Gasp! Clooney shot his UW-set Boys in the Boat in the UK… not Seattle

This spring brought cameras to Capitol Hill as a new season of the Love is Blind reality show filmed episodes in the neighborhood.

More drama could be coming.

Seattle is set to create a new commission to help attract new film, television, commercial, and streaming projects in the city.

The Seattle City Council this week signed off on a plan championed by citywide representative Sara Nelson to create a new 11-member Seattle Film Commission charged with helping make the city a more attractive setting for diverse and equity-focused productions:

(1) address disparities in the film industry caused by systemic racism to position Seattle as a leader in driving equity, diversity, inclusion, and economic prosperity; and (2) serve as conduit between the City and film industry and community to equitably grow the film industry as part of the City’s economic development priorities in the creative economy

“View a list of just some of the movies set in Seattle, but shot elsewhere here,” a briefing on the new commission provided to media reads. “This commission would be tasked with addressing that problem and making Seattle a more attractive option for all sorts of film/TV projects.”

Nelson’s office points to “many classic movies set in Seattle were shot in Seattle” from the 1990s as a kind of golden age for the city’s presence in Hollywood: “Sleepless in Seattle, Singles, 10 Things I Hate About You, and many more films that brought millions of dollars into the local economy and provided well-paying jobs in the arts and entertainment industries.”

But Nelson said this week that the city has been “outcompeted” with shows set in Seattle “more often shot in Vancouver, BC.” The latest insult? “Upcoming blockbuster The Boys in the Boat being directed by George Clooney, which tells the story of a University of Washington men’s rowing team, is being filmed in the UK, not Seattle.”

The appointees on the new commission may serve up to two consecutive three-year terms and “would represent a wide variety of film industry and community stakeholders, such as on-screen talent, labor unions, film production crew, and film organizations belonging to and advocating for communities underrepresented in the film industry.” Five members will be appointed by the council, five by the mayor’s office, and one by the commission itself.

The cost to City Hall will be minimal with the commission made up of volunteers. The Office of Economic Development already staffs a Film Program Manager who will help organize the new body. Additional costs would include possible hardship stipends for the volunteer members.

PLEASE HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE!
Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.