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Jon Hamm (at Vera Pizza) joins a list of celebrities who have praised the city, including Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people are so friendly, great food, and I love ice hockey, so you know it was always fun to go do that,\u201d Hamm said, referring to attending several Winnipeg Jets games.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinnipeg in the winter is daunting, as any Canadian can tell you. It got down to about minus 30 a few days\u2026 and that\u2019s real, that\u2019s real cold,\u201d Hamm said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people are so friendly, great food, and I love ice hockey, so you know it was always fun to go do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 including the action films Nobody and Nobody 2, and the soon to be released action-thriller Normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinnipeg is an amazing interesting place. It\u2019s very quiet and calm and chill,\u201d Odenkirk told television host Seth Meyers during an appearance on his podcast last year.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jon Hamm attending several Winnipeg Jets games while he worked on an unreleased true crime series called American Hostage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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\u2026 We have not paid him to say these things, and so the authenticity of that kind of delivery is incredibly important and impactful,\u201d Tarrant said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn marketing, we call that organic or earned media.\u201d<\/p>\n Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, described celebrity endorsements as \u201cfree advertising for Winnipeg and Manitoba that we need to take advantage of.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to be better champions of ourselves,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is so much to do, and the people are going to be terrific, and we are going to be welcoming\u2026 That\u2019s just part of who we are and I think that\u2019s the reality. We don\u2019t need celebrities to tell us how great we are, but it\u2019s great when they do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 We have not paid him to say these things, and so the authenticity of that kind of delivery is incredibly important and impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n Manitobans should take pride whenever visitors \u2014 famous or otherwise \u2014 leave the province with a positive impression, said Louise Waldman, spokeswoman for Travel Manitoba.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helps support visitation and it helps support local pride,\u201d Waldman said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt reaffirms the things that are special about us that we know\u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Canadian Football League commissioner Stewart Johnston chats with Jon Hamm at the 2025 Grey Cup in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a place that\u2019s really liberating for celebrities if they\u2019re used to being followed, chased and stalked,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are really unexpected. I don\u2019t think people have expectations of how great it\u2019s going to be, so it\u2019s kind of a gift to massively exceed people\u2019s expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said the significance of Hamm\u2019s endorsement cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody like Jon Hamm has filmed around the world. He doesn\u2019t say that about every city or community he\u2019s been in, he said it about Winnipeg,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s chalk that one up to a nice feather in our cap, and let\u2019s try to put a few more in there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody like Jon Hamm has filmed around the world. He doesn\u2019t say that about every city or community he\u2019s been in, he said it about Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 marking one of the largest periods of growth in its history.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is 80,000 people\u2019s endorsements of this community, and endorsements of its economy, its quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Tyler Searle Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press\u2019s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic\u2019s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022.\u00a0Read more about Tyler<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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