Nova Scotia Honoured in L.A.
Nova Scotia's food, culture and competitive business advantages will be centre stage as more than 400 guests gather in Los Angeles on July 1 to celebrate Canada Day.
Nova Scotia is the featured province for this year's birthday festivities at the Canadian Consulate. Nova Scotia is the first Atlantic Canadian province to be honoured at the consulate fete, and the fourth overall.
The July 1st event will crown a four-day trade mission led by Premier John Hamm.
Twenty-nine companies are participating in the mission, which will focus on promoting the film, television, music, visual art and cultural industries. The life-sciences sector will also be represented through BioNova.
"This is an incredible opportunity for Nova Scotia," said Premier Hamm. "Los Angeles is the centre of the entertainment industry, and this is our chance to promote our skilled workforce, beautiful locations and creativity in global markets."
The film industry employs about 2,000 Nova Scotians and brings about $100 million annually into the provincial economy. Nineteen entertainment companies will conduct a series of meetings with potential clients, and will discuss the benefits of investment in the Nova Scotia film industry.
"Los Angeles is a key market for Nova Scotia's film industry," said Ann MacKenzie, CEO of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation. "Our experienced crews, tax credit and infrastructure give us a competitive advantage, and we're going to aggressively sell that advantage."
Nova Scotia's $100-million music industry is also being promoted by five participating companies, which will conduct several business-to business visits. Local musicians will be showcased at the Annual Conference of California Presenters and at the Annual Summer Solstice Festival. The festival, presented by the California Traditional Music Society, is where Natalie MacMaster performed to great acclaim several years ago. David Greenberg is performing on the main stage.
The Nova Scotia Designer Craft Council will also be promoting several of the province's fine craft artists. The objective is to obtain gallery representation and to generate sales. Several Nova Scotia artists will be showcased at two of the most prestigious galleries in Los Angeles -- the William Turner Gallery and the del Mano Gallery.
"The culture sector employed about 28,000 Nova Scotians in 2001 and represented about $1.2 billion of our gross domestic product," said Premier Hamm. "We're gaining a reputation as a creative powerhouse in the film, music and craft industries, it makes good business sense to vigorously pursue every available marketing opportunity."
The mission will cost about $246,000; $103,850 is paid by the federal government. About $18,200 is paid in registration fees by the attending companies, with the remainder provided by the province.
For a complete list of companies attending, and more information on the mission and the cultural sector, see the website at www.gov.ns.ca , and click on the Hollywood icon.