships.”
As to other exciting things residents should expect in the spring of 2024, Daman says that the previously announced upgrades in Niverville to Highway 311 are still on track. Last spring, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk promised nearly $41 million in upgrades that may include a roundabout and eventual twinning between the railway tracks and Wallace Road.
