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Home > Blog posts > HR > Staff Feature – Filming and Events at Black Creek Pioneer Village

Staff Feature – Filming and Events at Black Creek Pioneer Village

June 2, 2021

Between September 2020 and January 2021, the Black Creek Pioneer Village (BCPV) team safely hosted two large-scale film shoots and the Canadian Tire Christmas Trail (CTCT) amidst ever-tightening gathering restrictions.

Working closely with staff from PI S5 Productions, Tyrone Productions, and Canadian Tire, the team welcomed over 3,000 actors, crew, and event staff onto the site, in addition to almost 25,000 visitors to the CTCT — all while keeping the museum open to the public, running virtual programs, working with additional third party users of the site, and ensuring that all COVID-19 protocols were followed precisely.

Canadian Tire Christmas Trail
Canadian Tire Christmas Trail

Canadian Tire Christmas Trail

The team:

  • Prepared and maintained the grounds, trails, and heritage buildings on the two BCPV sites — both above and below Steeles Avenue — for our partners;
  • packed and moved hundreds of artifacts in several room setting exhibits in preparation for shooting (and then moved back and unpacked them again);
  • created agreements on short notice;
  • oversaw both shoots and the event, and facilitated partner requests;
  • cleaned and sanitized multiple high-traffic areas;
  • found new grazing areas for animals to accommodate event site use;
  • accommodated our partners’ schedules and worked long days and past midnight most nights;
  • cleared snow at all hours of day and night;
  • answered constant questions from the public about what was happening on the site; and even
  • provided vital “know-how” to enable artificial Christmas trees to float on the pond!

At times managing crews and staff from both shoots along with the event staff, the BCPV team juggled multiple requests for space, coordinated competing high-pressure schedules, and ensured that each partner enjoyed a positive experience with TRCA.

TRCA team member packs away historic artifacts in preparation for film shoot at Black Creek Pioneer Village
TRCA team members prepare for Canadian Tire Christmas Trail at Black Creek Pioneer Village
TRCA team member assists with film shoot at Black Creek Pioneer Village

TRCA’s Allison White, Gino Iantorno, Mario Boisvert, Kelsey Servinos, and Leslie Cook

A huge thank you to every member of the BCPV team who pulled together to make this happen with little preparation and over an extended period of time. Your flexibility, dedication, and enduring good humour helped earn vital revenue that supported BCPV’s operations in a challenging year, and introduced the site to new users and visitors.

While every member of the team contributed to the success, a few individuals worked more closely with the film and event crews: Mario Boisvert, Leslie Cook, Gino Iantorno, Kelsey Servinos, and Allison White.