Pinewood Toronto Studios to Add More Purpose-Built Studio Facilities

TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Pinewood Toronto Studios is pleased to announce today that it has exercised its option to lease additional land from its landlord, the Toronto Port Lands Company, to build a new 135,000 square foot film and television support facility. This will complement its existing 'state of the art' 300,000 square foot 'purpose-built' studio campus on the Toronto waterfront. Toronto Port Lands Company and Pinewood Toronto Studios will enter into a long-term lease for an additional 1.75 acres of land for the development of much needed space to support Toronto's thriving film and television sector. This is a key step in achieving Pinewood Toronto Studios' plans to grow its facilities -- doubling its current size -- to 600,000 square feet.

Paul Bronfman, Chairman / CEO of William F. White International Inc. and Chairman of Pinewood Toronto Studios says, "This is a much anticipated milestone which serves as a reaffirmation of our growth and commitment to attract and support all levels of production in Toronto. I'm proud we're leading the way in adding more purpose-built facilities to our city's thriving film and television industry."

"This impressive expansion is a great example of an effective cooperative partnership between Toronto's public and private sectors," says Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair of Toronto's Economic Development Committee. "The expansion at Pinewood Toronto will create well-paid jobs, generate a robust economic spill-over, and increase the City's revenue. Projects like this one support the growth of our film and television sector and add to our clout as a North American industry leader."

Toronto Port Lands Company has approved Pinewood Toronto Studios' concept plan for this new investment and will work with Pinewood to prepare the lands for development. This state of the art purpose-built 135,000 square foot support facility will include four new flex / workshop spaces, production offices, structured parking and ancillary retail space.

Blake Steels, President of Pinewood Toronto Studios, says, "This expansion builds our capacity to host additional productions simultaneously on our lot. This means more films for Toronto which is good for the whole film industry, the whole city." Steels adds, "In 2013, Pinewood Toronto Studios added three purpose-built sound stages to our campus so we could support productions of all sizes."

Eoin Egan, Vice President, Pinewood International, says, "It's positive news for the production community in Toronto that we are expanding our studio footprint at Pinewood Toronto Studios. The additional space gives us the ability to service more productions and bring more industry jobs to Toronto."

Less than three kilometres from the downtown core on Toronto's eastern waterfront, Pinewood Toronto Studios currently sits on approximately 14 acres of land, with options to expand to 30 acres. Expansion plans include upgrades and improvements to Pinewood Toronto's film and television studios, flexible spaces for media and innovation, and complementary uses, such as culture, green spaces, retail and hotel.  This expansion plan will foster a strong community that builds upon the film, television and digital media cluster already established in this area.

Michael Kraljevic, President and CEO of Toronto Port Lands Company, says "Toronto Port Lands Company is pleased with this development initiative by Pinewood Toronto Studios that will reclaim previously underutilized brownfields to create useable, employment space." Kraljevic says, "Since our initial investment in 2005 to establish an anchor film tenant in the port area, we consider ourselves much more than just a landlord but also a catalyst for the film business in Toronto."

Pinewood Toronto Studios has notified the City of its pending application for all necessary permits to commence construction. Approvals of this new 135,000 square foot purpose-built film and television support facility are anticipated in 2016 with occupancy by film clients targeted for 2018.

ABOUT PINEWOOD TORONTO STUDIOS

Pinewood Toronto Studios is the destination facility for National and International Film and TV producers coming to Toronto with 300,000 sqft of modern, purpose built, production space on a 20-acre site, minutes from downtown Toronto. Its twelve stages, including North America's largest purpose built soundstage – the 46,000 sqft Mega Stage -- are soundproofed, clear-span and equipped with power and supporting infrastructure to accommodate productions of all sizes and budgets. Pinewood Toronto Studios has three state of the art sound stages, completed in 2013, ideal for smaller features, Canadian TV series and live TV shows.

Pinewood Toronto Studios has hosted some of the largest productions in Canada, including Total Recall, Robocop, Poltergeist, Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak, Pixels, and Suicide Squad. The 2016 Oscar nominee for Best Film, 'Room', was also shot at Pinewood Toronto Studios.

SOURCE Pinewood Toronto Studios

Melony Jamieson, [email protected], 416-518-6355