TORONTO, MAY 16, 2022 – Studio Toronto is pleased to announce its ground-up restructuring and new partnership with entertainment industry leaders, Cinelease and Herc Entertainment Services (HES) that will offer creators an elevated filmmaking experience, in the heart of Ontario. The location offers 10 certified sound stages and has recently undergone a dynamic transformation. Along with the fresh look to the familiar space, filmmakers can expect enhanced production services, and a sophisticated new team of experienced stage managers.
“We are pleased to enter into this strategic partnership with Herc Entertainment and Cinelease. There is a shared unified vision and alliance all partners bring to the table with the common goal of making Toronto a global production hub,” said Frank Sicoli, CEO of Studio Toronto. “Together we have made long-overdue improvements and rebranded this amazing production space into one that allows full creative freedom.”
As a trusted name in the Canadian film and entertainment industry for more than two decades, Studio Toronto saw now as the time to make its space a premium filmmaking destination. While dozens of productions have thrived at the historic Downsville location, including Ron Howard’s Academy Award winning Cinderella Man, through its renovations, new aesthetic, and integral partnership with HES and Cinelease, Studio Toronto now truly offers the best in quality location, sound stages, equipment, and entertainment services.
With demand for production space at an all-time high, stage space is scarcer than ever, and quality sound stages are few and far between. Where filmmakers experience the rapid increase in demand for stages as a barrier to production, Studio Toronto saw an opportunity to respond to the community’s needs and create a studio equipped with services and amenities filmmakers dream of, in a fully enclosed environment. Under the new management of entertainment industry visionaries, the Studio Toronto experience has been entirely reimagined.
With its 10 sound stages and a footprint exceeding 300,000 square feet, the studio is now the largest fully enclosed studio in the greater Ontario area, offering almost 100,000 more square feet than the closest competitor, Pinewood. The location offers a diverse selection of support spaces including mills, wardrobe, production offices, and props.
Returning clients will notice Studio Toronto’s renewed motivation to provide filmmakers with an elevated experience coupled with the services and accommodations they need to complete productions provided by HES and Cinelease.
“Partnering with Studio Toronto provides a perfect opportunity for us to leverage the specialty equipment in our fleet,” said Mark Lamberton, Vice President of Herc Entertainment Services. “When we welcomed LRX and Dwight Crane to the team, we knew that marrying the services of these well- established Canadian companies with our industry heritage would create an ideal filmmaking experience for local filmmakers.”
Toronto-based Dwight Crane and LRX became members of the Herc Rentals, Inc. family in 2021. With the backing of Herc Entertainment Services and a rich history in the Canadian film industry, both Dwight Crane and LRX have been able to make their services more accessible to filmmakers through an increased inventory and new, broader reach. LRX products have been fully integrated into Cinelease’s inventory of premier lighting and grip equipment.
Cinelease and LRX are both owned by Herc Entertainment Services, the creator of matte black heavy equipment designed exclusively for productions. The comprehensive portfolio of services these companies provide combined with expert staff and customer service that’s second to none, create a recipe for success filmmakers can trust to achieve their creative vision.
“Cinelease has been in the fabric of TV and film production since 1977, and our people are the core reason for our success in the industry. Taking care of our community is our number one priority, and we are excited to continue to serve local Ontario filmmakers through our partnership with Studio Toronto”, said Chris Rogers, Vice President of Marketing for Cinelease. “We take pride in the services we provide and the equipment we offer, and our staff have the expertise and the inventory to source just about anything you need and the agility to make it happen.”
Fully booked stages at Studio Toronto will spur a ripple effect benefiting the local economy, from generating local job opportunities to increasing local spend boosting local business and supporting industries such as restaurants, hospitality, transportation services, and more.
Studio Toronto is conveniently located in the heart of Ontario near Downsview Park Station and has parking for 1,000 cast and crew and 250 for trucks, with loading docks accessible from every stage. While enjoying the environment and services, filmmakers will also be able to take advantage of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.
The newfound partnership with HES, the world’s leading provider of heavy equipment and Cinelease, the proven gold standard in lighting and grip, new and returning clients will find Studio Toronto now offers an unrivaled Canadian filmmaking experience.
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About Studio Toronto:
Studio Toronto is Toronto’s largest film studio with 10 certified sound stages in a fully-enclosed campus offering exclusive access to top-of-the-line lighting and grip and heavy and specialty equipment. Located in the heart of Ontario, Studio Toronto offers a convenient location and the range of tools both large and small scale productions need to succeed.
About Herc Entertainment Services:
Emerging from the demand for content creation in the 1980’s as a division of Fortune 1000 company Herc Rentals, Herc Entertainment Services began tailoring equipment inventories and acquiring assets to better serve the needs of the film and entertainment industry. With safety and customer service as top priorities, Herc rents and delivers unique equipment, for productions of any scale.
About Cinelease:
Industry Lighting and Grip gold standard since its creation in 1977, Cinelease Inc.’s intent has been to serve and deliver the best in quality lighting and grip equipment, power distribution, grip trucks, expendables and sound stages to both small and large-scale productions. Wherever the productions go – Cinelease will be there to greet them. Whatever the job, wherever the shoot, there’s one clear choice.
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