Jon Wilson, Krys Karns, Sharon Linton & Amy Lillard

In December Washington Filmworks Executive Director Amy Lillard and Production Services Coordinator Krys Karns paid a visit to Bellevue, Washington. The day started with a meeting at the Meydenbauer Convention Center with area leaders to discuss the important economic impact of film production in our state. Attendees included Bellevue film liaison Sharon Linton, who serves as Marketing and Communications Manager of Visit Bellevue, as well as various city officials and community members.

Bruce Andresen & Amy Lillard

The visit was inspired in part by the tremendous interest in Bellevue from local and national production companies. The diverse locations and close proximity to SeaTac airport made the city a natural fit for a Kia Motors commercial campaign, which shot in August 2013. This commercial project was the first to receive incentive dollars through the recently launched Commercialize Seattle campaign. “Bellevue looks forward to helping film production groups discover the visual assets and resources in our community who can help bring their visions to life” says Sharon Linton.

The day continued with stops to scout film friendly locations for our ReelScout online location database. The scout included the Maydenbauer Convention Center, Stone Gardens Climbers Gym, Bellevue City Hall, Bellevue Challenge Course at Eastgate Park, and the Bellevue Arts Museum.

Krys Karns & Brad Bennett

Finishing off the visit was a meeting with Tom Boydell of the City of Bellevue Economic Development Department and Michel Martel, Executive Director of Music Works.  At this meeting, Filmworks learned about a new initiative by Music Works to bring more film scoring to their full service facility.

Washington Filmworks would like to thank the City of Bellevue for their hospitality.  We look forward to working with them in the future.