It was more than 11 years ago, after having watched Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise, that I started on the path that would eventually lead to the creation of the Northern Mariana Islands Film Office. I remember watching the credits roll and thinking how neat it would be to have something like, "Special Thanks to the governor and people of the Northern Mariana Islands for their gracious hospitality." The film location for Cocktail was intriguing, and it quickly crossed my mind that this could have been filmed on Saipan! So, after devising a plan and putting that plan to work, a three-year quest got underway to establish a film commission. The work of many was finally realized in early 1996.
The Northern Marianas joined the Association of Film Commissioners International and I went through the trade group's certification process. In our first year as members, this small, unfunded island film office managed to snake the first place award at the AFCI Annual Cineposium for Best Promotional Film, edging out favorites New Jersey and Massachusetts. It was a thrill to receive this coveted award from Robert Dowling, editor of the Hollywood Reporter.
In just under its first two years of operation, this same film office that only received funding through gubernatorial reprogramming authority, managed to generate and assist in bringing nearly $2 million of direct economic impact to the island economy. Location scouts called, photographers and film crews arrived. The end result? Enhanced exposure for a little-known U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. I worked in partnership with the governor, wearing hats as both his special assistant for tourism and trade and as the commonwealth's first film commissioner. I believed then, as I do now, that having a film commission is an economic driver that directly complements and supports destination marketing.
Although the Carlsbad CVB has been an identified liaison with the San Diego Film Office, we have not proactively worked the television, film and entertainment industries. I believe that by not doing so, we have left money on the table that is there for the asking. It is well known that a multiplier effect exists that has a direct correlation to travel and tourism when the value of television, film and entertainment are factored in. After all, why wouldn't a destination want to capitalize on its natural and man-made assets?
With digital and other technological advances that began in the 90s, film commissions are now running far more efficiently, both in personnel and the costs to generate resource materials.
In many communities, film commissions help to streamline the red tape that often has a constricting effect on the industry. However, to its credit, Carlsbad is not known as having bureaucratic hurdles that can ultimately kill a project before it ever begins. It's all about access and the industry knows where to do business and where not to spin wheels!
By having a film commission incorporated into the organizational mix of the Carlsbad CVB, a definite opportunity exists to further promote our coastal community in ways that offer tremendous excitement and economic gain for the community at-large. I remember the naysayer attitude that existed in the Marianas when the idea of creating a film office was first being discussed. The dream I had in 1994 led to the eventual creation of a film studies program at the Northern Marianas College by an Oscar winner who took the award for best sound some years earlier. His students have since helped to create an industry that supports the television, film and entertainment industries when the professionals come calling.
And, not every community can say that it was first on a list of destinations to be considered for the very first, Survivor. We worked that Burbank lead very hard and seemingly had a real shot at snagging one of our fourteen islands for the first season. As fate would have it, the original concept of Survivor was dropped for apparent lack of interest. In the travel and tourism industries, it's all about exposure, exposure, and more exposure. (Go figure, and what season are they now in?) I have many friends living in Palau, and they've told me that Survivor was a financial windfall for an island nation that depends largely on tourism.
We'll continue to look to those communities that have found benefit by incorporating a film commission within the fabric of their bureau. I know film commissions bring economic value, and so does the Northern Mariana Islands. Why leave money on the table?
The Northern Marianas joined the Association of Film Commissioners International and I went through the trade group's certification process. In our first year as members, this small, unfunded island film office managed to snake the first place award at the AFCI Annual Cineposium for Best Promotional Film, edging out favorites New Jersey and Massachusetts. It was a thrill to receive this coveted award from Robert Dowling, editor of the Hollywood Reporter.
In just under its first two years of operation, this same film office that only received funding through gubernatorial reprogramming authority, managed to generate and assist in bringing nearly $2 million of direct economic impact to the island economy. Location scouts called, photographers and film crews arrived. The end result? Enhanced exposure for a little-known U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. I worked in partnership with the governor, wearing hats as both his special assistant for tourism and trade and as the commonwealth's first film commissioner. I believed then, as I do now, that having a film commission is an economic driver that directly complements and supports destination marketing.
Although the Carlsbad CVB has been an identified liaison with the San Diego Film Office, we have not proactively worked the television, film and entertainment industries. I believe that by not doing so, we have left money on the table that is there for the asking. It is well known that a multiplier effect exists that has a direct correlation to travel and tourism when the value of television, film and entertainment are factored in. After all, why wouldn't a destination want to capitalize on its natural and man-made assets?
With digital and other technological advances that began in the 90s, film commissions are now running far more efficiently, both in personnel and the costs to generate resource materials.
In many communities, film commissions help to streamline the red tape that often has a constricting effect on the industry. However, to its credit, Carlsbad is not known as having bureaucratic hurdles that can ultimately kill a project before it ever begins. It's all about access and the industry knows where to do business and where not to spin wheels!
By having a film commission incorporated into the organizational mix of the Carlsbad CVB, a definite opportunity exists to further promote our coastal community in ways that offer tremendous excitement and economic gain for the community at-large. I remember the naysayer attitude that existed in the Marianas when the idea of creating a film office was first being discussed. The dream I had in 1994 led to the eventual creation of a film studies program at the Northern Marianas College by an Oscar winner who took the award for best sound some years earlier. His students have since helped to create an industry that supports the television, film and entertainment industries when the professionals come calling.
And, not every community can say that it was first on a list of destinations to be considered for the very first, Survivor. We worked that Burbank lead very hard and seemingly had a real shot at snagging one of our fourteen islands for the first season. As fate would have it, the original concept of Survivor was dropped for apparent lack of interest. In the travel and tourism industries, it's all about exposure, exposure, and more exposure. (Go figure, and what season are they now in?) I have many friends living in Palau, and they've told me that Survivor was a financial windfall for an island nation that depends largely on tourism.
We'll continue to look to those communities that have found benefit by incorporating a film commission within the fabric of their bureau. I know film commissions bring economic value, and so does the Northern Mariana Islands. Why leave money on the table?