Kansas City

Growing Kansas City’s Film & TV Industry

CitiesKansas CityGrowing Kansas City’s Film & TV Industry

Bloomberg Associates helped the Film Commissioner strategically position Kansas City as a destination for television and film production.

Kansas City has been the most welcoming city I’ve ever worked in. From the production community, the business community, just local people wanting to help and be involved—I’ve never had such a positive experience. I hope I can shoot here all the time.

Eric Streit, Executive Producer, “New Girls on the Block,” Discovery Life Channel

Relevant Expertise

Spur Business and Industry Growth

Business Attraction and Retention Strategies
Film and TV Attraction

Challenge

In 2014, Kansas City wanted to identify potential drivers for economic growth, and was looking for ways to diversify their tax and employment base. Film and television production was singled out as an area that could contribute to the economy and contribute to the cultural identity of the city. The Mayor’s office sought the guidance of Bloomberg Associates to help grow film and television production in Kansas City.

Approach

Bloomberg Associates worked with the Film Commissioner to launch the new Kansas City Film and Media Office and develop a comprehensive strategic plan to increase the city’s film and television production. The strategic plan adopted an innovative, citizen-centric approach, including crowd-funding efforts and collaborations with local universities. Additionally, an advisory board of industry representatives was established to collaborate and offer guidance to the Kansas City Film and Media Office, making recommendations and providing key contacts, information, and skills to help the office meet core objectives. We also advised the Commissioner to conduct a study to better understand the city’s production landscape and assess local opportunities. The resultant report outlined how the arts community, private funders, and foundations could benefit from a growing media community.

Impact

With the support of Bloomberg Associates, Kansas City unveiled the state’s first local film incentive program to draw filmmakers to the city, and established the economic advantages of local production. Within two months of the incentive’s passage in 2016, two feature films had taken advantage of the program. By year’s end, the incentive resulted in a $121M impact on the city’s economy. To continue building the city’s reputation as a destination for film and television production, the Film and Media Office now hosts several events around the country in key entertainment industry markets such as Los Angeles and New York City for the Sundance Film Festival and the Association of Film Commissioners International Cineposium.