Leading Question

There are movies out there that have used Southwest Florida as a backdrop, but the region has yet to become a major star. A few years ago, scenes for Adaptation, with Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep, were shot in Fakahatchee Strand. And in the 1990s, filmgoers could see local settings in Gone Fishin', with Joe Pesci and Danny Glover, and Just Cause, starring Sean Connery.

Despite the lack of movie credits, the film office is doing its job, and a good one at that, says Collier film commissioner Maggie McCarty. The county is popular for photography, video shoots and instructional filmmaking, among other non-Hollywood work.

"We do a lot of print work and commercials," McCarty says. "It's not just a Hollywood connection, but it's a New York connection. We're reaching out to the United Kingdom and Europe."

When McCarty arrived four years ago, she worked as a consultant under the auspices of the Collier Board of Commissioners. That first year, film activity brought in less than $1 million of economic impact. Last year, she became film commissioner and part of the county's Greater Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau (Lee County has a film office, but not a state-designated commission). Her office has a $65,000 budget. She estimates this year's take to be about $1.5 million. In 2003, the state generated $1.16 billion from the film industry.

Our area provides a variety of settings attractive to film makers, from the rustic Everglades to the sandy Gulf beaches. Still, Collier has a lot of competition for business within the state and beyond.

McCarty touts Collier County as a mainland alternative to the Bahamas or Puerto Rico. The Collier County Film Commission also offers rebates to attract business. "We have so many advantages," she says.

-Phil Borchmann