Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco announced today that the N.C. Film Office received several marketing awards for its creative work at the 25th annual Locations Trade Show in Santa Monica, Calif., last week. The Association of Film Commissioners International, which represents more than 300 film commissions worldwide, presented the awards in this global competition.
The Film Office earned two first place awards, and second and third place wins. Attending the trade show with Film Office officials were regional film commissions from Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad and Wilmington.
“We are thrilled the N.C. Film Office has been nationally recognized for their creative marketing and their vision, energy, and leadership for our statewide film industry,” Crisco said.
The Film Office won first place in the direct marketing category for “The North Carolina Los Angeles Reception Invitation.” It also earned first place honors in the displays/signs category for its “Giant North Carolina Rocking Chair Installation.” This 10-foot combination of a distinctive N.C. rocker with the traditional director’s chair embodies the Film Office’s brand of the state as a film-friendly and relaxing place to work. It was installed at the Sundance Film Festival in Los Angeles, the N.C. Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Hospitality, and will be displayed next week at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The second place award was in the apparel category for its “North Carolina T-Shirt Design.” The design depicts the Film Office logo on a theater screen. The office received a third place award in the specialty category for its “North Carolina Director Rocking Chairs.” The chairs have been displayed at various industry functions and several are located in executive offices at DreamWorks, Alcon, Paramount, Warner Brothers.
The Film Office also won first place awards in 2008 from AFCI for logo design and an advertising campaign.
The motion picture industry brought $91 million in direct spending to North Carolina in 2008. The industry also employs thousands of people statewide. In addition to recent major motion pictures that have filmed in the state such as “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Leatherheads” and “The Secret Life of Bees,” the industry is home to the CW Network’s “One Tree Hill” TV series as well as hundreds of commercial and industrial productions each year.
The N.C. Film Office, part of the Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, is an agency of the N.C. Department of Commerce. The Film Office is a long-standing and active member of the Association of Film Commissioners International, an industry organization with 250 film commission members from 30 countries. For more information, visit www.ncfilm.com.