Sudbury takes centre stage in Olympic Canadian Tire commercial

Sudburians watching the Canadian Tire commercial airing during the Sochi Olympics might think there's something familiar about it.

It isn't any wonder. The commercial was entirely shot in the Nickel City in December by local production company Hideaway Pictures, along with Toronto-based Spy Films. The cast and most of the crew are from the region.

Hideaway CEO David Anselmo said the careful observer watching the commercial — directed by Tamir Moscovici — might spot Adanac Ski Hill, parts of New Sudbury and Durham Street.

Among the Sudburians featured in the commercial are Greg Tremblay, who spray paints the Canadian flag on the snow, local figure-skater Kara Passi, who does a spin with a Canadian flag, and the Nickel City Peewee Hawks hockey team.

The commercial also features five-year-old Sturgeon Falls resident Brayden Solomon, who made his on-screen debut in the commercial, making snow angels with another actor.

Brayden's performance in the commercial was previously featured in a Northern Life article.

This is the first national commercial produced by Hideaway, which normally focuses on feature film and television production, Anselmo said. He said he'd like to do more national commercials in the future.

“We were extremely happy to be able to showcase the city and also the people of Sudbury in something we're proud of,” Anselmo said.

“That's just being Canadian and being fans of the Olympics and cheering our country on. It was a really nice thing to do.”

@heidi_ulrichsen