Isla Fisher (left) and Willa Skye in Godmothered. (Courtesy Disney+)
John Stimpson has found a sweet spot making holiday movies from his Worcester home base. About half of the 15 or so of the movies he’s made since 2004 include a holiday theme. “These little movies are inexpensive to make but they sell well,” he says.
Though he never imagined it, he jokes, “I’m becoming the king of Christmas movies.” In fact, he’s in the middle of editing one shot on Cape Cod right now.
Stimpson’s movies have aired on Lifetime, Hallmark and ION, the cable networks that created what’s now the nonstop holiday movie genre. In recent years, nearly every other major network and streaming platform has upped their holiday movie game, too. (Between Lifetime and Hallmark s two channels, there are 70 new 2020 titles alone.) That demand has translated into more holiday-themed work for the region’s film crews and more familiar locations to spot while watching them.