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The Up and Coming Cities Swiping Hollywood’s Dollars

As Gavin Newsom struggles to keep film and TV shoots in California, it’s not just New York and Georgia he has to worry about. Incentives are luring producers to some unlikely new hotspots (hello, Kentucky).

In Oakville, Ontario, about an hour from Toronto, the decommissioned Centennial Pool on Navy Street has been turned into a dedicated water tank for filming aquatic scenes, including for Prime Video’s Reacher series. When Jack Reacher, played by Alan Ritchson, climbs into and out of the rough waters hitting up against the coastal mansion, the series’ hero was actually in the Centennial Pool surrounded by green screen, stunt doubles and camera operators. Amid that wait-and-see approach, Hollywood productions increasing search far and wide for tax incentives and lower labor costs to offset fragile economics making film and TV shows.

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