Source: Production pumping money into Isles – Brunswick News: Local News

Brunswick Georgia Live By Night Movie setProduction pumping money into Isles – Brunswick News

Angie Young and her dog, Luna, have long been regular fixtures in downtown Brunswick. But recently, the duo has been taking their early morning strolls down Newcastle Street a little more slowly.

The reason? To take in the progress on the “Live by Night” movie set, which is making impressive daily strides. Young says that they have become friendly with a number of the workers who are recreating 1920s Ybor City, Fla., in her small Georgia town.

“I am shamelessly parading Luna past them every morning on our walk to Daddy Cate’s Coffee … so much so that some of the crew even know her name now and stop to pet her,” she said.

Young and Luna aren’t the only residents excited by the presence of Hollywood in the heart of the downtown historic district. Many other locals from other areas of the city and county have found themselves drawn to the area to take a peak at the progress and perhaps catch a glimpse of the flick’s director-lead, Ben Affleck.

That was certainly the topic of conversation at a recent cooking class held at The Farmer and the Larder.

“We were definitely talking about Ben Affleck and the movie at The Farmer and the Larder class (Wednesday),” said participant Nancy Usher. “Lots of us at Hodnett Cooper Real Estate have been eating lunch downtown more often since the film production started. It’s all very exciting for our Golden Isles.”

The extra traffic and buzz has certainly been a boost to businesses in the downtown area. Susan Bates, owner of Tipsy McSway’s located almost directly across from the set, says they’ve seen more residents coming down. They’ve also seen a number of crew members come into the restaurant.

“We couldn’t be happier to have the ‘Live by Night’ production crew in town. They are transforming downtown and it is movie magic,” Bates said. “The workers have been very good to us at Tipsy’s. Many of them come in every day for lunch or dinner — or both. There has also been an increase in business from locals wanting to get a look at the production.”

But the businesses in the direct vicinity aren’t the only ones that are benefitting from the movie. Hotels, other restaurants and retail stores throughout the county are also reaping the rewards, fulfilling the production’s initial promise to use area businesses as much as possible while working in town.

Kelley Daniel is another business owner who’s seen big returns from the production. His company, Rent All, on Glynn Avenue, has loaned out a number of items to the crew, including scaffolding and paint sprayers.

“They said they wanted to use local business and give back to the local economy and we were really happy with that so we’ve been taking care of them. We want these guys to come back here more often,” Daniel said.

Of course, this isn’t Rent All’s first brush with Hollywood. The store has supplied a number of items for other films including recent movies like “X-Men,” “Anchor Man” as well as older flicks such as “The Legend of Bagger Vance” and “Glory.” Daniel says that oftentimes, in addition to renting machinery, crews also welcome advice on how to make the construction process go faster and smoother.

“They ask us a lot of questions on how to do things and we help them figure out how to do things better. They are on a deadline, working at breakneck speed to get everything,” he said. “I’ve actually been an extra on a couple of sets and I think these movie people are some of the hardest working people I’ve ever seen.”

Downtown Brunswick Georgia NightThe Economic Impact for the Golden Isles

As a whole, the “Live By Night” production has brought plenty of benefits to Brunswick and Glynn County. According to Scott McQuade, president of the Golden Isles Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the exact economic impact is unknown, he has no doubt that it is significant, to businesses, as well as hotels, shops and restaurants.

“The ‘Live By Night’ film will have a significant economic impact throughout the community and especially for downtown Brunswick,” he said.

“The positive impact on our accommodations partners is also being felt throughout the community. We will know better when the production is finished what the economic impact estimate will be but certainly we anticipate and clearly see it making a huge difference.”

McQuade adds that another benefit the area has received, though not monetary, is the exposure the project has brought.

“Not only will we benefit from the direct economic benefit of the production, we also benefit from significant recognition for hosting the film. The CVB has done interviews with several news stations around the country interested in the film project and inadvertently millions of viewers are learning where we are on the map and what we have to offer,” he said.

“The buzz creates a free marketing engine of sorts. Furthermore, it is our hope that success is achieved with the film’s debut so that it might create future film tourism business for Brunswick and other areas where the production is shot.”

And it’s his hope to draw more movie productions to Glynn County. One of the best ways to do that, McQuade says, is to ensure that the cast and crew have a pleasurable experience while in town.

“The best thing our community can do to further stimulate the film industry in the Golden Isles is ensuring they leave happy. Our city and county governments and Jekyll Island Authority have done a great job being film friendly and I commend our public officials for making the process easy. In addition, we also encourage the public to respect the working environment of production crews and actors to ensure they can work without interruption,” he said.

“Although we want the public to see for themselves the transformation downtown Brunswick is making, we ask that people look from afar. Film crews are essentially here doing their job and we want them to be able to do their work effectively and efficiently.”

McQuade feels that if this happens, the production crew will spread the word to others in the business. That will heighten the chances of more films coming to the Golden Isles.

“If we continue to follow these good practices and further demonstrate to the film industry our ability to host future film productions we will continue to grow the industry,” he said.

“Every time we get a film or TV production right we encourage a return visit from another production. The Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau works very closely with the state film office to ensure new leads are flowing.”

Reporter Lindsey Adkison writes about business and other local topics. Contact her at ladkison@thebrunswicknews.com on Facebook or at 265-8320 ext. 346.

Source: Production pumping money into Isles – Brunswick News: Local News