ST. JOHN’S – Production of the television series Frontier contributed $82.1 million to the national GDP and generated $106 million in total economic output, says a new study released by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).
The study, available here, also found that work on the film in Newfoundland and Labrador saw $41.2 million in production expenditure, which yielded $54.6 million in GDP and $63.8 million in total economic output for the province.
An analysis of Frontier’s first season revealed that of the 621 Canadian vendors that benefitted from the production, 368 were based in the province. For that same season, every dollar of provincial tax credit invested by Newfoundland and Labrador triggered $6.74 in economic activity and $5.77 in GDP. At the national scale, each dollar of federal government incentives generated $14.36 in economic activity and $11.12 to the GDP. Furthermore, over the course of the series, the production created 888 Canadian jobs, the majority of which were based in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Co-created by Rob Blackie and Peter Blackie of Take the Shot Productions, the Canadian historical drama series is set during the late-1700s and centers around an outlaw trapper, portrayed by Jason Momoa, who is attempting to break the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly on the fur trade. Frontier premiered in 2016 and its third season airs on both Netflix and Discovery Canada.
“Over three seasons, Frontier has entertained fans across the world, yet nowhere is its impact more tangible than in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin, in the study’s news release. “Frontier’s economic contribution to the province shows the tremendous economic potential of bold and unapologetically Canadian storytelling.”
