Berni Wood says production in Prince Edward Island is healthy, despite the fact Emily of New Moon, produced and shot in the province, has shut down operations after four seasons.

As manager of film, television and new media for Prince Edward Island Business Development (formerly Enterprise pei), Wood is impressed with how indigenous filmmakers are making up for the loss of Emily.

‘Last year, we had $20 million in production activity and this year I am projecting $14 million,’ she says. ‘That is without Emily, and it depends on what we bring in from outside the province as guest production. It is healthy considering we have lost a large dramatic series [in Emily], which was worth about $13 million out of the $20 million. There was only $7 million remaining, so we will pretty much double that this year I believe.’

Although PEI Business Development deals with a broad spectrum of industries in the province (including aerospace, information technology and fisheries), Wood says a helathy portion of its budget is earmarked for local producers and filmmakers.

‘Last year, the budget for development loans and equity financing alone was $1.8 million,’ says Wood. ‘Outside of that we also did some marketing and rental incentive stuff with special project monies as well.’

PEI Business Development has helped fund the development and production of such projects as The Inn Chef, Eckhart, The True Adventures of the Aftermath Crew and, of course, the dearly departed Emily of New Moon.

Wood says the agency is currently backing several projects in development, including Cellar Door Productions’ feature film The Wild Mustard and a half-hour children’s animated Christmas special titled Little Buck’s Christmas.

Wood says she has recently founded a partnership with the four Maritime province production development services to access some much-needed funding from the federally funded Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The acoa has provided the provinces with funding to help promote the region as a film destination as well as encourage coproduction opportunities between the provinces and internationally.

‘What I was finding, as were my partners in the other provinces, was when you go outside of Canada many people don’t know where p.e.i. or New Brunswick [for example] are,’ she says. ‘It was difficult to promote p.e.i. as a place where you could come and do coproductions because [those outside Canada] don’t know much about us. We found promoting the four provinces together as a region was better because everyone knows where Atlantic Canada is.’