Today Mayor Vincent C. Gray and DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development Director Crystal Palmer will meet with executives of major studios and networks in Los Angeles to discuss how to attract more Hollywood business to the District. While in Los Angeles to participate in the Summer Leadership Meeting for the US Conference of Mayors, Mayor Gray will serve as a keynote speaker at a luncheon hosted by the Motion Picture Association of America where he will discuss the benefits of filming in the District and highlight the quality of service, ease and affordability the city offers. He also will meet with senior executives at production companies that have upcoming film and television projects with DC-based story lines.
“These meetings are critically important to our mission to remain competitive in an industry where states and cities are offering extremely lucrative incentive programs,” stated Mayor Gray. “We have an incredible talent base and resources in the District that service all forms of production and it is our job to make sure these studios and networks with high revenue generating productions are aware of what we can offer.”
Mayor Gray is the first mayor of the District of Columbia to speak directly to Hollywood studio and production company executives to attract film and television production to the District. Representatives from companies such as HBO, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, Sony, Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox are among those Mayor Gray is expected to meet.
Major feature film and television productions filming in the District have historically served as a source of local production jobs and a boost to the economy at-large. Most recently, the filming of Transformers: Dark of the Moon contributed to hundreds of bookings in District hotels and supported an influx of business for many DC-based vendors including restaurants and neighborhood stores. The total economic impact of the one-week production is estimated to be nearly $2.5 million. The production also provided more than 180 jobs to local residents ranging from production assistants to extras.