SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica stated on its website on August 29 that starting Monday, September 1, they will partner with Film Santa Monica, a new entity of Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, to handle all film permitting, support and marketing.
Film Santa Monica is solely focused on promoting Los Angeles’ beachside city and will oversee the coordination of film permits and communication with production teams and residents. The Santa Monica City Council approved a three-year contract with Film Santa Monica on July 29.
“Santa Monica has always been an ideal backdrop for filming of all kinds, and there are so many iconic shots of our city in beloved movies and TV shows,” said Mayor Lana Negrete. “This strategic effort to leverage that as a revenue source aligns perfectly with our goal of increasing Economic Opportunity & Growth in our city.”
With the city’s official film agency, Film Santa Monica is set to deliver a streamlined permitting process for production teams with personalized guidance through each step of the way. In addition to issuing permits and coordinating productions, Film Santa Monica will market Santa Monica as a premier filming destination for television, full-length features, commercial shoots and more.
“The creation of Film Santa Monica presents a distinct opportunity to localize management of productions taking place in our beloved beach city, as well as effectively market Santa Monica’s many versatile and vivid locations to entertainment industry professionals,” said Evan Edwards, chief operating officer of Film Santa Monica.
“Expanding upon the work of our sister organization Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT), our expertise in selling the destination, deep connections with the community and wealth of knowledge about the best venues and hidden gems will equip us to lead Santa Monica’s filming efforts with both logistical efficacy and invaluable insight. Just as the work SMTT does to increase the positive economic impacts of tourism, we look forward to driving further economic growth in Santa Monica through an increase in local productions bringing businesses to the destination while further promoting Santa Monica’s brand.”
Such films that had scenes shot in Santa Monica include “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan gosling, Robert Downey Jr. appearing above the Santa Monica Pier in “Iron Man” and the cast of “Baywatch” running along Santa Monica Beach.
For more details or to place a filming inquiry, visit filmsantamonica.com or contact Evan Edwards, Chief Operating Officer at evan@filmsantamonica.com.