Who doesn’t love snuggling up under a cosy blanket on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (and maybe some Bailey’s – 🤷‍♀️) to watch your favourite Hallmark holiday movie? You know the story- city girl meets country boy, they fall in love while entwined in some kind of holiday shenanigans that get wrapped up with a pretty bow by the end.  Sigh. My heart is aflutter just thinking about it!

So you know the story of your Christmas flick but have you noticed the backdrop? It just may have been filmed right here in our own backyard. That’s right Newmarket has been the filming location of dozens of movies and major Hollywood productions including Carrie, Regression, The Vow, Dream House and Repo Men not to mention over thirty-holiday love stories that you Newmarket is the perfect location to portray both a charming small village (Historic Main Street) and a futuristic big city as seen through the lens of Southlake’s iconic arch and the Davis Drive/Yonge Street corridor.

To get us in the spirit of the season, let’s focus on all of the Christmas magic that has happened here over the past four years. Some of these classic titles include Christmas with a Prince, Christmas Wedding Planner, a very Country Christmas and many more! This is all thanks to Brain Power Studio (BPS) – a homegrown, world-class media content maker and production company.

Beth Stevenson is the brains behind Brain Power. In addition to being a lovely human being, Beth is a powerhouse. As an executive producer and Founder of BPS, Beth has worked with all the big players including Disney, Discovery, Nickelodeon, BBC, Sprout, Amazon and Netflix. Beth is a long time Newmarket resident and a few years ago Beth decided to move her business to her hometown testing the idea that Newmarket could support a film studio.  So far the project has been a complete success! Beth and BPS have been helping to put Newmarket on the map as they have been recently featured in Style Democracy, NarCity, Huffington Post Canada and Newmarket Today.

Last week we had the chance to spend some time with Beth and be a fly on the wall on one of her movie sets. We were also lucky enough to attend the swanky premiere of Christmas in Paris at the Old Town Hall. This TIFF –inspired night was not to be missed, complete with Santa selfies, local eats, holiday bevies and of course the best part – the movie! Christmas in Paris is a 2019 must-see so be sure to put it on your list – the nice list that is.

Seeing the creativity displayed by BPS and watching them in motion was such an inspiration. Sometimes you don’t even realize how many amazing things are happening right under your nose. Perhaps what’s most inspiring is that what started as a smaller operation at Beth’s dining room table is still operating from Beth’s dining room table – just in a different location (their Brain Power studio office is just off Davis Drive) and on a world stage. That table also just so happens to have been her grandmother’s, which speaks to the fact that at the core BPS is a family company doing what they love, motivated and inspired by the people they love.

Follow your dreams people – they can come true anytime and anywhere. Thank you to Brain Power Studios for continuing to fill our hearts with holiday cheer and for making Newmarket so proud.

“No matter how far away you roam…if you want to be happy in a million ways, for the holidays you can’t beat home sweet home!”