‘Free advertising for Winnipeg:’ stars put spotlight on city

Mad Men star Jon Hamm is again professing his love for Winnipeg — the latest unsolicited celebrity endorsement that travel officials call more effective than any marketing campaign for the city.

The Hollywood star, who spent weeks in Winnipeg filming an upcoming project, heaped praise on the city in a new interview, saying he enjoyed his time here despite experiencing the notoriously frigid weather.

“I had a blast in Winnipeg,” Hamm said during an interview that aired Friday on Global News’s The Morning Show, speaking alongside co-star Dave Franco about their new animated film, Hoppers.

“The people are so friendly, great food, and I love ice hockey, so you know it was always fun to go do that,” Hamm said, referring to attending several Winnipeg Jets games.

It’s the latest instance of the Golden Globe-winning actor supporting the city, where he worked on an unreleased true crime series called American Hostage, filmed locally between November and February.

Hamm wasted no time settling into his role as a temporary Winnipegger, spotted at local restaurants, sporting events and taking in the local arts scene.

“Winnipeg in the winter is daunting, as any Canadian can tell you. It got down to about minus 30 a few days… and that’s real, that’s real cold,” Hamm said.

“The people are so friendly, great food, and I love ice hockey, so you know it was always fun to go do that.”

Hamm joins a list of celebrities who have praised the city, including Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk, who has filmed multiple projects in Manitoba — including the action films Nobody and Nobody 2, and the soon to be released action-thriller Normal.

“Winnipeg is an amazing interesting place. It’s very quiet and calm and chill,” Odenkirk told television host Seth Meyers during an appearance on his podcast last year.

These unsolicited endorsements are among the most effective ways to build the reputation of Manitoba, which is increasingly becoming a destination for the film and travel industries, said Kathy Tarrant, a spokeswoman for Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism.

“It is a significant benefit to us when someone with the stature and the reach of Jon Hamm takes the time to say that he found this to be a friendly and fun experience… We have not paid him to say these things, and so the authenticity of that kind of delivery is incredibly important and impactful,” Tarrant said.

“In marketing, we call that organic or earned media.”

Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, described celebrity endorsements as “free advertising for Winnipeg and Manitoba that we need to take advantage of.”

“We need to be better champions of ourselves,” he said. “There is so much to do, and the people are going to be terrific, and we are going to be welcoming… That’s just part of who we are and I think that’s the reality. We don’t need celebrities to tell us how great we are, but it’s great when they do.”

“… We have not paid him to say these things, and so the authenticity of that kind of delivery is incredibly important and impactful.”

Manitobans should take pride whenever visitors — famous or otherwise — leave the province with a positive impression, said Louise Waldman, spokeswoman for Travel Manitoba.

“It helps support visitation and it helps support local pride,” Waldman said.

“It reaffirms the things that are special about us that we know… We sometimes love to be our own biggest critics, but we also love it when people from outside of Manitoba or Winnipeg talk about how great it is.”

Waldman said celebrities may be drawn to Manitoba because of its friendly and unassuming nature. Famous visitors can explore the city without fear of being hounded by fans or paparazzi.

“It’s a place that’s really liberating for celebrities if they’re used to being followed, chased and stalked,” she said. “We are really unexpected. I don’t think people have expectations of how great it’s going to be, so it’s kind of a gift to massively exceed people’s expectations.”

Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said the significance of Hamm’s endorsement cannot be overstated.

“Somebody like Jon Hamm has filmed around the world. He doesn’t say that about every city or community he’s been in, he said it about Winnipeg,” he said. “Let’s chalk that one up to a nice feather in our cap, and let’s try to put a few more in there.”

“Somebody like Jon Hamm has filmed around the world. He doesn’t say that about every city or community he’s been in, he said it about Winnipeg.”

He is not alone in his love for the city, Remillard said, noting the population of Winnipeg has increased by roughly 80,000 over the past four years — marking one of the largest periods of growth in its history.

“That is 80,000 people’s endorsements of this community, and endorsements of its economy, its quality of life.”

Franco, who has also spent time working in the city, quipped about the cold weather during the Global News interview, sharing an anecdote about his experience at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street.

“I stayed on what they told me was the windiest corner in all of Canada, where you had to put your full weight just to walk forward,” he said, laughing.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

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