Big TV production ‘Last of Us’ means big economic impact for Calgary

The big TV production of “The Last of Us” over the past year has had a positive economic impact on the city of Calgary, according to the industry.

The HBO production took over parts of the city, turning downtown into a post-apocalyptic world to mimic the popular video game.

While Albertans are no stranger to big film and television productions in the province, this was unlike anything many have ever seen.

Filming did lead to some ongoing road closures in the downtown core, leaving many stuck in traffic, overall the reaction appears to have been positive.

Many said they were excited as they’ve never seen such a massive production in the city.

“It had a very big part to play last year in our record-setting year. I mean we doubled our production volume in 2021 to over $522 million in the Calgary area, and $560 million in Alberta,” said Luke Azevedo, VP, Creative Industries, Operations and Film Commissioner.

The streets in Calgary where “The Last of Us” are back to normal — no more vines growing up the sides of a building, and no more wrecked vehicle — but the impact in the city is lasting.

“When you take all these things into play, it starts to really create a confidence level in the marketplace that this is a location of choice for film and television. Long-term it creates a marketing opportunity for us because there is no better advertising in marketing than being able to pull off a show the size and scope of the last of us,” Azevedo said.

Many local people were employed for the production, from crews to construction workers, but does a production like this benefit a local filmmaker who has been in the industry for a decade?

“When all the film and television boom started happening last year, I would go to dinner with my girlfriend’s family and they would say the film and television is really kicking off, what does this mean for you, and unfortunately not a whole lot for me at least not directly.” said Matt Watterworth, Filmmaker.

Watterworth says there are indirect perks for him. A big challenge for local creators is getting funding for projects, and when a production wraps, some of the talent is still here.

“Now when you can reach for people who have worked on things like The Last of Us or Ghostbusters, or tons of huge shows have come to town, and you can say look at their resume, they’re working on world class stuff, and they’ve agreed to be a part of my production that’s huge for me for sure,” Watterworth said.

READ MORE: Calgary Black Film Festival returns for its second year

The future of film and television production in Calgary looks bright as the work for Calgary Economic Development and the Film commissioner continues.

“Although your region becomes known for being able to work at these world class levels, you have to continuously showcase what your abilities are to keep that momentum going,” Azevedo said.