There’s a real buzz hanging over Muskoka these days, specifically in the small town of Port Carling. A new coming of age adult TV drama called Sterling Point is filmed in the small Muskoka town and residents and cottagers are loving it. “It’s nice to see, it’s cool,” says Chelsea Biggs, a Port Carling resident. “It’s nice to be close to home and see that.” The show was filmed in Port Carling last summer and is now running on Prime. It’s also receiving quite a bit of coverage south of the border. Ella Rubin, who plays the lead in the show, appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon recently and both Rubin and Fallon made it clear they love Muskoka. Scott Naurath is an American who cottages in Port Carling. He’s also seen the show and is now a fan. “Seeing the Port Carling sign and seeing the stores that I come up to all the time, that’s really cool, I think. It’s great for the area,” says Naurath. People in Port Carling say they have seen the show and are proud to be able to show off beautiful Muskoka. Business owners say it can only be good for business. “It’s really neat. I kept looking out for my restaurant,” says Alex Dancey, owner of the restaurant, York and Mason. “It’s very nice. I thought it really showcased the beauty of Muskoka really well.” “We point stuff out like we’ve been there, like that’s our bay, that’s our cottage,” says Sydney Leibowitz, another Muskoka resident. Everyone seems to be talking about Hollywood coming to town, especially after the success of another hit series, Heated Rivalry that can be seen on Crave. And Heated Rivalry has been picked up across the globe. The global attention is also beneficial for Ontario cottage country tourism. “It was massive when Heated Rivalry came out,” says Val Hamilton, Muskoka Tourism executive director. “We didn’t think it was possible we could top that, especially in the same year. All eight episodes are featuring our region and every five minutes you have this scenic b-roll showing the beautiful lakes and towns, like Port Carling. We knew this was going to be something really, really big.” The show and Muskoka itself are receiving huge international attention after an article appeared in the New York Times. Business owners in Port Carling say the news has been the talk of town for weeks and suggest this kind of publicity can only help attract new visitors to the area.
