EP 6: START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
- Jun 30
- 1 min read
YOU DON'T NEED A LOCAL PRODUCTION TO START.
Step one of building a film tourism strategy?
Stop. Look around. Start asking better questions. 🔍
Before you market your community to filmmakers or visitors, you need to understand what you already have.
That starts with three things:
1️⃣ Catalog your locations
Every visually interesting, historically significant, unexpected, or even an everyday place in your community and these are the assets filmmakers look for. What feels ordinary to you may be exactly what a story needs.
Then identify the locations audiences already recognize from screen...these are what visitors will come to experience.
2️⃣ Research your film history
What’s been filmed in your area, past or present? This is what connects you to the production industry. Check IMDb, your state film commission, local archives, even your CVB.
Then look deeper...what stories, places, or even local people are connected to film or television? These are the connections that can drive tourism, whether or not something was filmed there.
3️⃣ Understand your visitors
Who’s already coming and what are they drawn to? Film tourism works best when it builds on what people already love about your community.
Here’s the key:
👉 You can’t build a strategy if you don’t know your assets.
👉 And most communities have more than they think.
This is where film tourism begins.
🎬 Follow along as we break down each step of the ShineCo. framework.
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