Ten B.C. motion picture production companies get support for slate development to create B.C.-made IP

Vancouver, B.C. (May 5, 2025) – Creative BC announces the ten British Columbia motion picture production companies that will receive a total of $500,000 through its Slate Development Program (the Slate Program).

The Slate Program helps B.C.’s production companies grow their businesses by simultaneously advancing multiple scripted television or feature film projects in different stages of development. The Slate Program is part of Reel Focus BC, the Province’s Domestic Motion Picture Fund, to boost the growth of mid-level and experienced B.C.-based production companies with significant track records of successful independent production in the province. 

These recipients are developing Intellectual Property (IP) that can compete to attract interest and investment from national and international decision-makers. The Slate Program contributes to each company’s total funding envelope to support development stage costs for two or more projects, one of which must be a scripted television series intended for broadcast or streaming/video-on-demand (VOD) platforms. 

The Slate Program is designed to meet the domestic industry’s need to build local capacity and compete nationally and internationally to seize business opportunities in the growing film and TV industry. With this funding, local production companies move forward on multiple projects, attract investment, and leverage federal funding. Eligible activities include acquisition of rights, script writing and workshopping, production of a demo, storyboards or animatic, pre-production planning, finance packaging and/or casting, business affairs and legal services associated with these activities, and company capacity building activities that encompass a range of strategic growth initiatives. 

The following is the list of the ten successful B.C. companies creating 100% domestically owned and controlled creative content, each of which receives a contribution of $50,000: 

1. Lark Productions Inc. 
2. Pitchblack Pictures Inc. 
3. Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd. 
4. Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. 
5. Sepia Films 
6. Eh-Okay Entertainment, Inc. 
7. Terminal City Pictures Inc. 
8. Black Opiate Entertainment 
9. Lighthouse Pictures 
10. Grand Scheme Productions Inc. 

View a list of the recipients by program online here.    

For more information on the Creative BC Slate Program visit Creative BC’s website: https://creativebc.com/funding-programs/domestic-motion-picture-programs/slate-development 

QUOTES

Honourable Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
“B.C. is one of the largest motion picture hubs in North America, and our production companies are at the heart of that success. Initiatives like the Slate Development Program help B.C. production companies grow, compete globally, and bring our unique voices to screens at home and abroad. This investment supports the development of B.C.-owned content, strengthening our creative sector, and creating jobs and opportunities right here in our communities. Now more than ever, it’s vital to support local talent and champion the creation of B.C. stories.”

Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC
“B.C.’s domestic production companies generate over $455 million annually—fueling the province’s motion picture industry and bringing B.C.’s stories to life. Today, Creative BC is proud to announce 10 established companies selected to develop original, homegrown B.C. IP. These producers are pillars of our domestic industry, each with a legacy of excellence and award-winning work. We’re excited to support their next chapter as they create bold, compelling content that resonates on screens both here in B.C. and around the world.”

Tex Antonucci, Lark Productions Inc., Slate Program Recipient
“Thanks to the ongoing support from Creative BC and the funding provided through the Domestic Motion Picture Fund, Lark Productions is able to further its mission of developing and producing impactful domestic content in British Columbia. This investment helps strengthen our local creative sector and generate economic returns.”

MEDIA CONTACT
Creative BC
Lisa Escudero
media@creativebc.com
+1 604-730-2235 

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About Creative BC 

Creative BC is an independent society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative industries: motion picture, interactive and digital media, music and sound recording, and magazine and book publishing. The organization delivers a wide range of programs and services with a mandate to expand B.C.’s creative economy. These activities include: administration of the provincial government’s motion picture tax credit programs; delivery of program funding and export marketing support for the sector; and provincial film commission services. Combined, these activities serve to attract inward investment and market B.C. as a partner and destination of choice for domestic and international content creation. The agency acts as an industry catalyst and ambassador to help B.C.’s creative sector reach its economic, social, environmental, and creative potential both at home and globally. Website: www.creativebc.com 

Recipient Company Backgrounders

Lark Productions Inc., est. 2010 | Lark Productions is an award-winning Vancouver-based company with a proven track record of producing exceptional programming in Canada for the global marketplace. Lark develops both scripted and unscripted content, often in collaboration with Universal International Studios, a division of the Universal Studio Group, through a first-look distribution deal.

Pitchblack Pictures Inc., est. 2005 | Pitchblack Pictures is the development subsidiary of Brightlight Pictures, a BC based production company that has operated in BC since 2001. Brightlight Pictures develops, packages, and produces independent feature films and television projects. Brightlight’s extensive filmography can be found on its website.

Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd., est. 1979 | Omnifilm Entertainment is one of Canada’s leading independent content companies. For over forty-five years, Omnifilm has produced and distributed hundreds of hours of award-winning programming including drama, comedy, factual and lifestyle series, documentaries, and children’s programming. Recent productions include “Bush Wreck Rescue”, a documentary series for Discovery Canada, and “Transplant Stories”, a documentary series for Knowledge Network.

Slap Happy Cartoons Inc., est. 2012 | Vancouver’s Slap Happy Cartoons Inc. is an independent animation studio owned and operated by partners Kathy Antonsen, Josh Mepham, Greg Sullivan, and Rob Davies. They’ve created original hits like “Nerds and Monsters” and “The Hollow”, and contributed to “Bossy Bear”, “Apple and Onion”, and “Tom and Jerry”.

Sepia Films, est. 2005 | Sepia Films has been creating diverse, high-quality film and television for global audiences for over 20 years. Specializing in international co-production, the company’s films have received accolades at TIFF, Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, and have been distributed by Disney, Fox, NBC Universal, Netflix and HBO, among many others.

Eh-Okay Entertainment, Inc., est. 2007 | Established in 2007, Eh-Okay brings creative thinking to the forefront while providing a wide range of animation, live-action, and production services for projects big and small. We are passionate storytellers and creatives and have produced over countless episodes of television, and 20 feature and made-for-television films. Their mission is to inspire every mind and heart we touch as we move into the future.

Terminal City Pictures Inc., est. 1995 | Terminal City Pictures (TCP) was formed by Christine Haebler in 1995. TCP has produced many award-winning iconic Canadian and International Feature Films and TV. A small company with big aspirations, TCP has a bright future with its slate of elevated productions.

Black Opiate Entertainment, est. 2016 | Black Opiate Entertainment, is a Vancouver-based production company dedicated to creating bold, unique, and thought-provoking genre feature films as well as captivating documentaries. Black Opiate is the unification of Karen Lam’s Opiate Pictures and Kate Kroll’s Black Moon Media and together, Lam and Kroll have combined decades of experience with their commitment to crafting stories that explore the darker corners of human experience.

Lighthouse Pictures, est. 2012 | Lead by CEO Jameson Parker, Lighthouse Pictures is a Canadian deficit financing studio and production company that specializes in producing mid to low budget genre films, television movies and series. In April 2024, Martini Film Studios acquired a majority stake in Lighthouse Pictures. This strategic partnership has allowed the company to expand its production capability to a global level while also building out a robust development department with a focus on Canadian and international series.

Grand Scheme Productions Inc., est. 2016 | Grand Scheme is a film and television production company founded by producer Michael Tanko Grand to produce unique and entertaining work with Canada’s most exciting filmmakers. Grand Scheme’s work has screened at festivals such as SXSW, Fantasia, Hot Docs, Big Sky and VIFF, and broadcast by CBC, Crave, Tubi, and ESPN.