Nevada Film Office
Charles Geocaris, Director
555 E. Washington Avenue, Suite 5400
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 486-2711
Fax: 486-2712

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeanne Corcoran
(702)486-2713 January 17, 2003

August 19, 2002
Nevada Film Office Releases Fiscal Year End Figures

LAS VEGAS, Nv. ­ Despite the events of September 11th which resulted in radically reduced travel to locations outside of California by film and television productions, the State of Nevada received nearly $115 million in revenues from movies, television programs, commercials and other projects shot in the state during fiscal year 2002.

The fiscal year period, July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, included more than 150 television shows, series, and specials shooting in Nevada, representing $52 million of the total $115 million figure. The second largest portion of filming revenues came from feature films, with 33 productions generating $21 million for Nevada. Commercials were the third largest revenue source, with approximately $15 million spent in the state. Documentaries, corporate and industrial projects represented an additional $12 million. Still photography brought $8 million worth of income to Nevada, and music videos produced nearly $6 million. Student films and miscellaneous media filming tallied almost a half million dollars in the grand total.

"We are pleased with and appreciative of these figures," says Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt, Chairman of the Commission on Economic Development, which oversees the NFO. "The national level of filming in most states took a substantial downturn after September 11th, but Nevada has maintained a strong position. It¹s gratifying to know that our filming industry in Nevada remains stable, and revenues continue to be more than double the volume of just a brief four years ago."

Although major blockbuster films like Ocean¹s 11 and Rush Hour 2 did not shoot during the past fiscal period, a steady stream of smaller budget productions continued the trend of shooting in and around Las Vegas and Reno. Hallmark Hall of Fame¹s movie Little John and Castlerock¹s Lucky starring John Corbett were two such examples. The Korean feature The Champion and the British film Auf Weidershen, Pet, based on the popular series from the BBC, were a few of the International movies shot in Las Vegas during the fiscal year.

"In addition to infusing an average of over one hundred million dollars into our economy each year in the immediate first tier of spending, filming also provides long-term economic impact that lasts for months, years, even decades through Nevada being seen Œon screen.¹ If Nevada had to purchase the Œair time¹ and advertising exposure we receive from the hundreds of productions that shoot here each year, it would cost us countless millions of dollars," says Charles Geocaris, Director of the NFO. "The impact on tourism and travel to Nevada is boosted tremendously by our presence in movies, television programs, commercials, and all the other multimedia that aims their lens at us."

The filming industry impacts sectors of a community that can be surprising. In one documented budget from a major motion picture that shot 32 days in Las Vegas, over $52,000 was spent on gasoline and nearly $42,000 was spent on hardware and lumber supplies alone. They expened more than $187,000 on car rental in the community and another $14,000 just for dry cleaning locally. Their overall spending for that shoot was in excess of $5.3 million, which included $1.4 million in hotel rooms and $1 million in hiring local extras.

"Filming dollars end up in the hands of an amazing number of businesses and individuals when a project comes to Nevada to shoot," says Robin Holabird, Deputy Director of the NFO who is located in the northern Reno/Tahoe office. "From pizza restaurants to shoe repair, to secretarial services and carpenters, caterers and electricians, it¹s a far-reaching impact."