SASKATOON – Since the Saskatchewan government cut its Film Employment Tax Credit in 2012, production in the province has become challenging.
While some production companies have chosen to find work out of the province, the financial struggle hasn’t stopped a Saskatoon man from taking his vision out of this world.
It was an idea that rattled around in Tim Tyler’s head for almost a decade. The executive producer of Cheshire Smile Animation and science fiction enthusiast finally decided to turn his idea into an eight episode television series last year.
The show “Space Stretch” combines yoga and science fiction for a young audience.
Tyler’s son was one of the inspirations behind the series. His son has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and it was a struggle for Tyler to get him going in the mornings.
“We started doing a yoga practice with him that would help him develop some concentration and more awareness and more compassion. The long and short of it, not only did we gain control of our mornings. He’s really blossomed,” said Tyler.
The five minute long episodes are intended to get all pre-school children active while watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Staying and producing a series in Saskatoon has been a stretch financially but Tyler has found ways to make it work.
“We’re keen on keeping our production here and we’ve been working on getting innovative partnerships that have helped us get around it.”
Space Stretch will be available this fall both provincially and nationally.
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