A fast-rising television series that launched in Squamish last summer is less likely to use the town as a location because a few opportunistic merchants tried to take advantage of the production company after blocking store frontages during shooting, according to the series' locations manager.
Production companies typically reimburse businesses for lost revenue based on the previous year's sales of the same day, but a few merchants attempted to double or triple their revenue, according to Men in Trees locations manager Scott Walden.
Walden said there is "a lot of truth" to Mayor Ian Sutherland's January 23 Chamber of Commerce luncheon speech, which stated that Men in Trees brought its business to Vancouver because certain downtown merchants "nickel and dimed" them away.
"[One] reason we're not coming there is because of a couple of businesses, not Squamish as a whole," said Walden. "That's as far as Men in Trees is concerned, and when it comes to other shows who have contacted us - either having shot there or wanting to shoot there - they've been experiencing the same thing with the same individuals or somebody in an area we haven't shot. So it's definitely a challenge for productions."
The longevity of Men in Trees seems assured as it now reaches over 10 million viewers in North America every Thursday night, but the expense of shooting outside the studio zone along with the local business pressure may mean the alienation of the Men in Trees production company and a loss to the local economy.
"I'd love to come there more often, but there are a couple of businesses that make it difficult," said Walden.
But some downtown business owners disagreed with Sutherland's assessment.
One merchant who withheld her name said she thought the mayor's comments were "a gross overgeneralization" and another anonymous merchant agreed, adding: "We [the production company and I] had a good rapport. They dealt with me fairly."
When Men in Trees first began shooting on Cleveland Ave. in the summer of 2006, stores were warned of possible disruptions to their businesses.
Almost all the shops welcomed the production, according to many storeowners, but an issue arose when filming all but shut down Cleveland Ave. during a busy, sunny Friday afternoon.
"It was huge," said The Hive owner Colleen Myers. "We all lost major business that day."
Myers said it was apparent that "bad planning" was to blame and wanted more business consultation before the district issued filming permits.
She said if store owners had been asked, the producers could've predicted the result of such a disruption.Myers said she hadn't heard of anyone "gouging" the production company.
But Myers added that despite the one bad day, most merchants had positive experiences dealing with considerate Men in Trees production staff, and hoped to see them again.
Gelato Carina owner and downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) director Greg Fischer said he had a few minor disruptions but also had increased sales in food and beverages and hopes productions continue shooting in Squamish.
Fischer said he appreciated Sutherland's comment because "people have to know why they left."
