'Hope & Hard Work': Justin Trudeau to launch production company

OTTAWA — Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and his longtime chief of staff Katie Telford will be walking down the red carpet for TIFF to launch a new entertainment production company called Hope & Hard Work on Friday.

According to a launch party invitation circulated this week, Trudeau and Telford are expected to launch the new venture on Friday Sept. 11 during an evening event at the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Lightbox building downtown.

The name Hope & Hard Work reprises a slogan that was central to Trudeau and the Liberal party during his time as prime minister, starting with the 2015 federal election campaign that saw him catapult the Liberals from third opposition to government for nearly one decade.

It was long rumoured that Trudeau planned on launching a production company after leaving politics in early March 2025. Telford, Trudeau’s chief of staff for the entirety of his decade-long tenure as prime minister, has remained close to him after his departure from Parliament.

The invitation does not detail what will be announced during the launch. Generally, production company heads use launch events to announce upcoming film projects or market the movie rights for various books or stories they have acquired.

Since leaving politics, Trudeau appears to be living a teenage dream, starting with dating popstar Katy Perry and delivering speeches around the globe on themes ranging from the value of “soft power” to recounting his experience leading a G7 nation.

Hope & Hard Work seems inspired by former U.S. president Barack Obama and his wife and former first lady Michelle Obama, who also launched a production company called Higher Ground in 2018. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also founded a production company called Archewell Productions in 2020.

Trudeau and Obama were always considered to be close both during and after Obama’s presidency, with many describing the relationship as a “bromance”.

Telford did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the upcoming launch.

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