72 BCBusiness OctOber 2014
Sacha + Jason McLean
Vice-chair; president and CEO
The McLean Group of Companies
T
he evolution of the McLean Group
from a real estate operation into
an aviation, IT and film-production
empire was part happenstance
and part vision. In 1996, when
then-
CEO David McLean fell ill, his 21-year-old
son Sacha stepped in and was tasked with
"kicking out" short-term film production
renters and finding permanent leases for
a 30-acre East Vancouver warehouse lot.
Sacha, now 39, realized there was a business
there—"provided you built proper, L.A.-style
studios." The family teamed an L.A. sound
stage designer with a local architect, and
broke ground on the first studio in 1999.
Jason McLean, 41, who came on in 2002
to help "clean up" the company's contract
system, took on the task of finding $100 mil-
lion in financing to complete and expand the
studios. "It was a 10-year-plus process, con-
vincing the financial markets that the [film]
business was here to stay," says Jason. Today,
VFS is a six-building, 12-stage film production
hub, with camera-equipped helicopters at
the ready and two related offshoots: Pacific
Backlot equipment rentals and Signal Systems
production IT services. "It's like the L.A.
model of 80 years ago: everything vertically
integrated, everyone under one roof," says
Jason. Last year, the McLean Group launched
its own in-house production company, Gun
Lake Pictures, which now has seven shows in
development.
Entrepreneurial success is about choosing
passion projects, says Sacha, but also about
putting skilled people in charge so you can
focus on strategy. "A lot of entrepreneurs
make the mistake of trying to run a business
and grow it at the same time," he says. "You
think you're invincible—but it's impossible."
Jason agrees: "There's a humility associated
with growth. When you realize you're a
better owner than manager, you can really
get to the next phase of the business."
—Melissa Edwards
EOY
2 0 14
w i n n e r
E n t e r t a i n m e n t / H o s p i t a l i t y