A mazon MGM Studios’ multi-year deal for the exclusive use of five Pinewood Toronto Studios sound stages ticks all the boxes for the U.S. company, according to head of worldwide production Tim Clawson.

Clawson said the deal gives Amazon MGM “all the pieces” for a long-term commitment, citing location, economics, infrastructure and a crew base, when speaking during a press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 17) to announce the agreement, which includes approximately 160,000 square feet of production and office space. He added that Amazon MGM will also seek to participate in the training programs that are part of Toronto’s production infrastructure.

The financial terms of the deal agreement were not disclosed, neither an estimate on how many jobs the move would potentially create.

The announcement was also attended by Pinewood Group chairman Paul Golding, as well as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Neil Lumsden, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Councilor Paula Fletcher and CreateTO CEO Vic Gupta.

U.K.-based Pinewood Group acquired full ownership of Pinewood Studios Toronto in May 2023. It had a long-term sales and marketing relationship with the Toronto studio since 2009.

“We thought long and hard, having been involved with the city for so long,” said Golding, regarding the acquisition. “We had real conviction that this was going to be a long term hub for the film industry, not only within Canada, but on a global basis, so we worked hard to try and buy it.”

Ford said the deal represents a “vote of confidence” for the province of Ontario and will further boost its production sector, which he said has seen record numbers in recent years.

According to Ontario Creates, the province saw $3.15 billion in production spending across 419 productions during 2022. Ford said the goal is to boost that figure to $5 billion.

Mayor Chow said the film and TV industry is an important economic driver for the city, adding that a thriving Toronto film industry has a ripple effect on local creative sectors such as music, creative technologies, theatre and book publishing.

“Together they create a tremendous vibrancy of the whole arts and culture sector,” said Chow, noting that the investment by Amazon MGM Studios would result in jobs for crews, set designers and “numerous other professions.”

Amazon MGM Studios, as well as MGM Television and MGM+ Studios have produced and commissioned more than 40 series and films shot in Canada, according to a news release. They include The Boys, Gen V, Reacher, and The Handmaid’s Tale among shows that were shot in Ontario.

The deal with Pinewood comes amid a major cut in jobs at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. The company announced last week that it would be eliminating “hundreds” of roles. The scope of the cuts in Canada have not been confirmed as of press time, but Prime Video Canada’s production coordinator Ben Davies and head of local content marketing Cathleen Kelly announced on LinkedIn that they were among those laid off. When asked about its plans on the original Canadian programming front, a spokesperson for Amazon said the company is unable to provide further comment.

Photo by George Pimentel; pictured (L-R): CreateTO CEO Vic Gupta, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Neil Lumsden, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Councilor Paula Fletcher, Pinewood Group chairman Paul Golding, Amazon MGM Studios head of worldwide production Tim Clawson