County Wants to Bring Hollywood Glam to Westchase Area?

County Commissioners want to see Hillsborough’s name in lights – or at least written in movie and television credits.

The county revealed plans recently to hire a film commissioner to help Hillsborough locations attract the kind of attention from Hollywood that nearby Pinellas has enjoyed in recent years. The new film commissioner would head up a nonprofit film commission that would fall under the auspices of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp, according to The Tampa Tribune.

The idea behind the move is to make Hillsborough more attractive to movie and television makers not just to get the county’s name in lights, but also to attract the spending that major productions tend to bring with them.

The Tribune says the county gets only about a 9 percent piece of the filmmaking pie in Florida as a whole. That’s compared to Miami’s 57 percent share. Orlando gets about 31 percent of the film production action.

Even nearby Pinellas County has done better in recent years, having played host to such productions as “Spring Breakers,” and “Dolphin Tales,” among others.

It’s unclear how soon a film commissioner will be put into place, but county officials say the City of Tampa will also help fund the post.

Read The Tribune’s full story here.

What do you think, Westchase? Does Hillsborough need a film commissioner? If the county moves forward, what’s your favorite spot around town you’d like to see on the big screen? Share your thoughts and ideas by commenting below!