Marketing historic buildings for television and films is a simple idea to promote historic assets and to provide a tremendous return for showcasing the preserved properties, stimulate local economies, and use historic outleases to obtain funds to assist in maintaining properties. Historic buildings are priceless assets, not only to the tenants who work in them, but also to the citizens who use and appreciate them. The GSA Southeast Sunbelt Region has an amazing collection of 64 historic Federal buildings spread out among its eight-state territory. These buildings have a distinct and very special character that is no longer realistic to reproduce. Therefore, it is GSA’s responsibility to protect these historic assets.
However, these buildings compete for funding for repair and maintenance with the rest of the portfolio within a pool of resources that is not sufficient to fund every project. Therefore, any additional revenue that can be generated, especially at the same time it can show off these historic assets and buoy the local communities, is essential to keeping these treasures as Federally owned buildings.
Through the goals of community outreach and stewardship of the historic inventory, an idea was formed to market the Federal portfolio as possible locations for television and film productions. The benefits of this program include:
- Promotion of the historic preservation program through appearances and credits in television and film productions
- Boon to the local economy that results from television and film production
- Receipt of fees paid by production companies will increase regional Funds From Operations that can be returned directly to the building’s preservation through a historic outlease as defined in the National Historic Preservation Act.
Because GSA is in the business of providing the best space possible for its Federal clients, it took creativity to develop guidelines for filming in Federal buildings and some quick learning to understand the way movie locations are selected. Policies have also been developed for prospective film production companies that detail the special circumstances inherent in filming within a Federal building.
As the program grows, GSA expects to encounter more obstacles such as a larger workload and particular problems that may come with certain film projects. However, GSA has already received a check for $10,000 for one day of filming for the upcoming motion picture “Leopold Bloom.” The South Carolina Film Commission has also toured the historic buildings in Charleston, increasing awareness and possibilities of additional revenue.
Federal buildings all over the country are one-of-a-kind expressions of the country’s values and cannot be easily replicated on a Hollywood soundstage. By developing some simple guidelines and promoting availability of venues, other GSA regions or Federal agencies could easily take advantage of the benefits of a program such as the one developed in the Southeast Sunbelt Region.
For more information, contact Mr. Jeffrey M. Jensen at (404) 562-1354 or via e-mail at jeffrey.jensen@gsa.gov
