Cambridge residents may have noticed a lack of camera crews, production staff and actors setting up in the downtown cores over the past few months.
The usually bustling spring and summer film season has been on pause across North America since writers for the movie and tv industry hit the picket lines in May.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) says they're receiving unfair compensation for their work while streaming services expand along with budgets for productions.
Since many of the productions that film in Cambridge come from the United States, the WGA strike effectively stopped any new projects from crossing the border and into Cambridge.
The city that became a hub for filming over the last decade with popular shows like The Handmaid's Tale, The Queen's Gambit and other film and television projects is taking a hit from the lagging interest, but those numbers won't become clear for months.
Matthew Walker, film liaison with Invest Cambridge, confirmed short term interest in filming has been in noticeable decline in recent months with only three productions in Cambridge so far this year.
Cambridge is not alone. Productions have slowed throughout the province and the strike is a likely culprit.
"There has been a bit of a downturn this year due to the writer's strike, but we're excited for future projects later in the season," Walker says.
Despite the pause from US productions, the city says they are still seeing inquires for future projects.
The Handmaid's Tale is entering its sixth and final season and has been filming in Cambridge from day one.
Although Walker cannot confirm whether the show was been disrupted due to the strike, he expects to see the red cloaked handmaids back in the city when production resumes.
Cambridge cemented itself as a go-to spot for productions outside of Toronto and Hamilton when it hired a dedicated staff member to make the process easy for productions to come to town.
In 2022, the city set a new record with 75 filming days throughout the year.
In the last annual film report presented to city council for 2021, the film industry's impact on the local economy was estimated to be nearly $1.6 million.
That estimate is based on money spent in local businesses, restaurants and hotels, in addition to funds donated to local community groups and spent in rental/parking fees.
Food Network Competition show Grilling Masters donated over 1,600 pounds of food to the Cambridge Food Bank when it was here.
Walker says the full impact of the writers' strike on the local economy won't be clear for months.
In the meantime, he says would like to see all sides come to an agreement so crews can start returning to Cambridge to capture the beautiful and unique scenery film crews around the world have helped make famous.
"Cambridge has always been welcoming to filming projects, and we're very hopeful that the strike will be short lived and filming can continue into the future with a big resurgence with the city Cambridge involved," he adds.
