Saskatchewan has long been home to a vibrant commercial production industry. Every year, talented local production companies create advertising campaigns, corporate communications, tourism promotions, digital content and branded storytelling for clients across the province and beyond.
Now, thanks to forward-looking changes made by Creative Saskatchewan and the Government of Saskatchewan, that industry has an unprecedented opportunity for growth.
Advertising, commercials and branded content are now eligible under Saskatchewan’s Film & Television Production Grant (FFTV), provided projects:
- Have a minimum production budget of $100,000;
- Are intended for public distribution outside Saskatchewan; and
- Are produced for clients that are not agencies of, or controlled by, the Government of Saskatchewan.
For qualifying projects, production companies may access grants covering up to 40% of eligible Saskatchewan production expenditures through the FFTV.
That alone makes Saskatchewan an exceptionally competitive place to produce commercial content.
But the opportunity doesn’t stop there.
A Competitive Advantage No Other Province Offers
To our knowledge, Saskatchewan is now the only province in Canada where a provincial film incentive can be applied to qualifying commercial advertising and branded content productions.
That creates a genuine competitive advantage.
When pitching national advertising agencies, international brands, or production partners, Saskatchewan companies can now offer something their competitors in other provinces often cannot: access to a significant provincial production incentive on qualifying commercial projects.
For clients spending hundreds of thousands—or millions—of dollars on advertising campaigns, the ability to recover up to 40% of eligible Saskatchewan spending can have a meaningful impact on the production budget.
It means Saskatchewan producers are no longer simply competing on creative ideas, experienced crews, beautiful locations or competitive production costs. They are now competing with a financial advantage that can make Saskatchewan one of the most attractive jurisdictions in Canada for qualifying commercial productions.
An Even Greater Advantage: Building Crews While Bringing in Expertise
Qualifying commercial, advertising and branded content productions are also eligible for Saskatchewan’s new Apprenticeship Stream Training Program.
The program was designed to strengthen Saskatchewan’s workforce while giving producers greater flexibility to staff productions.
When a qualified Saskatchewan resident is not available to fill a position, the program can provide funding covering up to 40% of the labour costs for eligible out-of-province mentors who come to Saskatchewan to train local apprentices on the job.
This creates an opportunity for production companies to attract highly experienced department heads and specialists while simultaneously developing Saskatchewan crew members through paid, hands-on mentorship.
For commercial productions requiring specialized expertise—or for companies looking to expand into larger national campaigns—this represents another significant competitive advantage.
A Much Bigger Market
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of these changes is that they encourage Saskatchewan companies to think beyond our provincial market.
The real opportunity isn’t producing more Saskatchewan commercials.
It’s attracting work from everywhere else.
National brands, multinational corporations, tourism organizations, automotive manufacturers, financial institutions, technology companies, consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, healthcare organizations, sports organizations and streaming platforms all commission commercial advertising and branded content every year.
Increasingly, these organizations are investing in branded content—documentary-style series, lifestyle programming, digital campaigns, creator collaborations, social media video series and long-form storytelling that blurs the line between advertising and entertainment.
These productions often carry substantial budgets and require exactly the kinds of skills Saskatchewan’s production industry already possesses.
Branded Content Is One of the Fastest Growing Production Markets
The advertising industry has changed dramatically over the past decade.
Brands are no longer producing only 30-second television commercials.
Today’s campaigns increasingly include:
- Documentary-style branded series
- Lifestyle and travel programming
- Food and cooking content
- Adventure and outdoor programming
- Corporate storytelling
- Educational video series
- Social media campaigns
- Digital-first productions
- Influencer collaborations
- Multi-platform video campaigns
For production companies with experience in documentary, factual, lifestyle, reality television or digital production, these projects are a natural extension of existing expertise.
Many Saskatchewan producers already possess the creative, technical and logistical capabilities required to deliver this work. The opportunity now is to actively pursue it.
Saskatchewan Has What Clients Are Looking For
Saskatchewan offers a compelling production package:
- Up to 40% of eligible Saskatchewan production spending through the FFTV.
- Access to the Apprenticeship Stream Training Program to help build crews while bringing experienced mentors to Saskatchewan when needed.
- Experienced production professionals.
- Competitive production costs.
- Diverse landscapes and locations.
- Modern production infrastructure.
- Strong production companies.
- A collaborative industry.
Taken together, these advantages create one of the strongest value propositions available to clients looking to maximize production value while controlling costs.
Turning Opportunity Into Business
Read our companion piece about how to build a sales strategy to take advantage of these opportunities.
These policy changes won’t automatically bring new productions to Saskatchewan.
Production companies will need to market themselves strategically and position Saskatchewan as Canada’s destination for commercial production.
Whether your company specializes in commercials, documentary, factual, branded content or digital storytelling, there has never been a better time to expand your client base beyond Saskatchewan and pursue national and international opportunities.
Commercials and branded content can provide steady work for producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, designers, animators, visual effects artists and production crews. They can strengthen production companies between larger television projects, create new revenue streams and build relationships with clients that return year after year.
Most importantly, Saskatchewan companies now have something few jurisdictions can offer: a combination of generous production incentives, workforce development support and an experienced industry capable of delivering world-class commercial productions.
The companies that move first—by developing a focused commercial strategy, investing in business development and actively marketing Saskatchewan’s unique competitive advantages—will be well positioned to capitalize on what may become one of the most significant growth opportunities our industry has seen in years.
The opportunity is here. The market is growing. Saskatchewan has the talent, the infrastructure and now the incentives to compete for commercial production work from across Canada and around the world.