Could the Film Industry Save the Hudson Valley?

  |  August 18, 2014
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According to a recent article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, the number of film productions that have chosen the Hudson Valley as a setting has leapt 600% between 2003 and 2013, and that’s good business for the entire region. With those production shoots come a multitude actors, crew, and other film employees who stimulate the economy by eating in restaurants, staying in local hotels, and making purchases at local retail shops. In fact, according to numbers provided to the article by the Hudson Valley Film Commission, films crews dropped nearly $8 million in 2013. Cities like Poughkeepsie could certainly benefit from production companies coming and filming on the local streets. Steven Boone of City of Poughkeepsie was quoted in the PJ story as saying, “This area needs a lot of help,” he said. “We need the money and the revenue and everything here. We could use a big shot in the arm.” As of July 20, 2014, 9 films have been shot in the HV. Last year, 21 films were shot here. So, could the film industry be just the boon that the HV needs to bolster the economy? Probably not by itself, but among a cadre of other revenue sources, it come become very important, indeed.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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