Thunder Bay, Ont. — Producers of the CBC’s television show Dragons’ Den are looking for the next big thing in Canadian business, claiming “perhaps that next big thing is in Thunder Bay.”

Auditions for the show will be starting as producers make a call out to entrepreneurs across the country.

Molly Middleton, a senior producer on Dragons’ Den, says they do their best to make sure every region is represented, even in Northwestern Ontario.

“In 2021, there was a business out of Thunder Bay called Sodcrete Urban Innovations, putting concrete to better use,” she told The Chronicle-Journal.

Each competing entrepreneur has a chance to enter Dragons’ Den in a bid to score backing for their business ventures with an equity exchange by pitching their business ideas to a panel of wealthy Canadian business moguls, referred to on the show as the Dragons. Successful competitors will have an opportunity to earn real investment directly from the impressed dragons.

“Dragons are either in, and make a handshake deal for investment and equity, or they are out,” Middleton said. “We’re looking for the next great deal, be it an innovative product, or a business looking to scale. Ideas are a hard sell as we head into the 18th season of the show. We’ve seen a lot of incredible success stories.”

Middleton added, there’s no age limit but it’s a TV show about business.

“We want to see passion, energy, innovation and a visually dynamic way to demonstrate that on TV to a national audience,” she said, adding, an average day on set is full of surprises.

“It’s always inspiring when people can come up with a lucrative way to innovate in an area you didn’t realize had room for innovation.”

This year’s dragons include Wes Hall, who is known as The fixer; Michele Romanow, called a tech titan; Vincenzo Guzzo, an entertainment mogul; Manjit Minhas, co-founder and co-owner of Minhas Breweries, Distillery and Wineries; Arlene Dickson, a venture capitalist, and Robert Herjavec a cybersecurity visionary.

Entrepreneurs can apply online. Producers will be hosting in-person auditions in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, and are doing virtual auditions on zoom for any online applications that grab their attention.

To find the application, go online at www.cbc.ca/dragonsden

Sandi Krasowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Chronicle-Journal