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Imagine: mid-October 2025. You're sprawled out on the couch, casually enjoying a rerun of your favorite '80s sitcom on cable television, when an ad appears on the Hallmark Channel or W Network here in Canada promoting “Countdown to Christmas.”
For some, it's causing excitement—the holidays are approaching, and the season isn't complete without sipping on a cup of hot cocoa while watching a selection of cozy Christmas movies. For others, this 24-hour rotation of Christmas greetings is a nightmare.
Like it or not, Hallmark movies are big business in British Columbia, where the company films about 40 percent content – Christmas and year-round programs.
When Hallmark films in British Columbia, it hires almost exclusively local workers. The province estimates that each film employs about 100 local crew members.
“For the most part, we'll be bringing in one or two people from outside of B.C.,” said Randy Pope, senior vice president of programming and development for Hallmark Channel.
Of course, any film production in British Columbia means jobs for local crews and actors. But the economic impact of these films is much broader.
When a play comes to town, the cast and crew spend money on catering, local cafes, restaurants, purchasing props from local boutiques, dry cleaning, purchasing lumber for the set—the list goes on.
“Movies cost a lot more money than you think,” said Gemma Martini, founder and CEO of Martini Studios, a Langley-based production facility often used by Hallmark Media and other companies.
And when Hallmark films dozens and dozens of films in British Columbia every year, that injection of money into the local economy only increases.
In a statement emailed to CBC News, the province's Ministry of Tourism. ARTS, Culture and Sports said that while they couldn't pinpoint Hallmark's exact contribution to British Columbia's economy, overall the film and television industry earned more than $2 billion in 2023.
Hallmark Tourism Brings Viewers to British Columbia
The growing popularity of Hallmark movies is generating interest among fans who want to see the locations where the movies were filmed or immerse themselves in Hallmark-like attractions.
Martini Studios hosts an annual event called Merry & Bright at Martini Town, where people can visit the “meticulously” built set used for Hallmark productions and feel as if they are in a real Hallmark movie.
“I think it's quite amazing and incredible that [Hallmark has] that fan base,” Martini said.
The event began in 2023 amid industrial strikes and uncertainty following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Martini noticed contractors taking photos and asking questions about the set, she realized there was a market for people who loved Hallmark and wanted to see the places where movies are filmed.
“Some people come because it’s an opportunity to bring their family and have a nice outdoor Christmas,” Martini said. “Some people come because they want amazing photos for their Christmas card, and some people come because they're excited to be on set.”
Likewise, Jamestown set in Langley, home of the popular Hallmark series When the heart calls made, offers tours for fans when the show is not filming.
Pope said Hallmark has been approached to provide filming location tours as Maple Ridge city officials release whole list holiday movies, including Hallmark and other similar films filmed in the city.
Martini is also involved in the creation of a new website called Cineventure, which directs film fans to the locations where films were filmed, including When the heart calls.
With tourism, jobs and additional costs associated with making films in British Columbia, film production is important to the economy, the British Columbia Ministry of the Arts said.
“Movies of the Week, for which Hallmark is particularly known, are an important and celebrated part of British Columbia's feature film production,” the department said.
