New Brunswick’s film industry has been building something special over the past several years. From feature films to television productions, the province has proven it has what producers are looking for: experienced crews, diverse locations and communities ready to roll out the welcome mat.
Few recent productions showcased that better than Revival, which filmed throughout Greater Saint John, including Saint John, Sussex, Norton, Grand Bay-Westfield and Hampton. The production employed more than 600 full- and part-time workers from across the province, giving local crew members the opportunity to work on a major television series without leaving home.
It’s a success story worth celebrating. But it’s also a reminder that one production alone isn’t enough to sustain an industry.
“The only real thing holding folks back from moving to Saint John to work in this industry is the lack of consistent work,” says Steve Foster, CEO and partner at Hemmings House. “Crew members may only get the opportunity to work on one or two shows a year. That’s just not enough to secure a mortgage.”
For New Brunswick’s film sector to continue growing, attracting more productions has to be part of the equation.
“The solution has always been to create a competitive provincial program that attracts outside service productions that shoot year-round,” Foster says. “This ensures the crew remains employed, increases their skill sets and establishes a fertile infrastructure to grow more domestic productions with commercial and cultural impact.”
There’s another piece of that infrastructure that’s easy to overlook until it’s missing: air service.
Film productions move quickly. Cast, crew and equipment often need to travel on tight schedules, and every hour matters. During the filming of Revival, meeting those demands sometimes meant coordinating travel through multiple airports to keep production on schedule.
Today, stronger connectivity through Saint John Airport is helping make those logistics simpler.
Through Pascan Aviation’s partnership with Porter Airlines, travellers flying from Saint John Airport (YSJ) can once again connect seamlessly to Porter’s growing national network through Montréal Metropolitan Airport (MET). The result is faster, more convenient access to destinations across Canada, making it easier for productions, business travellers and visitors alike to get where they need to go.
A 6:55 a.m. departure from Saint John now gets travellers to major Canadian cities before lunch, including:
- Calgary by 10:20 a.m. (local time)
- Edmonton by 11:00 a.m. (local time)
- Downtown Toronto by 9:55 a.m. (local time)
- Winnipeg by 10:20 a.m. (local time)
- Vancouver by 11:55 a.m. (local time)
For an industry built around tight schedules and moving people efficiently, those connections matter.
“Certainly for the shows we have going here, more flights are always better,” Foster says. “Having the Porter network here should help with this.”
His point underscores something that’s often overlooked: air service isn’t just about leisure travel. For industries like film and television, strong connectivity is part of the infrastructure that helps productions choose where to shoot.
Of course, the benefits extend well beyond the film. Better connectivity supports business growth, tourism, investment and the countless people travelling for work, family or adventure.
But for New Brunswick’s creative industries, it’s another step toward building the kind of infrastructure that helps talent stay here, attracts new opportunities and makes Saint John an even more competitive place to do business.
Whether you’re travelling for your next production, your next meeting or your next getaway, getting there just became a little easier.
Ready to plan your next trip?