‘Hollywood North’
Santa Clarita Valley ready for another strong film year
The Santa Clarita Valley may not have the ubiquitous brass stars with celebrity names or a 45-foottall white sign amid the mountain tops, but the “Hollywood North” has all the right ingredients movie makers seek, earning success to their productions and the area’s economic growth.
“It’s really a combination of things,” said Jason Crawford, the city of Santa Clarita’s economic development manager.
To start with, Santa Clarita is located within the Los Angeles 30mile studio zone, which is vital for film productions. This means labor costs are lower within the area because payment for extra travel costs is not required.
Santa Clarita also has “the look.” “We have such a variety that can play almost any set,” said Crawford. “We have more than 10 movie ranches, 20-plus sound stages, neighborhoods that can play different kinds of communities and College of the Canyons has areas that can be dressed up to play different locations around the world.”
That’s not to mention the valley’s terrain of hills and open spaces used in many silent films by Hollywood, featuring cowboys stars like William S. Hart and Hoot Gibson.
Today, the “Hollywood North” is used to film multiple sets for commercials, television shows and movies in almost every genre.
November alone proved to be a successful month with more than 100 film days. Commercials for GMC, Toyota and Google Chrome have set the location pin on Santa Clarita, as well as television shows like “Drunk History,” “NCIS,” “S.W.A.T.,” and most recently, season three of “Goliath,” were filmed within the last 30 days.
In 2017, a robust list of feature films shot in the area includes “The 15:17 to Paris,” “Just Getting Started,” “A Star is Born” and “A Wrinkle in Time” and “The Happytime Murders,” which were filmed at local sound stages. And the list only grows. “Sometimes it’s hard for a show to come for the first time but once we get them to come up, they realize it’s closer than they think and we treat them well so they return,” said Crawford.
He said the city, whose film office is responsible for functions like issuing film permits and location inquiries, is well-known for its rapid permit turnaround, affordable permits fees and overall high customer service.
All this activity amounts to an impressive economic impact on the local community — $33.9 million in 2017 for perspective, according to Evan Thomason, city economic development associate.
For the last five consecutive years, filming has brought more than $30 million to SCV business, such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels and retailers.
The year may be ending soon, but filming isn’t dwindling because “we’re definitely tracking for another strong year,” Crawford said.