Smokebomb Entertainment will see immediate growth in its development of digital entertainment thanks to a $639,044 grant from the federal government's Canada Media Fund (CMF),
we reported last week. And about the time that story hit the wire, Smokebomb's parent company,
Shaftesbury Entertainment, took the time to acknowledge the support it has received from the CMF since its founding in 1987.
"Without the support of the Government of Canada through the CMF and tax credit programs,
Murdock Mysteries would not exist,"
said company CEO Christina Jennings. She was referring specifically to one of Shaftesbury's most popular programs, now entering its fourth season, which has been licensed in more than 100 countries around the world. The occasion was a visit to the set from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reportedly a fan of the program.
The company says that since 2003, Murdoch Mysteries alone has created 5,000 jobs in the local television industry, and that the company as a whole employs roughly 3,500 people every year across its various productions.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Katherine Wolfgang, VP Communications, Shaftesbury Entertainment