Santa Barbara County is considering a new position to act as a facilitator for movie and television productions looking to film in the region.
The Board of Supervisors advanced a proposal on Tuesday that would help out-of-town media productions find places to shoot, promote the county as a film destination, and keep track of records.
Wade Cowper, the chief of staff for First District Supervisor Roy Lee, said establishing the new role would streamline the process for people looking to film in the county. Right now, productions must collaborate among multiple departments and jurisdictions, with very little face-to-face interaction.
“The lack of coordination can create delays and uncertainty, which, in turn, can push productions to other regions that offer a more streamlined experience,” Cowper told the board.
The film commissioner role would act as a single position in charge of tracking filming days, jobs, tax revenue and assisting with other production needs.
The board voted unanimously to have staff return with proposals before the county’s June budget workshops on how to structure the position and fund possibilities.
Economic Benefits
In addition to streamlining services for filmmakers, making the process easier could benefit the county’s economy and generate revenue.
According to a report from the Economic Development Collaborative and the Office of Arts and Culture, the creative economy generates $1.30 billion annually in labor income and $469 million in total tax revenue.
The county’s creative economy also has increased from $3.46 billion to $3.82 billion since 2019.
Movies have a history of generating revenue and interest in the Santa Barbara County region.
In 2004, the comedy-drama film “Sideways” brought the Santa Ynez Valley into the spotlight. The Oscar-winning movie helped establish Santa Barbara County as a tourist destination for wine lovers.
About 90% of the movie was shot in the Santa Ynez Valley. After the film premiered, the area saw a 20% increase in tourism. Sales of pinot poir also increased 16% nationwide, according to Daisy Weber, the deputy chief of staff for Lee’s office.
The region would go on to become a top tourist attraction, and wineries in the area grew from 60 locations in 2004 to well more than 300 in 2026.
“’Sideways’ is proof that good exposure results in clear and immediate economic opportunities for our communities,” Weber said.
Streamlining services could help the county benefit from new state legislation that increases tax credits for productions until 2030. The legislation increases the total amount of tax credits from $330 million to $750 million for productions that shoot in California.
Because of those tax credits, productions are incentivized to film in the state.
“Given our proximity to Los Angeles, we are well positioned,” Cowper said, “but we’re not currently structured to take full advantage of that program.”
Lisa Plowman, the director of Planning & Development, said her office receives an email or call asking for help with permits or shooting locations at least once a week.
Some callers are unsure of where they want to shoot, and the office is not always able to help them. Plowman estimates that the county loses out on 25 to 50 potential film applications a year.
Plowman also said the county brought in $64,000 from permit applications and fees in 2024. She said the same fees brought in about $59,000 in 2025.
Cowper said one of the film commissioner’s duties would be creating a book of places for productions to film. He added that many counties have a location book for things such as car commercials.
A History of Film Production
Santa Barbara has a long history of film production, dating back to the creation of Flying A Studios. The studio, established in 1910, produced a variety of silent films.
Film production eventually moved south to Hollywood, but television and movie productions still traveled to Santa Barbara to film. During the past 100 years, more than 250 movies and TV shows have been filmed throughout the county.
The first major movie filmed in the county was “The Ten Commandments,” a 1923 silent black-and-white film partially shot in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes near Guadalupe.
The 1991 superhero movie “The Rocketeer” was filmed in Santa Maria on an abandoned World War II runway. The movie, set in the 1930s, featured a scene where the main character rescues a pilot from a plane during an airshow.
“One Battle After Another,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2026, was also filmed in Santa Barbara County. One of the movie’s pivotal scenes was staged at the La Purisima Mission in Lompoc.
Santa Barbara County also has been a popular location for reality show episodes, including “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen.”
A long-running series set in Santa Barbara was the show “Psych.” However, even though the show used scenery shots of local landmarks, the show was filmed in Vancouver, Canada.
