Greater St. John’s, NL is set to become the home of a new $50-million dollar film and television studio, billed as the first purpose-built soundstage east of Montréal.
Latitude 47 Studios will be built in the town of Bauline, a half hour northwest of downtown St. John’s and 18 km from St. John’s International Airport.
Phase 1 of the project will feature 75,000 sq. ft. of film and television infrastructure, including two 20,000-sq. ft. soundstages and one 10,000 sq. ft. soundstage. An additional 50,000 square feet of support and office space will also be built. Later phases will see the construction of another 25,000-square-foot sound stage, a back lot for external shoots and buildouts, a potential educational facility in association with the College of the North Atlantic, post-production facilities, and equipment rentals. The project is currently in the design phase with construction expected to begin by late 2026.
Behind Latitude 47 are Emmy Award-winning producer Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek) and Dallas/Forth Worth investment and management strategist Brandon Davis, who are also partners in Project 10 Productions, which produces Newfoundland-shot CBC comedy Son of a Critch. Project advisors include Peter Apostolopoulos, President of TriBro Studios.
“After having shot in Newfoundland and Labrador for years – and being the first generation of my family to be raised away – I can’t wait to come home and welcome the world to this superb filming destination,” said Barnsley, in a studio announcement. “Latitude 47 will grow and sustain production in Newfoundland as a year-round industry.”
“As the Newfoundland and Labrador production sector continues to break records, there is an identified need for the kind of facility Latitude 47 provides,” added Davis. “Along with favourable tax incentives, world-class natural beauty, and first-class creators and crews, Latitude 47 proudly confirms Newfoundland as a sure-fire production hub for domestic and international producers.”
Latitude 47 says the new studio is a response to a study released earlier this year by the province’s film commission, Picture NL, which determined a bespoke, multi-purpose studio facility would expand the province’s current one-season production industry into the winter months and attract established equipment suppliers.
According to data provided by Latitude 47, film and television production activity in Newfoundland and Labrador is on track to exceed $100 million in 2025-26, a record high for the province. PictureNL will achieve a milestone $1 billion in production activity in 2025, with recent service productions shooting in the province including Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy, Apple TV’s Severance, and Amazon Prime’s Reacher. Domestic productions include Citytv’s Hudson & Rex and CBC’s Saint-Pierre, in addition to Son of a Critch.
