San Bernardino County has a rich history in entertainment as part of the Greater Los Angeles global hub for film and media production. The County remains stalwart for the film and entertainment industry and continues to support local productions through new opportunities and incentives.
The San Bernardino County Economic Development Department engaged ESI to develop a custom economic impact tool to enable the County to consistently estimate the economic value generated by production-related travelers associated with location filming. Working with County stakeholders, ESI provided a customized local spending model for film and media productions through an interactive Excel-based tool for easy department use and implementation.
As part of the data review and benchmark development process, the project team analyzed records on production activity and permitting trends. This process established baseline assumptions on local conditions and industry benchmarks for production activity returns, factoring variations in crew sizes, filming durations, lodging, and per diem spending.
Benchmarking informed ESI in developing an interactive Excel-based tool to estimate visitor spending. The team designed and built a transparent, user-friendly platform with intuitive input tabs to help users select shooting days, specify traveler counts, and adjust default assumptions. The tool automates complex calculations through a formula-driven system, delivering fast and accurate spending and economic output estimates.
The team delivered the interactive platform, which included a user guide and instructions for updating the tool with new IMPLAN data. ESI conducted a virtual walkthrough session and continued to support County staff through the tool’s execution, addressing implementation questions and ensuring smooth adoption. The spending model serves as a resource to quickly synthesize projections, streamlining department coordination for film and media production in the County.
