Film studio opens in Waterloo

Creators in Waterloo may have a new place to develop their craft as a film studio opens in Waterloo Region.

Tiny Horse Film Studios on Bathurst Drive opened in March and boasts 2,200 square feet of space.

The studio features a seamless cyclorama wall, professional lighting and equipment rentals, and other production resources.

“We really want to offer the space to anyone who’s a content creator,” studio manager Erik O’Neill told CTV News.

He said the idea to build the studio came to him after more than a decade working in video production.

“The region didn’t have a space like this even close to comparable for the longest time. We’d always be driving to Toronto, bringing cast, crew.”

O’Neill hopes the space will appeal to a wide variety of creators.

“Everything’s here. You can flip a couple of switches and be lit and ready to go. You really don’t have to bring your own stuff. We’ve have photographers just coming in to do full body headshots for their clients, we’ve had music videos.”

Some artists have already found a creative home at the space, including host of true crime/comedy series Breakfast Serial, Josh Winker.

“Having this space here is something that’s just fantastic and has been lacking in the last number years.”

Winker said in the past he would travel an hour and a half out of town to shoot his series on location. At times, he would spend days away from home.

“With Tiny Horse right here in Kitchener-Waterloo, we can come in the morning at 9 a.m. and we’re done by 5 p.m.” Winker said.

Waterloo Region has attracted several high profile film and television projects in recent years including The Handmaid’s Tale, Blackberry, The Queen’s Gambit, and American Gods.

“We’re kind of on the apex of our industry here really booming,” O’Neill said.