Welcome to the Aeon Studio Group blog. We’ve been talking about opening this channel for a some time, now here we are! Going forward you will find company news and other thoughts here. Without further ado, our first post…
Over the last five years Aeon Studio group has steadily advanced on its mission to further build Hamilton into a destination for film, television and digital media production, and to realize the dream of a live-work-play cluster for the creative industries in the West Harbour.
While much work remains to be done, we are happy to have made two key advancements:
(1) opening Bayfront Studios, Hamilton's largest film studio complex at 243 Queen St N, and
(2) establishing a thriving affordable community arts hub administered by Centre[3] at 29 Harriet Street,
which are both in the immediate vicinity of the Barton-Tiffany lands, where the planned District will be built.
Thanks to your input, over the last 18 months Aeon Studio Group has further defined its plan for the District. It now reflects feedback collected from ~100 stakeholder organizations and individuals.
One thing that emerged is the opportunity to establish Hamilton as an infrastructure hub for the future of film production. We have adjusted the mix of production space to include less traditional production space and more high-tech enabled stages for virtual production and other leading edge applications.
We have added performance space to the plan after learning that there is a critical gap in the cultural landscape, and we are working with local arts organizations to define needs and identify potential partners.
We had planned to integrate 231 Bay St, the stately former Gallery on Bay building, into the campus, but as our plans have evolved we have decided to divest it and concentrate instead on the Barton Tiffany lands and our currently operating buildings.
Aeon, its partners in the Bayfront Studio District consortium, and City staff continue to work diligently to move the project forward.
Minister Tassi, MP Collins, MPP Lumsden and their teams, as well as other government representatives have been extremely supportive of the plan to build the Bayfront Studio District. Our sincerest thanks to them all and we look forward to continuing to work with them.
We recently launched a visual identity for the Bayfront Studio District. It is black and white because the District will only be the canvas. The creators will bring the colour. Our typeface has letters of different shapes and sizes to reflect Aeon's determination to make the District a place of deliberate diversity. But this is just the beginning - over time you will infuse the visual identity with the character and meaning that will come to define it.
Stay tuned for more news!
-Team Aeon
