They operate on microbudgets-less than $1 million Canadian-which allows some production companies to fly under the union radar and keep crew costs low, and tax credits take the edge off even that. The typical pitch-to-delivery cycle for these low-budget, high-volume Hallmark-style movies is less than three months. The short answer? They make a ton of money.

We spoke with three key players in the industry-a development producer, an actor and a key grip, all of whom asked to remain anonymous-to understand just why so many of these cheeseball movies get made. Even Netflix is digging in: hands up if you watched The Knight Before Christmas with your mom over the holidays. The Lifetime Network produced another 16 in 2019 Burnaby-based Lighthouse Pictures is in on the game too. The Hallmark Channel filmed 173 made-for-TV movies in the province over the past three years alone-among them Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen-though the brand name has become a catch-all term for any (admittedly beloved) feel-good schlock filmed here. It may be predictable, but this Christmas rom-com formula has made “Hallmark Movies” a cottage industry here in B.C. A beautiful but jaded interior designer who doesn’t believe in Christmas decorates a mansion for a handsome businessman and the sparks-and holiday magic-start to fly. Even if you haven’t seen Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses, you’re probably more than familiar with the plot.

Hallmark movie production company